Chain length for gear ratios

Wahoo Kickr question

Currently on my bike I have Shimano 105 11 speed 11-34.

Is the 11 speed chain compatible with 11-28 Wahoo kickr cassette?

Thanks

My first guess is you should be fine.

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Hi Robert.
If you have the latest 105 on your bike (R-7000 series – that’s what I have on my Zwifting set-up, also using a KICKR) and your rear derailleur was spec’d for a 11-34T cassette, you probably have the RD-R7000-GS (medium-cage version, as opposed to short-cage) on your bike, which Shimano says covers 11-28T to 11-34T cassettes, so you’re almost certainly okay.

For optimal drivetrain operation, you’d shorten the chain by a calculable number of links if you were only going to be using an 11-28T from now on, but I’m guessing you’ll be wanting to switch from your trainer to your road set-up and back again. In that case, don’t shorten the chain: a too-short chain out on the road can be more of a liability than a too-long chain on an indoor trainer!
(BTW, you probably know this, but if your chain is quite worn, it’s not a great idea to put it onto a new cassette, as it will wear down the new cassette quicker. Better to fit a new chain to a new cassette.)

Remember, you’re not obliged to use the Wahoo-supplied cassette on the trainer, it’s just a nicety not to have buy a new cassette on top of buying a trainer. Personally, I like to have exactly the same set-up on my trainer as on my road wheel (not 11-28T), so I bought a separate cassette for the trainer anyway. :man_shrugging:

If you don’t want to buy a new cassette, you can even just take your bike’s current 11-34T cassette off and put it on your trainer in place of the supplied one. This of course means that preparing your bike to ride outdoors would then require far more faffing time, as you have to swap the cassette over each time.

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