50/34 With 11-25 Cassette (Beginners Guide)
Choosing a crankset with a suitable cassette for your bike can be challenging.
Particularly when many options offer different features. Hence, many bike owners often wonder if they can use 50/34 with 11-25 cassettes.
You can use 50/34 with 11-25 cassettes as it offers sufficient speed and it’s suitable for climbing. This combination is the best option for road cyclists and individuals who use their bikes to commute to work every day.
Any Reason to go from 50/34 on 11-25 to Anything Else?
Pairing a 50/34 compact crankset with an 11-25 cassette is one of the best combinations for your bike as it offers efficient gearing and more power to the drivetrain.
With this combination, you can be 100% sure of a top speed of 32.86mph/52.88km/h at 90 RPM.
However, some bike owners tend to go from the 50/34 with 11-25 cassette to another combination.
The reason for this is pretty simple! Bike owners opt for other alternatives when they want their bikes to generate more speed.
Especially when they want to use their bikes for racing on flat terrains.
The compact crankset(50/34) is predominantly suitable for road bikes. Hence, it can not generate the speed that’s necessary for racing.
In this case, if you want your bike to generate a higher top speed, then you can opt for a 53/39 crankset.
53/39 is a standard crankset that offers high speed for bikes suitable for racing. 53/39 delivers a top speed of 45.2mph at 120 RPM.
Nonetheless, before changing the crankset and cassette of your bike, you need to understand the basics.
Now, what are these basics? First off, bikes usually come with different sizes of cranksets and cassettes.
Bikes that are available for racing will not contain the same setup as that of road bikes.
So, if you own a road bike, you must use only road bike cassettes and cranksets.
Similarly, if you own a racing bike, you must opt for cassettes and cranksets that suit your bike.
It’s important to note that using a road bike crankset and cassette for a racing bike can be disastrous as you might encounter many problems.
The reason is that these bikes have different chainring sizes. And this is a result of a different bolt circle diameter, also known as BCD.
So you must exert extreme caution while handling these crucial components of your bike.
50/34 Compact and 11-32 Cassette 11-Speed; How Limited is this on Flats?
The 50/34 compact crankset possesses a 50-tooth big ring and a 34-tooth small ring.
Similarly, the 11-32 cassette has small sprockets which contain 11 teeth and large sprockets with 32 teeth.
The 50/34 crankset and 11-32 cassette are 11-speed and offer a top speed of 15-20mph on flats.
The speed of this combination has certain limitations that hinder it from reaching its full potential.
The reason is that 50/34 compact crankset and 11-32 cassette are primarily suitable for hilly and mountainous terrains.
So, this combination will not fare well on flats and will not give you the required speed.
You can utilize the 50/34 and 11-32 cassettes to the fullest if you live in hilly areas.
This combination can achieve a top speed of 45-50mph at 100 RPM. Plus, you can effortlessly participate in off-road activities as long as your bike is in good condition.
And this includes the tires, wheels, brakes, axles, hub, pedals, and other vital components.
In addition, you need to purchase the right cranksets and hilly/mountain bike cassettes for your bike, especially if your bike uses a compact crankset(50/34) and an 11-32 cassette.
Notwithstanding, if you want to ride your bike on flats. You must change the bike’s entire crankset and cassette to achieve maximum speed. Let me break it down to bits!
If your bike operates in the compact crankset, you must change it to a standard crankset(53/39).
On the other hand, if your bike uses an 11-32 cassette, you need to change it to 12-28 or 12-32. This combination will deliver a maximum speed of 60mph and more.
50/34 With 11-28 Cassette vs. 52/36
50/34 is a compact crankset often compatible with many road bike cassettes such as 11-28.
With this combination, you can easily overcome any hilly/mountainous terrain. There are different options to choose from regarding cranksets for your bike.
Cranksets usually comprise three different types, which include standard(53/39), compact (50/34), and semi-compact (52/36).
Standard cranksets often have a 53-tooth big ring and a 39-tooth small ring. These cranksets are suitable for flats and are ideal for racing.
However, they are costly to purchase, especially when you’re taking your bike for repairs or replacement of parts.
Nonetheless, you can always settle for compact or semi-compact cranksets as they are compatible with many 11-speed cassettes.
Suppose you’re perplexed about the crankset to purchase between 50/34 and 52/36.
Then the table below will annihilate any lingering confusion. Let’s jump right in!
| 50/34(compact) | 52/36(semi-compact) |
|---|---|
| It’s mostly suitable for hilly terrains. | It’s suitable for flat terrains. |
| It’s an ideal choice for daily commuters. | It’s the best option for racing and climbing. |
| It’s not compatible with many cassettes; hence offers low gearing. | It is highly compatible with cassettes in different sizes and ranges and has high gearing. |
| It produces a top speed of 39.1mph at 110. RPM. | It generates a top speed of 40.0mph at 120 RPM. |
Although 50/34 with 11/28 cassettes are compatible, they are not suitable for certain activities.
Nevertheless, you must always ensure that the cassette is compatible with any crankset you purchase.
50/34 With 11-28 Cassette Chain Length
If you purchase a brand new bike with a 50/34 crankset 11-28, the chain length will measure up to 12 inches across 12 links.
The chain often serves as the driving force behind the swift movement of your bike.
Hence, it encounters many problems that subject it to wear and tear. So, if you measure your chain and it’s 12⅛ inches long or more, you need to replace it immediately.
If you delay, you might encounter further problems while enjoying a ride or commuting to work.
To do this, you must visit a bike store and purchase a chain suitable for your bike. Alternatively, you can take your bike to an expert to assist you in fixing the chain properly.
Admittedly, many bike owners do not know the chain length on their bikes. Hence, they tend to purchase the wrong size, which doesn’t suit the bike.
So, you need to know how to calculate the chain length to purchase the perfect fit.
A simple equation is one of the easiest methods to calculate the chain length. The equation is given by L = 2 (C) + (F/4 + R/4 + 1).
Where L stands for the length of your chain in inches. You can also round it up to the nearest inch.
C represents the chain stay, the distance between the center of the crankset and the rear axle.
You need to measure to the nearest ⅛ and convert it to decimal form. F stands for the front chainring, the sum of teeth on the biggest chainring.
Lastly, R stands for a rear cog, the number of teeth on the biggest rear cog.
Final Thoughts
50/34 is an excellent crankset compatible with different road bike cassettes such as 11-25, 11-28, and 11-32.
Although 50/34 doesn’t generate as much speed as 53/39 and 52/36. It has other qualities that make it suitable for commuting and other road activities.
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