akmal's bike park

akmal's bike park

Sunday 21 February 2016

Get the Rear Edge - Alternative Cassettes

Below is the lowdown on the alternative cassettes to give you the range for gear ratio on your MTB drivetrain, be it currently by Shimano or SRAM. Assuming that other things remain constant (chain, front chainring ratio, tire size, crank size, etc.), let's look at the possible range that you may employ for your rig.

range: 11-40T
toothcount: 11-13-15-17-19-21-24-28-34-40
material: steel (11 through 28), hard anodized 7075-T6 aluminium (34 & 40)
weight: 322g average
price: USD130

Advantages:
1. low gear 40T without having to resort to 10s cassette modification (One-Up at USD80, Hope, etc.)
2. smooth transition between gear range
3. could achieve lower overall weight

However:
1. highest gear is with 11T



e*thirteen - TRS+
range: 9-42T (10 speed), 9-44T (11 speed)
toothcount:
10 speed: 9-10-12-14-17-20-24-28-35-42
11 speed: 9-10-12-14-17-20-24-28-32-38-44
weight: 300g (10 speed), 320g (11 speed)
price: USD279 (10 speed), USD309 (11 speed)

Advantages:
1. 9T high gear instead of SRAM's 10T
2a. low gear 42T (for 10 speed) without having to resort to 10s cassette modification (One-Up at USD80, Wolftooth at USD79.95, etc.)
2b. low gear 44T (for 11 speed) without having to resort to 11s cassette modification (One-Up at USD80, Wolftooth at USD79.95, etc.)
3. comparatively lighter weight (excluding the XD Driver) compared to Praxisworks' 'equivalent'.

However:
1. requires SRAM's XD Driver
2. price for 10s is more than double of Praxisworks' (however, it is not exactly apple-to-apple comparison as you won't get the advantage of 9T high gear).


So?
Well, it is up to you to decide which one is best for your gearing needs. Bear in mind that it all depends on the gear ratio to be made available for you on your bike. Your riding style and strength are the factors dictating your gear ratio choice.

True, the free-market economy brings about choices for the consumers to get the best to suit their needs, but it is good only for those who know what they need. The above are represented for you to make that informed choice, and I hope that this would somehow help you to get what you need.

You may want to consider the combination of:
1. available gear ratio
2. overall drivetrain weight
3. overall price


Happy hunting!

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*respective prices are as at the date of this post
**images taken from Praxisworks and e*thirteen websites



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