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Submitted by
Carl Mare
a Cross Country Rider
from Nelspruit, South Africa
Date Reviewed: November 10, 2007 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$40.00 | | Purchased At: | LBS | | Strengths: | Smooth shifts, accurate. Strong enough for me. | | Weaknesses: | A bit more pricey than corresponding SRAM-products. | | Similar Products Used: | SRAM PG950, PG970, PG980. | | Bike Setup: | Raleigh Carbon hardtail, SRAM x9, Reba Race, Juicy 5, DT Swiss XR1540 | | Bottom Line: | Works well with good shifting. Light. Less expensive than the XTR. Shifts just as well. Does not have the lifespan of the XTR. Good for cross country racing. Buy it. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Stan
a Cross Country Rider
from Sandy, Utah, USA
Date Reviewed: October 11, 2005 | | Favorite Trail: | Mid Mtn. Park City, Ut. | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$80.00 | | Purchased At: | Revolution Cycle | | Strengths: | 11 to 34 tooth cogs | | Weaknesses: | Expensive, my set broke after 11 months, no warranty | | Similar Products Used: | Deore 11-34, XT 11-32 | | Bike Setup: | Ventana X5 Spinergy wheels, XT shifters, XT Crank, XTR derailers, Chris King Head Set, Marz. Bomber and RP# | | Bottom Line: | Rode for 11 months, with all the good reports on this product I ended up with a lemon. A portion of the 3rd largest cog broke off, during a ride. Not sure when, noticed the shifting was funny, just thought I needed a derailer adjustment. Got home, cleaned the bike and noticed the broken cog. I dont consider myself a hard rider on equipment, most likely broke on one of the uphill sections. Guess I will try and find one on ebay, they are fairly expensive, I liked the 11-34 tooth cassette and not sure of any better or less expensive alternatives. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
David Santillan
a Weekend Warrior
from philippines
Date Reviewed: September 29, 2005 | | Favorite Trail: | urban, single track | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$40.00 | | Purchased At: | extreme bikeshop | | Strengths: | weight, plating doen't easily chips off, four arm looks cool | | Weaknesses: | none!!!! | | Similar Products Used: | shimano lx cog set, sram 9.0 | | Bike Setup: | "01 santacruz bullit, marzocchi z150, raceface north shore DH XT all over... | | Bottom Line: | this cassette has been in service to me since oct of 2002... it has'nt failed me yet... i ride urban and trails... highly recommended... cheaper alternative to an xtr or an sram.... | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jason
a
from Modesto, CA
Date Reviewed: January 13, 2005 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Similar Products Used: | Shimano LX | | Bottom Line: | Mine last about 6 months before you can see substantial wear on the teeth. That's probably more my fault because I prefer to torque on the tougher gears instead of shifting to the "correct" gear. I'm more than happy with the way it performs. The weight is good. Look on eBay and you can find them for around $55-$65. I'm sticking with this cassette forever. Knocking one chili off for value because they are a little expensive. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Adam Pippin
a
from Dallas, Texas
Date Reviewed: September 10, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | Robber's Cave State Park | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$45.00 | | Purchased At: | Pricepoint | | Strengths: | Very lightweight, seems to last for me | | Weaknesses: | none, really- may be designed for lighter riders? | | Similar Products Used: | alivio 7 speed, LX 9 speed | | Bike Setup: | custom xc hardtail- drivetrain: LX crank, XT derailluers(9 speed), LX shifters, pc 99 chain | | Bottom Line: | I bought this cassette to replace my LX almost two years ago, and I used it on several mountain biking trips, and now I use it for commute to school. So far, I haven't really noticed a lot of wear, and I've ridden on it quite a bit. Maybe it lasts longer because I weigh 150? I use it with a SRAM PC 99 chain, which seem to work well together. Other than me not cleaning it often enough, it's been great. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ryan R
a Cross Country Rider
from Long Island, New York
Date Reviewed: April 25, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | Dirt ones :) | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$42.00 | | Purchased At: | Bike Junkie | | Strengths: | Fairly Light; Compared to the LX Model
Decently Strong: Able to take a good beating while shifting
Durable: Have yet to bend a cog or round out the teeth
Shifts well: No bad skipping | | Weaknesses: | a Little on the heavy side but that is compared to the XTR, Picks up trail garbage really easy but what cassette dosen't in the fall with all the leaves down. Shifts well but sometimes I think the stock one that came with my bike (LX) shifted slightly better than the XT version. Some skipping but nothing too bad. | | Similar Products Used: | Shimano LX and Sram X7 | | Bike Setup: | Specialized StumpJumper FSR XC Highly Modified! | | Bottom Line: | This is a good cassette I have experienced none of the things in some of the poor reviews for it. It is far durable than the XTR cassette that was on my buddies Fuel. The XTR is far lighter but much less durable than the XT. So I decided to use the XT version. Most of the pro riders use the XT version unless you do short track XC or World cup Racing. They can afford them when they strip them out but the common folks like us should use the XT for it's weight and durablity and price. Compared to the XTR version you could buy four of these for the price of one XTR!
As for the shifting it is good but sometimes I think my heavier LX did a better job of shifting than this one does. Sometimes my chain will skip under load but it only happens when I know I'm pushing way too bid of a gear up hill. As for the bottom line I belive the Shimano XT cassette is the better one on the market it is durable enough to survive out on the trail and it is light enough not to bog down the bike on that long climb. If your looking for a new cassette look to the XT for a good one if your a racer who only uses his bike to compete then look to the XTR for weight saving, but for durablity use the XT. The cogs teeth round out way too easy on the XTR and are known to bend very easy, some pro's have had this problem in the past. For a trail bike it's great and affordable expect to replace your cassette once a season if you ride religously like most mountain biker do and don't forget a new chain at least once to twice a season and you won't have any shifting problems PEACE! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
kent
a Cross Country Rider
from hong kong
Date Reviewed: April 5, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | agressive xc | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$38.00 | | Purchased At: | yuen long, lbs | | Strengths: | 1. best value
2. lightweight
3. choice of different cogs
4. fast changing gears even under heavy pedal
5. looks cool and shiny | | Weaknesses: | a little bit expensive | | Similar Products Used: | N/A | | Bike Setup: | 01 NRS1, 02 SID-sl, xt disc 6", mavic F519 with DT onyx hub
mainly xt drivetrain | | Bottom Line: | I weight 149lbs, and ride agressive xc with light downhill on this cassette with 1300km.
using at 9speed 11-34 cog set
It shift lighting fast and accurate even under heavy pedaling together with XT HG-93 chain(2003),XT rear derailleur(2002), LX shifters(2002)
Half the price of XTR cassette, 20grams something heavier than XTR. Why pay for double price if you aren't racing or just for 20grams weight saving?
Highly recommend for all around use.
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
JaKo
a Weekend Warrior
from Truro, NS, Canada
Date Reviewed: April 1, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | the well known up and down variety | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$40.00 | | Purchased At: | eBay | | Strengths: | Fairly light and great range. | | Weaknesses: | The cogs are very "sensitive" to the stuff we ride through -- twigs and sticks. Fortunately a scredriver and pliers would "fix" the bends ... | | Similar Products Used: | Deore, LX, SRAM | | Bike Setup: | MtB | | Bottom Line: | XT used to be a good value (before the 760). The 34 to 11 has a "big step" on 6-7th, which is OK for a causual rider, but I would like to see a bigger step on 1-2nd.
One day perhaps, we'd see an internal shifting and driveshaft instead of the chain and deraileurs ... | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Dan
a Weekend Warrior
from Marlborough, MA USA
Date Reviewed: December 28, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | Vietnam | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Strengths: | Now that I'm looking for another one, I can't find a better value. Half the price for twice as long. | | Weaknesses: | OK, so I got a lemon. The 4th cog snapped w/ two pieces lying on the trail. Not sure yet if I can get the local shop to fix just that cog. Bummer because the cassette is near brand new. I'm in a new area of the country and its not worth sending it all back to the original bike shop.
I like the argument about 8sp vs. 9sp is a good one. 8 sp has bigger chain, bigger cogs, and who needs 27 speeds on a mountain bike? (Looks like I kinda got my wish for 8 spds) For that matter, the big up front 44 chain ring is just a bash guard anyway that eventually flats out all its teeth. So a 16 speed would be bulletproof.
Oops, back to the subject. The XT cassette shifts fine and have had no trouble w/ bent rings on my other bikes. The XTR cassette was even fine except for the big cog, but wore out quickly. Seems that if you can get through the break in, then these things will be reasonably reliable until they wear out. | | Similar Products Used: | XTR | | Bike Setup: | Cannondale Jekyll 3000SX Carbon
| | Bottom Line: | Looks like there is no better value out there. Even if money were no object, a Ti cassette w/ chronic bending and 20 miles to go is no use to anyone. For that matter, make it out of steel and market that it is a lot lighter than carrying 2 extra cassettes in your backpack. OK so 5 chili's for value and only 3 chili's until I find out I'm not going to break (bend is better than break) another cog w/ a new one. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Nitish Nag
a Cross Country Rider
from Fremont, CA
Date Reviewed: December 19, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$40.00 | | Purchased At: | Performance Bike | | Strengths: | Durable, Cheap, Good looks, Great Shifts, | | Weaknesses: | Not as light as XTR, | | Similar Products Used: | XTR, Deore, LX | | Bike Setup: | 2003 Santa Cruz Blur, 2003 XTR with discs, Progressive 5th Element Air Shock, Easton Carbon Cockpit, eggbeaters SS, | | Bottom Line: | This the best value in the cassette market. Nothign beats the durablity and performance of the XT cogset at the price that it is offered at. Get this if you prize value and performance. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
adam
a Cross Country Rider
from kokomo, in, usa
Date Reviewed: September 3, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$45.00 | | Purchased At: | pricepoint.com | | Strengths: | performs well under regular riding conditions. changes gears when i need it to. looks good (when clean). | | Weaknesses: | a tad expensive and shifts a little loud at high cadence. maybe that is normal, this is my first cassette purchased seperate from the bike. | | Bike Setup: | EPX Terrashark frame, mostly XT drivetrain, easton bar and stem and marzoochi MX Pro fork | | Bottom Line: | it seem expensive for a cassette, but i have heard (and read) it is very durable. i hope i get my money's worth after a few thousand miles when i have to replace it instead of a few hundred miles | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Seth
a Weekend Warrior
from Seattle
Date Reviewed: August 25, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$40.00 | | Purchased At: | LBS/Online | | Strengths: | Good Wear. Smooth Shifting. Affordable. They have treated me well. | | Weaknesses: | The interface between the cassette and the free hub has slightly worn (deformed) on the cassette. Causing annoying amount of wiggle room which results in some rattling while coasting (but this cassette is two years old, and I ride hard, so I can live with this one (I have broken two sets of cranks during the life of this cassette)). This is probably due to the large amount of torque that I generate (since I use platform pedals). | | Similar Products Used: | Shimano LX, XT, lower grade IG and HG stuff (30 or 50 series) | | Bike Setup: | Steel Hard Tail Custom Ride. Built Strong w/ Old School Parts like Syncros, Race Face Cranks, Titec Hellbent Ti-Riser Bars and XT Front Derailleur & Front Hub. New school XTR shifters, V-brakes, Rear Hub and Derailleur. Chris King Headset. Marzocchi Z-1. | | Bottom Line: | I gave up my clipless pedals about 4 years ago for platforms (to accomodate the technical trails that were spouting up everywhere here on the NW Coast). I have noticed that this puts alot more strain on the drivetrain due to increased pedal pressure (read: no spinning). For this reason I have stuck with 8 speed components, because they are thicker and therefore stronger. I have been happy with the 8 sp XT cassettes. I am about to install my 4th one since 1996.
Change your chain periodically to reduce wear on your cassette. As the bushings (?) on the chain wear, the effective engagement length between the pins increases, causing the chain to "ride up" on the teeth of both the cassette and the chainrings. Through in some mud, dust and road grit, and the teeth are forced to wear down to accomodate the "longer" distance between pins. $20 for a new chain is a lot cheaper than spending $150 on a new drivetrain.
For heavier riders or those who ride with platform pedals, use 7 or 8 speed setups. They are much stronger.
LONG LIVE 8 SPEED!!! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
leo
a Downhiller
from hk
Date Reviewed: August 17, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$42.00 | | Purchased At: | bike shop | | Strengths: | light,strong,and nice
| | Weaknesses: | none | | Similar Products Used: | lx | | Bike Setup: | gts hardtail,z1 fr,521,mainly xt | | Bottom Line: | i think that this cass is really stong,i can use two different chain on this cass, but no any scratch,not many cass can do that.
but some guys told me that the sram 9.0 cass is much more strong than the xt,is't it?can anyone answer me?thx! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
axel
a Cross Country Rider
from yakima
Date Reviewed: June 25, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | skyline | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$50.00 | | Purchased At: | sagebrushcycles | | Strengths: | great shifting, strong, stiff, lasts forever, looks good, stays clean on its own | | Weaknesses: | no so far | | Similar Products Used: | sram 7.0, shimano LX | | Bike Setup: | kona roast, and a NRS | | Bottom Line: | Buy one of these cassetes if you want a bike that shifts good and looks good. the sram pile of crap that i used to have wore out so fast i didnt even know that it came on my bike untill i took it off. i now have two of these cog sets one in a 32 tooth and a 34 tooth both work grean and i have had them both forever and they still work great. in a week or two i am going to try an XTR,but i am going to keep the XT around and if the expensive stuff doesnt work i am going back to reliable. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Greg
a Racer
from Germany
Date Reviewed: February 18, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Strengths: | shifts very well.
Mine were quite durable. | | Weaknesses: | too expensive | | Similar Products Used: | LX | | Bottom Line: | Can't complain about the durability.
I changed my first XT cassette after 2800 miles
because I took my bike to Ireland and I wanted
it to work well for a while. The second cassette
has seen some 600 miles of boggy Irish trails in
spring, a whole race season and countless very muddy
winter rides (overall more than 3500 miles). Shifting
is not up to race standards any more now but the chain
still doesn't slip. Nice. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Kevin
a Weekend Warrior
from Tempe, AZ
Date Reviewed: October 25, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$48.00 | | Purchased At: | SUpergo | | Strengths: | Works well until it fails | | Weaknesses: | VERY low lifespan, about 1,000 miles to a wear failure on the small gears, half that of the 8 speeds, and the same as the deore 9 speed | | Similar Products Used: | deore 9 speed, LX 8 speed | | Bike Setup: | i-drive 5.0 | | Bottom Line: | Mega 9 is to thin, shimano need to start selling individual cogs if they intend on keeping up this crap | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
KB
a Cross Country Rider
from Salt Lake City
Date Reviewed: September 2, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | any single track | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$50.00 | | Purchased At: | Supergo | | Strengths: | Nice finish. | | Weaknesses: | Bent cog. | | Similar Products Used: | XT and XTR 8 speed. | | Bike Setup: | Lenzsport, Raceface, Fox Forx etc. | | Bottom Line: | Nine speed version used only three months. Could not shift into third cog. Close examination revealed second biggest cog bent probably because everything is thinner than the trusty old 8 speed. Nine speed is an evil Shimano conspiracy to get more dough out of us! Nine speed absolutely is much more inferior than 8 speed. My bike will be Shimano free by 2003. I now have an 8 speed cassette with nine cogs. Ever tried dealing with Shimano directly? | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jan Solar
a Weekend Warrior
from Prague, Czech Republic
Date Reviewed: August 7, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$50.00 | | Purchased At: | Prague | | Strengths: | DURABLE!!! | | Weaknesses: | It's not produced any more... | | Similar Products Used: | Sram 5.0 | | Bike Setup: | HKS Alite 4000, Fuji 4 Diamond, Mrazek FS; Z1, mainly XT | | Bottom Line: | talking about 8spd 1998 product. Lasted more than 9,000 (nine thousand) miles over (3 years). IG90 chain changed each approx. 1000 miles. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
BOB
a Cross Country Rider
from MarysvilleCA
Date Reviewed: July 25, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | South Yuba | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$35.00 | | Purchased At: | Price Point | | Strengths: | Has held up to about 3,500 miles and is on my second bike and still turning. Has seen at least 6 different chains. | | Weaknesses: | I havent found any except a little wear where it goes on to the freehub body thats why I bought a new and put it on my secondary bike. I just built it three months ago to save miles on my Superlight. | | Similar Products Used: | All shimano | | Bike Setup: | Which one . Superlight or my urban hardtail . They both use XT 9 speed cogsets | | Bottom Line: | I have to say I have nothing bad to say. It works well.I ride hard and I handed the one down to my urban hardtail with alot of miles and I have relly pounded it some more on a different bike. I was concerned about the play where it goes on the free hub but its hanging tough. The brand new one runs awesome and I do not believe it is any smoother shifting than the old one with over 3500 miles. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
simo
a Weekend Warrior
from sydney
Date Reviewed: June 3, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$70.00 | | Purchased At: | shop | | Strengths: | shimano | | Weaknesses: | bendy | | Similar Products Used: | always shimano | | Bike Setup: | turner xc with xt throughout | | Bottom Line: | i am getting older and shimano gear is getting flimsier. these are too light, they wear out and they bend if you are a bit ham fisted in the gear changing department. this is really not acceptable. my advice is to buy the cheaper model and change more frequently- you get sod-all performance gain with xt in this case. bring back 8 speed!! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Hakan
a Cross Country Rider
from NYC
Date Reviewed: May 16, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$50.00 | | Strengths: | Works well, install it and forget about it | | Weaknesses: | Wears a bit fast | | Similar Products Used: | LX | | Bike Setup: | Rocky Mountain Vertex with a few upgrades | | Bottom Line: | Think I had a LX cassette before but the chain snapped and I decided to put in a XT and a new pc 99 chain. Apparently it's recomended to change the cassette when you change chain. It seems to wear out quickly but who cares, it's cheap and works well | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Joe
a Cross Country Rider
from Clearwater
Date Reviewed: May 15, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$40.00 | | Purchased At: | pricepoint | | Strengths: | light, cheap if you buy online | | Weaknesses: | weak, cogs wear fast | | Similar Products Used: | lx | | Bike Setup: | rm instinct, race face and xtr everything | | Bottom Line: | this will be my 3rd in just over a year - seems when the chain is done you might as well buy another cassette. every time I put a new chain on a moderately used xt cassette it skips on me. I weigh 190 a ride alot, but this cassette should last longer than a 3-5 months. haven't tried the sram 9.0 yet, it's got crappy reviews too so I'm not sure what other product to try. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Matthew
a Weekend Warrior
from Austin, TX
Date Reviewed: March 17, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$50.00 | | Strengths: | Clean design: Light and responsive | | Weaknesses: | Weak: Bent cog and cracked my rear dropout and broke B - bracket of my XTR derailleur. | | Bike Setup: | Giant XTC NRS AIR '02
Stock | | Bottom Line: | If you are over 180lbs and ride hard (especially on uphills).. you might bend the cog and cause your chain to snap. This could lead to yanking on your derailleur causing it to snap off (like it happened to me) | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Daniel
a Cross Country Rider
from Knoxville, Tennessee, United States of America
Date Reviewed: February 4, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | Any at Haw Ridge | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$60.00 | | Purchased At: | www.cambriabike.com | | Strengths: | Shifts crisp, fairly light, looks pretty good (not that it matters much). | | Weaknesses: | None. | | Similar Products Used: | LX 9 speed, LX 7 speed. | | Bike Setup: | Giant XtC, 2002 SID SL, full XT, XT discs. | | Bottom Line: | I have had no problems with this cassette. It still shifts as crisply today as it did when I first bought it. I have had no problems with bent or broken cogs. I weigh 155 and maybe that makes a difference, I also never run the 34 tooth with the middle ring (shift into that gear sometime and tell me that isn't cross-chained). If you experience chain skipping with any cassette, try changing your chain as a stretched chain will not work with a non-stretched cassette. I would say buy this product. Shimano is a business with a bunch of engineers and accountants, if they are having to replace lots of products due to warranty issues those accountants make sure the engineers hear about it, and I bet that Shimano fixes the problem as rapidly as possible, and no I don't work for Shimano either. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
johnnyb
a Cross Country Rider
from San Anselmo
Date Reviewed: December 17, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | singletrack kind | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$26.00 | | Purchased At: | Online | | Strengths: | Lightweight. I thought the plated surface would add some sort of strength. | | Weaknesses: | Fell apart on me. | | Similar Products Used: | LX, STX | | Bike Setup: | Stumpy Pro, Atom Bomb, Mavic 517, 222, Raceface and Phil Wood BB | | Bottom Line: | Felt this would be an upgrade to my regular LX.
Recently, this cassette worked great for about six months until one of the pins that holds all the gears together fell out, making a clean shift impossible.
A previous set lasted about 8 months, but the teeth in the bigger gears wore faster than I had hoped.
I weigh about 215 lbs and ride alot and I think I like the LX cassettes better, because of their solid design of the gears. My 8-speed XTs were cutout and drilled to save the weight and I suspect this comprises strength.
I think I've used LX cassettes since '95, at least four set and all I could do to those were wear them out. And thats what I have on for now.
Probably a good cassette for lighter riders. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
spongerator
a Cross Country Rider
from NJ
Date Reviewed: December 16, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | Ramapo State Forest and area | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Purchased At: | online somewhere | | Strengths: | Looks nice in the bottom of my garbage can | | Weaknesses: | Lasts for 6 months | | Similar Products Used: | LX | | Bike Setup: | 01 Truth | | Bottom Line: | This is for the 12-34. It lasted only 6 months and then started skipping the next to lowest ring. Some rides fine, then other horrible. I adjusted it constantly and then again, the XTR chain would just, skip and engage, disengage, etc. SO....off to SRAM I went. Got a 9.0 and a 99 chain and its like being in heaven. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Dan W
a Weekend Warrior
from Portland, OR
Date Reviewed: December 5, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | Somewhere in SE Oregon desert | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$70.00 | | Purchased At: | River City Bicles | | Strengths: | Shifts well. Light weight thanks to use of spiders. | | Weaknesses: | Poor choice of gear spacing. Hard to change thanks to use of spiders. | | Similar Products Used: | None | | Bike Setup: | 2000 Specialized RH A1 Pro, 22/32/44 with 11x32 XT cassette | | Bottom Line: | Shimano Hyperglide cassettes shift really well, and the weight is really reasonable, considering you have 9 cogs, some of them quite large. This is because of the "spider" module that groups several of the larger cassettes together in a lightweight unit.
Problem is, on wide-range MTB cassettes, Shimano seems to have forgotten that most of us spend most of our time in the middle gears, and it's the longer stretches at moderate speeds where we need to fine-tune our gear selection, not when we're grinding up some major hill or blasting down the other side. I don't need BOTH an 11 and 12 tooth cog - and 11 to 13 jump is just fine. Likewise, I'd be happy with a 26 to 32 step instead of 28 to 32. The gear spacing on a standard shimano 11x32 is: 11-12-14-16-18-21-24-28-32. That 18 to 21 jump is 17%, proportionately the biggest on the cassette, and it is a real pain in the butt. I'm constantly jumping between these two trying to find the right ratio and it JUST ISN'T THERE! Ironically, the 12x34 is actually spaced better than the 11x32.
The proper gear spacing for most people on an 11x32 would be 11-13-15-17-19-21-23-26-32. But Shimano doesn't make that (and neither does SRAM). You can build a custom cassette with these cogs, but it'll cost you well over a hundred bucks.
3 mild green chilis for value, at MSRP of $70.
3 mild green chilis due to poor cog selection. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Michael
a Cross Country Rider
from Salem
Date Reviewed: November 9, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$60.00 | | Purchased At: | Bike n' Hike | | Strengths: | Light weight
Trick looks.
shifts well | | Weaknesses: | none. | | Bike Setup: | Ironhorse 2.0, LX, XT, manitiou SX-R | | Bottom Line: | this is a great product. for racing or just the weekend warior. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
cole
a Racer
from easley
Date Reviewed: October 25, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | catawba | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Purchased At: | bike source of charolete | | Strengths: | no missed shifts, light | | Weaknesses: | none so far | | Similar Products Used: | real designs 9spd deluxe | | Bike Setup: | 2002 f2000 with xtr-xt shifting and lefty elo | | Bottom Line: | a nice cassete worth the money over lx but xtr probally isn't worth the $65 price tag | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Tim
a Cross Country Rider
from St. Louis
Date Reviewed: October 22, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | Chubb | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Strengths: | None other than being light weight |
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$
