As a flatlander who likes to climb, I’m always on the lookout for some mechanical advantage which can make it easier to get up the hills. SRAM’s 11-36 cassette is an obvious way to do that, but officially my Shimano R8050 (R8000 should be the same) rear mech only supports up to 34 in the back. Having tried the Ultegra 11-34, and not being a big fan, if this works. It seems a great way to get better gearing.
Thanx for helpfull video, but I didnt catch, what kind of crankset do you use? I have 52-36 and I would like to change casette from 11-28 to 11-36.
I use a 50/34 front chainring setup, but it shouldn’t matter. The key bit is whether the RD can handle the extra links in the chain (which turned out to be no additional links from the supported 11-34).
I just bought a Specialized Diverge2021 (carbon comp) in July last year and have since been doing OMTM rides primarily for my regular long gravel rides on the weekend (50 to 70 or so miles and average 5k to 6k elevation gain). The Diverge comes with the grx set up (48-31 on the front and 11 speed 11-34 on the back). Im using using bike for road rides as well (mainly mixed road and gravel). I’m become a better and stronger rider as time goes on BUT I’m never going to dedicate myself like the more serious riders so my… Read more »
I definitely notice the difference b/w a 34-34 and 34-36, so it would surprise me if you wouldn’t also notice (and appreciate) the lower 31-36 ratio on your bike.
Thanx!