# Lightweight wide range 10 speed cassette options



## moefosho (Apr 30, 2013)

Looking for 11-40 or larger range cassettes. The Sunrace csmx3 looks to be pretty light for 11-42.


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## Seb K (Apr 21, 2009)

The lightest and most durable will be Sram . Next up will be the Recon titanium cassettes . I think they do the range you are after . The lightest but for race purposes are the Recon alloy cassettes . Just installed one so we'll see how long it lasts .

RRECON


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## RS VR6 (Mar 29, 2007)

I'm using a Response 11-42. Not sure I'd get another one though. The price is high at 300. I can go XX1 for less.


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## b-kul (Sep 20, 2009)

the 10 sp e13 cassette is pretty light for the range it offers.


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## MichaelV8V (Aug 16, 2014)

The alloy cassettes don't seem at all durable, this guy bought one for his daughter and she wore it out in less than 300 miles FAQLoad - Recon 9-36t cassette


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## RS VR6 (Mar 29, 2007)

The Recon cassette has the most commonly used gears made of aluminum. No wonder it wore out quick.


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## moefosho (Apr 30, 2013)

MichaelV8V said:


> The alloy cassettes don't seem at all durable, this guy bought one for his daughter and she wore it out in less than 300 miles FAQLoad - Recon 9-36t cassette


300 miles?? That would be gone so fast.


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## Seb K (Apr 21, 2009)

So many factors though . Chainwear, type of terrain and how hard the shifting is . Lots use the alloy cassettes but only for racing as it is intended just for racing .


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## MichaelV8V (Aug 16, 2014)

There are lots of variables, and I don't know how strong the guy's daughter was, but in other posts she sounded fairly young, if she killed the cassette in 300 miles, then a powerful racer would kill it faster. As he said, "From new it shifted poorly. This improved slightly once it had worn in. Shortly thereafter, it wore out!"

So, will be interested to see how you get on


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## Seb K (Apr 21, 2009)

You've made me nervous now !!! 

Although if from new it shifted poorly I'm suspecting a problem with drivetrain setup . On mine the chain is shifting fine I just have to keep an eye on the teeth .


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## moefosho (Apr 30, 2013)

I just can't see the value in spending that much money on a cassette that will wear out so quickly unless I was racing at a pro level, and in that case, I would hope sponsor money would pick up costs.

Mainly looking at the Praxis 11-40 $130 320g
and the Sunrace CSMX3 11-42 $75 380g

But hoping there is other options.


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## BlownCivic (Sep 12, 2006)

I'm running an XT 11-36 with the last cluster (28,32,36) replaced with the Garbaruk 29-35-42 aluminum cluster. The complete assembly is light at about 265g and shifts great but you're faced with buying the XT cassette if you don't already have one and the Garbaruk cluster. I can't comment on the durability though, as I've only done about 6-7 rides on it so far.


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## moefosho (Apr 30, 2013)

I just cant see having that many aluminum cogs as practical enough for a bike that gets lots of miles.


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## mackdhagen (Jun 17, 2011)

I have about 400 miles on an aluminum Agogo 11-36. All on my cross bike over the fall racing and training in typical cross conditions. Its anodized so i can see the wear, but no slipping or anythign yet. Typical noiseyness that you get from alu cassets but nothing outta the ordinary.
In terms of that post before i'd ecco what michael8v8 said that if it shifted poorly from the start thats what fried it. I'm always dialing in and lubing my set up but now you guys have me paranoid and i think i'm gonna take it off for the summer and throw it back on for CX race season


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## -Todd- (Jun 13, 2011)

10spd XTR + 42t expander... Shifts well, cost effective, wears long, light...


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## Seb K (Apr 21, 2009)

What I said earlier was the premature wear was due to a badly setup drivetrain most likely . A lot of riders use these cassettes so if they were bad they wouldn't get sold . THEY ARE FOR RACING ONLY and not your everyday trail ride .


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## dan4jeepin (Apr 9, 2007)

XG1080+One up 42T will give you a 296g cassette but it does have a pretty big gear jump the 12T to 16T.


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## moefosho (Apr 30, 2013)

I currently have an XT 11-36 with the Wolftooth 42t. Weight is 404g. It has performed flawlessly, but it now has a lot of miles. I am hoping for a single cassette solution without having to use an extender.








The new XT 11 speed would be nice for better shifting performance and ratios. But its also has a 430g cassette.

The Praxis works is nice and light at 320g but its only 11-40 and it doesnt have a 36t cog, I think I might miss that guy.


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## scant (Jan 5, 2004)

moefosho said:


> I currently have an XT 11-36 with the Wolftooth 42t. Weight is 404g. It has performed flawlessly, but it now has a lot of miles. I am hoping for a single cassette solution without having to use an extender.
> View attachment 1048883
> 
> 
> The Praxis works is nice and light at 320g but its only 11-40 and it doesnt have a 36t cog, I think I might miss that guy.


I've been using a Praxis since last summer, doing 2x 60-80miles rides a week in the summer & its worn exceptionally well. I was worried it wouldnt last as long as my previous XTR/one-up mix, but its held up fine. On these longer rides, yup, you're right, I miss the 42T AND the 36T. I've got used to it, but I'd prefer it did have the 36 & 42T.
Weight wise the praxis is only 4g lighter than the XTR/one-up mix, but its a fair bit cheaper. pros & cons....


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## RS VR6 (Mar 29, 2007)

Cassettes are one of those either or parts. The lightweight ones are going to be lighter, pricey, and potentially wear fast. 

The Praxis looks to the best one then it comes to weight, durability, and price. If they made a 42T...I'd be all over it.

The e*13 9-42 is tempting...but the $280 cost + the $80 XD driver is putting me off for now.

FWIW...my Response has about 600 miles on it...and so far I don't see or feel any noticeable wear. The 11-28 are steel and 32-42 are aluminum. 

Lol...it would almost be more economical to switch to 11sp. You can get XX1/01 cassettes for less than the third party/boutique 10 speed ones.


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## TigWorld (Feb 8, 2010)

karimian5 said:


> ...Although if from new it shifted poorly I'm suspecting a problem with drivetrain setup...


You suspect wrong. Good luck with your alu cassette...


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## moefosho (Apr 30, 2013)

scant said:


> I've been using a Praxis since last summer, doing 2x 60-80miles rides a week in the summer & its worn exceptionally well. I was worried it wouldnt last as long as my previous XTR/one-up mix, but its held up fine. On these longer rides, yup, you're right, I miss the 42T AND the 36T. I've got used to it, but I'd prefer it did have the 36 & 42T.
> Weight wise the praxis is only 4g lighter than the XTR/one-up mix, but its a fair bit cheaper. pros & cons....


Missing the 36 and 42 is one of the biggest deterrents. $130 is quite a bit compared to just getting another xt 10speed cassette for $40. For under $80, the desired range, all steel except the 42t and under 390g, the sunrace seems like its the winner for me. It is a 160mm travel bike after all.


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## Seb K (Apr 21, 2009)

Please clarify for me .


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## xc71 (Dec 24, 2008)

karimian5 said:


> What I said earlier was the premature wear was due to a badly setup drivetrain most likely . A lot of riders use these cassettes so if they were bad they wouldn't get sold . THEY ARE FOR RACING ONLY and not your everyday trail ride .


 Tig setting up the drivetrain wrong is highly unlikely. He really knows his stuff and has been around a long time. Check out some of the cool mods he has done over the years. I have seen alot of racers over the years that have not had great luck with the Recon Alum cassettes - poor shifting & not lasting long. Hopefully you will have better luck, are you running it in the UK mucky conditions?


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## TigWorld (Feb 8, 2010)

Two things:

1. drivetrain was not "badly setup" - worked perfectly with another Capreo Shimano steel cassette and has continued to work with fault on a more normal XT 11-36 setup

2. even if the drivetrain wasn't adjusted properly, there is no way that this can cause the premature wear that we experienced. The alu teeth just wore out and started skipping under power (like any worn out cassette). The chain was not worn at all.

The poor shifting was probably as a result of the alu teeth being wider than the comparable steel (or ti) teeth. They were also sharp, almost burred on the edges and the shift ramps were a strange shape compared to the way Shimano and SRAM do them (ie. more of a shark-tooth profile compared to the regular flat topped not shift-ramp located teeth).

I don't think I was alone in my experience with this cassette. They went out of production pretty quickly and Canfield Bros dropped the whole idea of the microdrive. IMHO alu is just too soft a material to make cassettes from (even with some sort of fancy TiNi coating). It'll be fine for bigger gears (after-all we use 28t and larger chainrings upfront), but on an all alu cassette you have some very small alu gears that will wear out super quick.


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## Seb K (Apr 21, 2009)

Yup . The bike is strictly for racing so the cassette won't see many miles . I will admit I would never use it everyday and I certainly wouldn't use it for freeriding . The cassette is coated (anodised) and my KCNC alloy/scandium/ti cassette has lasted very well . Some slight anodising missing from the alloy teeth but all in all they still look great .


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## phlegm (Jul 13, 2006)

TigWorld said:


> Two things:
> 
> 1. drivetrain was not "badly setup" - worked perfectly with another Capreo Shimano steel cassette and has continued to work with fault on a more normal XT 11-36 setup
> 
> ...


Indeed, I don't think there's much debate about ALU being softer, and thus more prone to wear. If you are getting decent mileage out of an all-ALU cassette, excellent, however you'd assuredly get even more use from something else - it's just the way it is.

I have 2 XX paperweights on my desk with the largest ALU cog being the only worn piece. I bought them both knowing the risk, and it failed exactly as I expected it to. I'm miffed about it, but I can't say I'm surprised, and I don't see how my drivetrain would be at fault.

As for shifting, that absolutely may have contributed. I'm not perfect. However my shifting patterns unfortunately can't change simply because I know I'm using ALU.


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## Seb K (Apr 21, 2009)

I agree .


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## Crossmaxx (Dec 2, 2008)

And that's why I run a stock all-steel 11-36 XT cassette. And if I would ever want to increase the range, I would opt for the Garbaruk Xtender 29-35-42 steel cluster. Aluminium does not belong in the drive train!


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## Seb K (Apr 21, 2009)

So what is your chainring made of  ?!!!


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## scant (Jan 5, 2004)

moefosho said:


> Missing the 36 and 42 is one of the biggest deterrents. $130 is quite a bit compared to just getting another xt 10speed cassette for $40. For under $80, the desired range, all steel except the 42t and under 390g, the sunrace seems like its the winner for me. It is a 160mm travel bike after all.


I've been looking at actual rider based reviews (& not journo website reviews!) of the sunrace cassette for a while & they're mixed. some people have had issues of clicking cassettes (which would drive me insane!). Please let me know how you get on with the sunrace, I'd also use 1 on my 160mm bike.


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## GRAVELBIKE (Oct 7, 2006)

The SunRace isn't the lightest, but it works really well. I have the CSMX3 on one of my personal bikes, and another one on a demo/loaner bike from Marin. Shifting is great, and no pops or creaking.


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## Crossmaxx (Dec 2, 2008)

karimian5 said:


> So what is your chainring made of  ?!!!


Titanium.


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## Seb K (Apr 21, 2009)

You do know alloy chainrings actually work and are lighter . It is a nice chainring btw . I have the CarbonTi alloy/carbonfibre chainring .


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## krzysiekmz (Nov 10, 2009)

This got off-topic. 

As for full-aluminium cassettes - simply no. This comes from ~ 145lbs/65kg guy who does not race. Shifting in not on par with other cassettes. It gets better once it wears in, but casssette is done before you know it. I've broken a few teeth off of mine before it wore out. It is tempting for weight savings, just not worth it even only considering cost alone. This comes from a guy who trims 7g foam grips, uses alloy bolts in brake caliper, uses heat srink on cable ends etc. Hope you get the picture. 

Sram for me right now. Praxis looks like a good option. Largest cogs made out of aluminium - depends how much you'll end up using them. 


Chris.


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## TigWorld (Feb 8, 2010)

krzysiekmz said:


> Shifting in not on par with other cassettes. It gets better once it wears in, but casssette is done before you know it.


My experience in a nutshell.


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## Crossmaxx (Dec 2, 2008)

karimian5 said:


> You do know alloy chainrings actually work and are lighter . It is a nice chainring btw . I have the CarbonTi alloy/carbonfibre chainring .


Of course aluminium (alloy is not the term you're looking for, my titanium chainring is also made of alloy, in this case a 6AL/4V titanium alloy) chainrings work, especially N/W ones since they don't see any shifting. Still, the titanium chainring will outlast an aluminium counterpart (3-to-1 if you believe Carbon-Ti).

And regarding weight... Show me the lightest 30T 104 BCD N/W chainring you can find. It won't be many grams lighter than the Carbon-Ti one. I could only find this scale shot...


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## Seb K (Apr 21, 2009)

My Extralite 36t OctaOne weighs 34grams . An alloy is a mixture of different metals so a chainring will be an alloy . Also the term 'alloy' can also be used for 'aluminium' .


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## Crossmaxx (Dec 2, 2008)

karimian5 said:


> My Extralite 36t OctaOne weighs 34grams . An alloy is a mixture of different metals so a chainring will be an alloy . Also the term 'alloy' can also be used for 'aluminium' .


Yeah, an Extralite 30T with 104 BCD would save me 5 grams according to the scale shot on R2-Bike (https://r2-bike.com/EXTRALITE-Chainring-OctaOne-1x10/11-speed-BCD104-middle), but reduce the longevity by at least half. No thanks!

And yes, all chainrings are alloys, and no, the term 'alloy' is not synonymous with 'aluminium'. It's just that a bunch of people who don't know what they're talking about use the word alloy as short for aluminium.


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## Seb K (Apr 21, 2009)

For performance the less weight the better (this is afterall WW) . If it wears down quicker that's fine - I ust get another one . For racing purely the Extralites are the lightest and therefore in my opinion the best . 

If you check a lot of engineering related sites the term'alloy' is used generously even when describing aluminium on its own . I personally use the right terms but I would forgive someone if they used 'alloy' for aluminium - I would just be a little miffed .


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## frankn (Jul 5, 2015)

My Praxis 11-40 cassette is 6months old and now slips in the top 2 rings (largest rings). These are the "hard anodised" aluminium rings. The Australian distributer has told my LBS 6months expected life-span is normal. Offered a replacement near cost - why would you bother?? There is another Praxis cassette I know having issues. FWIW I'm running 1x with Praxis 32t front ring. Off to Shimano. I may try calling Praxis USA as Oz distributer not being very helpful as far as I hear. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## moefosho (Apr 30, 2013)

frankn said:


> My Praxis 11-40 cassette is 6months old and now slips in the top 2 rings (largest rings). These are the "hard anodised" aluminium rings. The Australian distributer has told my LBS 6months expected life-span is normal. Offered a replacement near cost - why would you bother?? There is another Praxis cassette I know having issues. FWIW I'm running 1x with Praxis 32t front ring. Off to Shimano. I may try calling Praxis USA as Oz distributer not being very helpful as far as I hear.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


I was seriously looking at the praxis, but having 2 Aluminum cogs there was sure to be longevity issues.

So far the reviews for the sunrace mx3 have been good so I picked one up. And for $65 if it wears a little fast I am not too worried.


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## normarin (Feb 14, 2010)

My praxxis 2nd to biggest ring is slipping under any sort of force. Got it for christmas, put on about 140k feet of climbing this year. I would stick with all steel. My next cassette will be the steel sunrace, don't want to commit to full 11 speed until I break my 10 speed derailer


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## Ole (Feb 22, 2004)

Trick Stuff 11-41 is pretty light at 259g. I'm using one on my fat bike. 3 largest are alu, the rest steel.


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## Soundbud (Oct 21, 2013)

im really liking the look E13 cassette:

e*thirteen 10 and 11-Speed Wide Range Cassette - 2016 Mountain Bike Components at Eurobike - Mountain Biking Pictures - Vital MTB

although i dont really need 44t, since i very rarely use the 42t on my xx1 cassette, but the extra tall gear is what gets me very excited about getting one :-D

top three rings are alu but are replaceable without getting a whole new cassette.

i wish the gears were more like: 9, 10, 11, 12, 14, 17, 20, 24, 28, 32, 36, 42

but then, that would be a 12 speed :-D

or

9, 10, 11, 12, 14, 17, 20, 24, 28, 32, 36 (this would work for me on 8.7kg bikes)

but back to the original question of the poster they do a 10 speed version which weighs 300g, thinking of getting this one for my titanium 650B, which currently has an X0 10 speed cassette 11-36 and i only used the 36t ring about twice in about 18 months.


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## scant (Jan 5, 2004)

normarin said:


> My praxxis 2nd to biggest ring is slipping under any sort of force. Got it for christmas, put on about 140k feet of climbing this year. I would stick with all steel. My next cassette will be the steel sunrace, don't want to commit to full 11 speed until I break my 10 speed derailer


my praxis 2nd largest cassette cog also wore out first. I've been using the sunrace for double the time I had on the praxis & so far no issues.


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## RS VR6 (Mar 29, 2007)

I picked up another set of wheels and the 11-42 Sunrace is looking better and better. I was seriously considering the e13, but the cost of the cassette + XD driver is really putting me off. The SR about 123gr heavier than the Response I have now...but for the price...I may just look past the weight gain. I just ordered a MX3 11-40 for my GF's bike.


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## Cerberus75 (Oct 20, 2015)

I have the sunrace 11-42 10 speed cassette. Weigh in at 378gr slightly less than what was advertised. It's been working great. If I move to 11speed, the E13 is probably what I'd used.


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## sryanak (Aug 9, 2008)

I am trying a Seqlite S-10, 11-40. It's 260 gms, smaller cogs steel, larger ones are aluminum. It shifts OK and runs quiet. We'll see about longevity.....


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## RS VR6 (Mar 29, 2007)

sryanak said:


> I am trying a Seqlite S-10, 11-40. It's 260 gms, smaller cogs steel, larger ones are aluminum. It shifts OK and runs quiet. We'll see about longevity.....


I have a Response, which is the same as the Seqlite and Trickstuff. Yeah...it don't shift all that smooth in the small cogs. It'll get the occasional dirty shift from the 15 to 18.


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## moefosho (Apr 30, 2013)

I would destroy anything that has more than 1 aluminum cog. AL cogs are just a terrible option for an everyday bike.


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## Crossmaxx (Dec 2, 2008)

This. If only someone could make a steel 36T replacement for the aluminum one on the Sram XX cassette, I would be all over that. For now, I'm sticking with a stock XT 11-36 cassette. For anyone who wants some more range but stick with steel cogs, there is an alternative: https://r2-bike.com/GARBARUK-Cassette-Extension-Set-Xtender-ST-29-42-Shimano-Sram-10-speed-Cassette


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## Ofroad'bent (Jul 10, 2010)

GRAVELBIKE said:


> The SunRace isn't the lightest, but it works really well. I have the CSMX3 on one of my personal bikes, and another one on a demo/loaner bike from Marin. Shifting is great, and no pops or creaking.


I got one of these last year. It's already making nasty noises in the aluminum cogs and dropping on hard climbs.
Anybody have a more durable suggestion for a 10 speed 10-40 cassette? 
Hoping not to change to 11 speed just yet- still happy with 2x10.


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## Soundbud (Oct 21, 2013)

*good 10 speed cassette options*



Ofroad'bent said:


> I got one of these last year. It's already making nasty noises in the aluminum cogs and dropping on hard climbs.
> Anybody have a more durable suggestion for a 10 speed 10-40 cassette?
> Hoping not to change to 11 speed just yet- still happy with 2x10.


i previously used the sram xo 11-36 (36 tooth alloy ring), which is really light at about 240g and very good gear ratio. but i hardly ever used the 36 cog due to the type of cross country riding that i do and the bikes weight is around 8.6kg so i tend to go quite fast up steep sections of hills in higher gears.

i just bought a trs cassette by e thirteen its 9-42 10 speed. thought i could adapt my rear hub to XD but im 3mm out with the driver conversion so looks like a need a new hub on my back wheel to use my new setup. but the idea is to have a higher gear where i currently cycle so i can be the fastest person :-D on strava. currently got 22 KOM's. wish the cassette had closer gears though and done away with the 42t. i love the gear ratio of the old X0 10 speed cassette by SRAM. forgot to mention that this 10 speed bike is a 27.5 wheeled with titanium frame.

my other bike is a carbon 29er with a 11 speed xx1 cassette and i very rarely use the 42t on that too.

forgot to mention that the trs cassette has 2 alloy rings 35t and 42t and the weight of the cassette with the lockring is 307g. the lockring is needed for the 1st part of the installation and then the steel cogs attach directly to the alloy carrier. this cassette requires an XD driver and will not work with the shimano.


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## Ofroad'bent (Jul 10, 2010)

I really don't need a 9 cog XD with a 2x10. I do need the 40t cog though.
Any other thoughts?


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## JohnMcL7 (Jul 26, 2013)

Edit: Wrong forum


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## BlownCivic (Sep 12, 2006)

I run an XT 11-36 with the Garbaruk 29-37-42 extender on one of my bikes and it's light and wonderful.


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## doccoraje (Jan 12, 2004)

Initially I was looking for an 11-40 10s cassette improval from 11-36 XTR, couldn't find a realiable but light option that was not XD, I had to go for 11-42 Garbaruk, it didn't give me the 40t I wanted, instead a steel 38t plus an Alu 42 bail out cog. After six months of use, reliable and light at a good pricepoint. Lighter than the XTR it replaced, must note the pic is lacking the lockring


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## Amazed (Apr 28, 2012)

*Sunrace 11-46t 10 speed*



Ofroad'bent said:


> I got one of these last year. It's already making nasty noises in the aluminum cogs and dropping on hard climbs.
> Anybody have a more durable suggestion for a 10 speed 10-40 cassette?
> Hoping not to change to 11 speed just yet- still happy with 2x10.


Hmm, good to know. I've had this cassette installed for about 200 miles and so far it's been great. I did have to partner it up with a Shimano Deore RD M6000 GS ( originally had a XTR 9000 ) for proper shifting in the 8th - 10th gears but since then it's been flawless.


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