# shimano hg-50 cassette worn out, upgrade to what?



## Phillycore (Apr 4, 2009)

The shimano HG-50 11-34t cassette on my Raleigh Mojave has worn out so it's time to replace both that and the chain so I keep it from slipping, 

My question is where do I go from here....

I don't really care about the weight of the thing, I want something strong that won't wear out quite as quickly if that's possible.

I also will replace the chain at the same time and was thinking of going with the SRAM PC-951 9 Bike Chain - 9 Speed is this a good solid chain ?

Any and all reccomendations are welcome.... not looking to break the bank, just want a good solid replacement.

FWIW I'm a clyde (240# down from 330#)


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## Phillycore (Apr 4, 2009)

pg 990 ??


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## jeffj (Jan 13, 2004)

The SRAM 951 chain is fine. For a sturdy cassette, I (also well into clyde territory) can recommend either the HG61 or LX580 cassettes from Shimano. Not terribly expensive, and 'clyde tested' by me ;~)

I don't see any reason to switch cassette sizes, and if you're a clyde, I would think having the bailout 34t cog might be nice to have once in a while. But, you would be OK going to the 11-32 if that's what you want. I would just make the chain two links shorter that it currently is.


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## Phillycore (Apr 4, 2009)

thanks for the reply.... I edited my 2nd post after you replied mainly because I realized it was kind of pointless asking without saying which gears I usually ride in most, and the current teeth on the chain ring, etc... lol


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## RabEd Ewok (Jul 15, 2011)

Check here Slap Nuts!

That's where I posted when I was looking for replacement parts for you.


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## Phillycore (Apr 4, 2009)

Shimano MC442 Octalink 22/32/44t (this is what I have on there as far as chain ring goes...I NEVER use the 44t) 

I'll check tomorrow when it's light out and post my most frequent gears... don't want to give out wrong ones.


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## RabEd Ewok (Jul 15, 2011)

Phillycore said:


> Shimano MC442 Octalink 22/32/44t (this is what I have on there as far as *Crankset* goes...I NEVER use the 44t *Chainring*)
> 
> I'll check tomorrow when it's light out and post my most frequent gears... don't want to give out wrong ones.


Fixed it for you


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## Phillycore (Apr 4, 2009)

Crankset

A chainring that incorporates the manufacturer's brand name
The crankset (in the US) or chainset (in the UK), is the component of a bicycle drivetrain that converts the reciprocating motion of the rider's legs into rotational motion used to drive the chain, which in turn drives the rear wheel. It consists of one or more sprockets, also called chainrings[1][2][3] or chainwheels[3] attached to the cranks, arms,[4] or crankarms[5] to which the pedals attach. It is connected to the rider by the pedals, to the bicycle frame by the bottom bracket, and to the rear sprocket, cassette or freewheel via the chain.

Chainring
Chainrings (also called "chain rings",[10] "chainwheels" or "sprockets", although sprocket is used this way mostly in the BMX community[3]) engage the chain to transfer power to the (usually rear) wheel. They usually have teeth spaced to engage every link of the chain as it passes over; however, in the past, some designs (called skip-tooth or inch-pitch) have had one tooth for every other link of the chain.[11]


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## RabEd Ewok (Jul 15, 2011)

Blah-Blah-Blah, plain and simple we are both right! I was just going from what I seen on the interwebs....lol Plus it is what Bikepedia and everyone else says, including here, for what you posted.

Read Cranks in all of them


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## Phillycore (Apr 4, 2009)

RabEd Ewok said:


> Blah-Blah-Blah, plain and simple we are both right! I was just going from what I seen on the interwebs....lol Plus it is what Bikepedia and everyone else says, including here, for what you posted.
> 
> Read Cranks in all of them


That's not even my bike..... That's the 29er.... and FWIW, you were the jackass that threadjacked and started "Fixing" things for me.... 
You want to fix something, drive up here and FIX my bike.....so I can show your sorry ass how to ride yours....lol

(FWIW - Yes RabedEwok and I are friends and Yes, he's being flamed in a friendly way.... but he's still and ASS!! so feel free to call him one :thumbsup


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## RabEd Ewok (Jul 15, 2011)

Phillycore said:


> That's not even my bike..... That's the 29er.... and FWIW, you were the jackass that threadjacked and started "Fixing" things for me....
> You want to fix something, drive up here and FIX my bike.....so I can show your sorry ass how to ride yours....lol
> 
> (FWIW - Yes RabedEwok and I are friends and Yes, he's being flamed in a friendly way.... but he's still and ASS!! so feel free to call him one :thumbsup


Yo Moose Knuckle, Read what the link says. It says *"Read Cranks in all of them"*, yours is on the list, just a little further down. So put your glasses on, and read it again.


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## AndrwSwitch (Nov 8, 2007)

I think the HG61 is a great cassette. The next step up gets a whole lot more expensive (for the shop too) and you're not likely to find a particularly good price.

The HG61 is the highest-end cassette that doesn't put the larger gears on a carrier. If you switch to fancier wheels at some point and end up with an aluminum freehub body, you may want to go to something fancier. Otherwise, the only reason would be weight. I'm a bit of a Shimano fanboy about cassettes and chain rings. I actually have added an HG-61 to my team's QBP order because I don't really want to pay for the HG-80 and I think it's better than the SRAM cassette at the same pricepoint. (Forget which one right now.)

I don't know what largest cog you have right now. I have a 22t granny ring on my crank, race around 150 lb, and still prefer to have a 34t cog available. I figured out not too long ago that I have a significantly faster cadence than a lot of mountain bikers so YMMV. I'd say that if you spend much time in your lowest gear, though, you're probably best off with a 34t or maybe even a 36t.


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## DannyHuynh (Sep 13, 2011)

AndrwSwitch said:


> I think the HG61 is a great cassette. The next step up gets a whole lot more expensive (for the shop too) and you're not likely to find a particularly good price.
> 
> The HG61 is the highest-end cassette that doesn't put the larger gears on a carrier. If you switch to fancier wheels at some point and end up with an aluminum freehub body, you may want to go to something fancier. Otherwise, the only reason would be weight. I'm a bit of a Shimano fanboy about cassettes and chain rings. I actually have added an HG-61 to my team's QBP order because I don't really want to pay for the HG-80 and I think it's better than the SRAM cassette at the same pricepoint. (Forget which one right now.)
> 
> I don't know what largest cog you have right now. I have a 22t granny ring on my crank, race around 150 lb, and still prefer to have a 34t cog available. I figured out not too long ago that I have a significantly faster cadence than a lot of mountain bikers so YMMV. I'd say that if you spend much time in your lowest gear, though, you're probably best off with a 34t or maybe even a 36t.


my hg-61 just showed up in the mail :thumbsup:


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## Phillycore (Apr 4, 2009)

AndrwSwitch said:


> I think the HG61 is a great cassette. The next step up gets a whole lot more expensive (for the shop too) and you're not likely to find a particularly good price.
> 
> The HG61 is the highest-end cassette that doesn't put the larger gears on a carrier. If you switch to fancier wheels at some point and end up with an aluminum freehub body, you may want to go to something fancier. Otherwise, the only reason would be weight. I'm a bit of a Shimano fanboy about cassettes and chain rings. I actually have added an HG-61 to my team's QBP order because I don't really want to pay for the HG-80 and I think it's better than the SRAM cassette at the same pricepoint. (Forget which one right now.)
> 
> I don't know what largest cog you have right now. I have a 22t granny ring on my crank, race around 150 lb, and still prefer to have a 34t cog available. I figured out not too long ago that I have a significantly faster cadence than a lot of mountain bikers so YMMV. I'd say that if you spend much time in your lowest gear, though, you're probably best off with a 34t or maybe even a 36t.


Factory setup..

Shimano MC442 Octalink 22/32/44t 
Cassette HG50 11-34t ( 11-13-15-17-20-23-26-30-34 )

HG61 has following option
a 12-36t (12-14-16-18-21-24-28-32-36)
b 11-34t (11-13-15-17-20-23-26-30-34) (same as current)
c 11-32t (11,12,14,16,18,21,24,28,32)

When looking at my bike.... I am almost ALWAYS using chainring 32 and cassette 13-15 (sometimes 17) OR chainring 22 and cassette 11 and 13 (sometimes 15) 
The rest of my cassette looks brand new.....
Generally where we ride at there isn't any real gnarly steep climbs, a lot of fast flowy single track with long ascents with a max of around 500 vert or so...

I guess I'm cross chaining a LOT more than I thought I was....


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## AndrwSwitch (Nov 8, 2007)

If you don't use any of the big cogs, try a road cassette. Something like an 11-28 wouldn't be too unreasonable on a mountain bike.

If you don't yet have refined pedaling technique, try to learn to spin at least 90 rpm before you commit yourself to high gears all the time. Some people just push big gears, but everyone should at least be able to spin.


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## RabEd Ewok (Jul 15, 2011)

AndrwSwitch;8869984
If you don't yet have refined pedaling technique said:


> Hehe, he said Spin. 90 rpm's is what we do in Spinning class, at a pretty decent tension too. We have a few free passes, if you want to join in one day bro....lol


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## Phillycore (Apr 4, 2009)

RabEd Ewok said:


> Hehe, he said Spin. 90 rpm's is what we do in Spinning class, at a pretty decent tension too. We have a few free passes, if you want to join in one day bro....lol


Honestly, I should just to see where I'm at......but you know as well as I do, I muscle the bike not spin it. I just ride that way, always have. It's what I'm comfortable doing and I'm out there having fun, not racing or anything so it works for me. I wouldn't mind trying to find a way to get to a happy medium between the two.


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