# Best (or favorite) singlespeed cassette cog that won't break the bank



## MrBaker (Jan 23, 2010)

Hey all, 

I just finished setting up my big bike up singlespeed with the help of a cheap stamped redline cog as an experiment and really enjoyed it. I have been mostly out of the singlespeed game for the past few years (still have a bike setup the same as I did years ago with a WI Eno hub and freewheel) but haven't had to deal with cassette cogs for a while now and am sure there are some new nicer cogs out there I should entertain the thought of. 

So what are your favorites? 

Looking at spending a max of about 30$ unless it's super special. 

I used to run Surly cogs a lot and HBC (which still owes me a chainring). I tried an Endless cog and a niner cog back in the day, but they got chewed up FAST. Granted, this bike won't see as much wear and tear on the cog as I will likely only be pedaling to get out of a hairy situation or get a little extra speed for a jump/manuever/whatever. 

Looking for a fat base a long teeth for great tooth engagement (using an alfine tensioner, so chainwrap isn't wonderful). 

Cheers!


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## mack_turtle (Jan 6, 2009)

most people are going to recommend Surly cogs. I have a Singleworks cog on my bike, which is about the same thing as far as I can tell.


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## trevrev97 (Jul 19, 2009)

I have used Wolftooth, Chris King, Singleworks, Surly and Endless. I like the Wolftooth and Endless cogs but for under the $30 mark Surly and Singleworks are your best bet


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## skinnybeans (Jun 12, 2009)

People above are correct,
I shall also recommend a surly 

Only have the cheap stock cog to compare it to but it takes my 105kg mashing in its stride!

Can't say the same about the wheels I've got...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## TampaDave (Mar 20, 2015)

Endless bike. Help a sister out. An extremely cool sister at that. Well worth the extra 20 bucks to get that thank-you note scrawled in purple ink; frame it.


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## Klainmeister (Apr 14, 2012)

Both my wife and I run endless because it's a badass company and good people.


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## Bad V2 (Jan 28, 2008)

I'm running Endless for the first time and so far so good.


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## DualRollers (Apr 24, 2014)

I have always run Surly, but I actually took a chance on an All City cog recently and I have been very happy with it. They are a little cheaper than the Surlys and still nice and beefy.

Edit: I'm an idiot... apparently these don't come in cassette (I swore they did)


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## slowride454 (Jan 11, 2014)

I like the Problem Solvers setup.


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## illMATTic (Apr 9, 2015)

I have a Wolf Tooth 20T. With only 50 miles on it and the chain has indented the side of the teeth. I didn't think I was that strong...


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## edubfromktown (Sep 7, 2010)

#1 Chris King - they are very well made with no slop when installed on the drive shell/free hub body.

#2 Endless


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## NordieBoy (Sep 26, 2004)

Tempted to try an Absolute Black NW.


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## NordieBoy (Sep 26, 2004)

edubfromktown said:


> #1 Chris King - they are very well made with no slop when installed on the drive shell/free hub body.


Mine has slop on the stock Kona Unit free hub.


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## asphaltdude (Sep 17, 2008)

Bikedomeworks ('bay)


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## edubfromktown (Sep 7, 2010)

NordieBoy said:


> Mine has slop on the stock Kona Unit free hub.


Fascinating.

None of that on Chris King drive shells, DT Swiss, Shimano Deore or Stan's (Chosen) freehub bodies.


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## NordieBoy (Sep 26, 2004)

edubfromktown said:


> Fascinating.
> 
> None of that on Chris King drive shells, DT Swiss, Shimano Deore or Stan's (Chosen) freehub bodies.


Just want down to the shed to test...
Marginal slop on Deore, Stan's 3.30 SS, Novatech, WTB, Kona Unit 2015 hubs.
Lots of slop on <2015 Kona Unit, A2Z, Mavic Aksium, DT Swiss (Roval Control 26") hubs.

Less slop than Surly cogs though.


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## ancient rascal (Mar 2, 2010)

*This crazy 8 Ti stuff*







Ricky Bobby thinks these items here are the real deal. Cog and chainring can be flipped to wear the other side also! 19t cog and crank currently employed on my Lynskey.


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## Radioinactive (Aug 2, 2011)

using absolute black's aluminum cog with an 11 speed chain (recommended by Absoluteblack. both my cog and chainring have narrow-wide teeth the way i understand it, I don't need to tension the chain as much as I normally would. While it won't last quite as long as a steel cog, it is lighter and looks abolutley pimpin. Would recommend this. A side note, I thought this was great but am bummed it never made it to market ...EB14: Single Speed Kit in a Box with Thomson's Crate Motor, Thomson Ti Bikes, more - Bikerumor


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## khardrunner14 (Aug 16, 2010)

On-one groove armada is a wider steel cog that works well for me and is cheap. I kind of like the solid black look personally.


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## mack_turtle (Jan 6, 2009)

khardrunner14 said:


> On-one groove armada is a wider steel cog that works well for me and is cheap. I kind of like the solid black look personally.


... if you don't mind paying $16 for a cog and $20 for shipping.


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## khardrunner14 (Aug 16, 2010)

Got mine from Planet x usa... $13 and like 7 for shipping.


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## milehi (Nov 2, 1997)

A Surly 20 on one bike and a Niner Ti 20T on the other.


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## max-a-mill (Apr 14, 2004)

shimano dx cog. don't spend more if you don't have to. in my experience nothing is smoother or will last longer.
my thought are pretty much the same as those in this 10 year old thread:
http://forums.mtbr.com/singlespeed/shimano-dx-cog-241251.html


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## NordieBoy (Sep 26, 2004)

Doesn't the DX cog require you to run 8 speedish chains?


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## nelsonccc (Jan 1, 2011)

khardrunner14 said:


> Got mine from Planet x usa... $13 and like 7 for shipping.


This. Love the armada cogs. I have one in each tooth size. They last forever for my 250 pounds mashing the uphills. They're under $20 from the usa on-one site.


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## Addy Marx (Jul 18, 2009)

Endless.


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## Dr Wankel (Oct 2, 2007)

King...

You get what you pay for. I've had the most consistent chain tension/life while running them. Endless is a good alternative, I've run several and had very good luck with them. They are cheaper and come in nice fancy colors, I find that the King's do last quite a bit longer though.


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## mack_turtle (Jan 6, 2009)

not sure why anyone would buy an aluminum SS cog, unless they don't mind paying 4x as much for something that lasts 1/4 as long as a steel cog. or am I missing something- do Endless cogs last anywhere close to as long as a steel cog?


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## bikeny (Feb 26, 2004)

mack_turtle said:


> not sure why anyone would buy an aluminum SS cog, unless they don't mind paying 4x as much for something that lasts 1/4 as long as a steel cog. or am I missing something- do Endless cogs last anywhere close to as long as a steel cog?


I'm with you. I will never run an aluminum SS cog, even in my preferred 24t size. Steel or titanium only for a high wear item like a rear cog. I tried an Endless many years ago, and the teeth were deformed after a couple of rides. And no, I'm no clyd or super strong rider.

King's have been around forever and have a solid reputation. Stay away from the King aluminum cogs, though I think they stopped making them.

Surly are a good lower cost option, but they use a softer steel so they don't last quite as long.

The On One Groove Armada seems to be another solid choice. I've never used one but have only heard good things. Weird that I can't get to their US site anymore where shipping was cheaper.

For something a little nicer, check out the Wolftooth Components stainless cogs, really nice.

Then there's the Niner titanium cogs, yummy!


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## nelsonccc (Jan 1, 2011)

bikeny said:


> I'm with you. I will never run an aluminum SS cog, even in my preferred 24t size. Steel or titanium only for a high wear item like a rear cog. I tried an Endless many years ago, and the teeth were deformed after a couple of rides. And no, I'm no clyd or super strong rider.
> 
> King's have been around forever and have a solid reputation. Stay away from the King aluminum cogs, though I think they stopped making them.
> 
> ...


I think there is something up with the Planet-x-usa.com site. I just tried my bookmark and got redirected to the UK site. Also the Planet-X-Usa facebook page says it won't be monitored anymore and directs folks to the UK page. This must have just happened, since I was just on their page last week looking for a 19 tooth cog. Hopefully it's temporary and now I'm glad I bought as many as I did last year.

If you want an 18 or 20T cog the Q2's form Pricepoint are solid. I ran those for a few years before the Armadas. The Armada's have a 1/4" base while the Pricepoint cogs have a 3/16" base.


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## mack_turtle (Jan 6, 2009)

nelsonccc said:


> I think there is something up with the Planet-x-usa.com site. I just tried my bookmark and got redirected to the UK site. Also the Planet-X-Usa facebook page says it won't be monitored anymore and directs folks to the UK page. This must have just happened, since I was just on their page last week looking for a 19 tooth cog. Hopefully it's temporary and now I'm glad I bought as many as I did last year.


I am under the impression that there was a fire in the US warehouse some time ago and they have not yet gotten the US store up and running again. it does not look like they plan to get it started either.

http://forums.mtbr.com/one/has-one-fixed-their-shipping-rates-issue-yet-969189.html


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## Martin6 (Jul 11, 2006)

I'm still rock'n the Homebrewed Components chainrings and cogs on both my SS. No issues what so ever.


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## Pynchonite (Sep 2, 2013)

Another vote for Problem Solvers' cog and carrier. Easy to use, no damage to the freehub.


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## Varaxis (Mar 16, 2010)

Tried to replace my chain frequently, going by the chain gauge 0.75, but new chain sticks to a Niner alloy cog (chain suck sort of, only on the cog). Makes noise when the chain breaks loose from the cog, making a *thun*, *thun-thun-thun* sound, since some points are stickier than others. Should've just ran that thing until something gave, rather than use my derailleur drivetrain based habits.

Going to go Surly 22t this time with a 36/37 chainring up front, but don't think it'll really matter based on my new habits. Might as well go with a $4 Shimano BMX 15/16/18t cog and a $16 SRAM DM GXP 28t steel X-Sync chainring, living with any damage the cog causes to the freehub.


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## Raybum (Apr 16, 2009)

Agree that the king cogs seemingly last forever... I do however, have a JBC cog (also stainless) in a 21t that is awesome. For bigger sizes though, I usually buy aluminum cogs only because 1) I don't run them that much and 2) they're light...a 22t or 23t surly is a boat anchor!
The Wolf Tooth cogs look a lot like a king but have cooler looking cutouts..wish they were a smidge cheaper but still I'll bet they last a long time.


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