By bike · Road
Road bike parts, matched to your speed count before anything ships.
An 11 speed road bike chain, a Shimano HG compatible 11-32 cassette, a pair of 700x28c road tires, Presta inner tubes for 700c, rim or disc pads. That's most of what road riders ask us for. We check each one against your drivetrain and brakes, then quote. Chains from $24, tyres from $22, tubes from $7, all indicative.
- 50/34 with 11-32
- 52/36 with 11-30
- 11-speed chain, 5.5 mm
- 700x28c
- Presta 60 mm
- Flat mount 160 mm
- Caliper reach 39–49 mm
Asked for most
Five road bike parts, and the number each one hangs on.
Each part has one figure that decides whether it fits. Get that figure to us and the rest is quick.
11 speed road bike chain
Inner width 5.5 mm. From $24.
Tell us the speed count before anything else. An 11-speed chain is 5.5 mm wide. A 10-speed is 5.9. Put the wrong one on and it runs fine for a week, then skips under load on the climb. We check length too: send the chainstay and the biggest ring and cog, or work it out on the chain calculator. Full widths for 8 to 12 speed are on the drivetrain page.
Shimano HG compatible cassette, 11-32
Freehub standard first. From $35.
Shimano HG, SRAM XDR and Microspline do not interchange. An 11-speed road cassette needs the longer 11-speed road HG body. It will not go on an older 10-speed body. Going the other way, a 10-speed cassette on an 11-speed body needs a 1.85 mm spacer behind it. Pull the cassette or photograph the freehub, and we'll read it.
Replacement rear derailleur, road bike
Max cog and pull ratio. Quoted after a photo.
A short-cage road derailleur usually tops out at 28 or 30 teeth. Fit an 11-32 cassette and you may need the medium cage. Shifters and derailleurs must share a pull ratio, so we ask for the shifter model too. Bent hanger? Send a photo of the dropout. We match hangers from the picture, never from the bike's model name.
700x28c road tires and Presta inner tubes for 700c
ISO 28-622. Tyres from $22, tubes from $7.
Most road frames built in the last ten years clear a 28 mm tyre. Older race frames sometimes stop at 25. Measure the gap at the brake bridge before you go wider. Valve length follows rim depth: a 48 mm Presta valve suits a shallow alloy rim, a 30 to 40 mm deep rim wants 60 mm, deeper carbon wants 80. Details live on the tyres and tubes page.
Rim brake pads, road bike, or disc pads
Rim pads from $12 a pair, disc from $18 a set.
Cartridge road pads slide into the holder and need the right compound for alloy or carbon rims. Disc road bikes almost all use flat mount calipers now, and the pad shape is caliper-specific. Ordering flat mount calipers for a post mount frame is a mistake we see every month. Pad compounds and mount standards are on the brakes page.
Gearing
Two 2x setups cover most road bikes we see.
A compact 50/34 crank with an 11-32 cassette is the default for riding the Hill Country. The 34 by 32 low gear gets most riders up a 10% grade seated. The 50 by 11 top gear is enough for anything short of a sprint finish.
Semi-compact 52/36 with 11-30 suits flatter roads and stronger legs. Closer steps between cogs, a bigger top end, and a low gear of 36 by 30 that bites on long climbs. Riders who swap 50/34 for 52/36 and keep a 32 cog usually need to check derailleur capacity first. Total capacity is (big ring minus small ring) plus (big cog minus small cog). Short cages tend to handle around 33 teeth.
Changing from one to the other is rarely just a cassette. Chain length changes too. Two links is typical.
| Setup | Low gear | Capacity | Suits |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50/34 + 11-32 | 34 x 32 | 37 t | Hills, mixed riding |
| 52/36 + 11-30 | 36 x 30 | 35 t | Flatter roads, faster groups |
| 50/34 + 11-28 | 34 x 28 | 33 t | Short-cage derailleurs |
| 53/39 + 11-25 | 39 x 25 | 28 t | Older race bikes |
Capacity figures are arithmetic from the tooth counts above. Check your derailleur's stated capacity against them.
A chain past 0.5% wear eats an 11-speed cassette. Check it every 1,500 miles. A new cassette on a stretched chain will skip from day one.
Process
How a road bike inquiry runs.
Send the drivetrain numbers
Speed count, chainrings, cassette range, brake type. A photo of the rear dropout answers half our questions.
We check each part against them
Chain width, freehub body, derailleur capacity, caliper mount, tyre clearance, valve length. Every check is written next to the part.
Reply within one business day
Our target, Monday to Friday. Indicative prices, held for seven days.
Confirm and we ship
Chains go out with a quick link and a length check against your numbers.
Objections
Road riders' usual questions.
Who this isn't for: anyone wanting electronic groupset firmware help or a full bike build. We supply parts. We don't fit them.
Can I mix a SRAM chain with a Shimano cassette?
On 11-speed, generally yes, if the speed count matches. On 12-speed, the standards split and we check model by model.
I don't know my speed count.
Count the cogs on the rear cassette. That's the number. A clear photo works too; we'll count.
Will you quote a bleed kit for my hydraulic road disc?
Only once you tell us the fluid printed on the lever, DOT or mineral oil. Mineral oil in a DOT system ruins the seals in an afternoon.
Road bike inquiry
Send your bike's details.
Speed count, chainrings, cassette, brake type and tyre size. We reply with every part and the check run on it.
- Phone+1 (565) 555-2353
- Email[email protected]
- Desk68 Cedar Court, Office 12, Austin, Texas 28613