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Submitted by
dark rider
a Weekend Warrior
from brussels, belgium
Date Reviewed: July 11, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | secret | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$110.00 | | Strengths: | strength, weight, shifts well in all weather conditions | | Weaknesses: | price | | Similar Products Used: | shimano deore | | Bike Setup: | Evil Bikes Imperial frame, marzochi Z1 Freeride | | Bottom Line: | still as new after heavy abuse ( lots of crashes on dirttrails, hitting rocks,...)
one of the parts that I would never change for any other brand | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Scott
a
from Menlo Park, CA
Date Reviewed: May 11, 2004 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Strengths: | Pretty damn light, Looks nice | | Weaknesses: | 4th cog bent out sometime during a ride (only 6mo winter use). | | Similar Products Used: | Always been an XT guy. Maybe I should try Sram? | | Bike Setup: | SC Blur (it is really nice). I bought it used and it came with mostly XTR. | | Bottom Line: | My XT cassette has been working really well with the XTR setup.
My LBS tried to send it in to Shimano, but Shimano sent it back, said " you got to easy on the shifting." What the ....? That pisses me off. Oh well, I like the new XTR cranks. The cassette is pretty much an expensive paper weight. I guess I will try to bend it back. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
patrick
a Cross Country Rider
from Fresno CA
Date Reviewed: February 24, 2004 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$100.00 | | Purchased At: | Steven's Bikes | | Strengths: | Weight, Shimano product, | | Weaknesses: | None so far | | Similar Products Used: | XT other Shimano stuff | | Bike Setup: | EPic all XT/XTR | | Bottom Line: | I chose to go with this cogset due to reviews about lighting fast shifting, I was a bit concerned about other reviews I've read saying the product might not be durable, I've had no problems so far. Good product to shed some wieght, durable. I'm 190 and it withstood my first race, no problems shifting, I feel it was the icing on the cake in terms of my shifting/drive train.
PEACE | | 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: |
$120.00 | | Purchased At: | Phat Tire | | Strengths: | awesome weight, great durability, nice looks, titanium kujos, shifts beutifully. | | Weaknesses: | None so far... | | Similar Products Used: | Deore XT, Deore LX, | | Bike Setup: | 2003 Santa Cruz Blur, 04 XTR, 5th Element Air, Easton Carbon Cockpit, Thompson Stem, Python Air Lights, Mavic 317's, Eggbeater SS, Stans NoTubes. | | Bottom Line: | This is the best cogset i have had. going against the other reviews, this cogset has great durablility. Shifting is lightning fast with the complete 04 Setup. Nice job shimano but maybe the way people ride the things makes a difference in the durability. I am 130 and I ride relatively light in terms of stlye. Or they could have consistency problems. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Fritz
a Racer
from Sparks, NV
Date Reviewed: October 13, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$100.00 | | Purchased At: | came on new bike | | Strengths: | Great shifting performance, light weight. | | Weaknesses: | The titanium cogs bend easily, high cost. | | Similar Products Used: | Shimano XT | | Bike Setup: | Santa Cruz Superlight, XTR/SRAM combo | | Bottom Line: | Stick with steel cogs, titanium is too soft to withstand heavy use. Having your chain skipping across gears gets annoying as h*** on a long climb. So unless you're sponsored and can get a new cassette given to you every other week the XT cassette is a much better value. It's one third the price and lasts forever. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
KelCov
a Cross Country Rider
from NYC
Date Reviewed: August 3, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | Open Ones | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$50.00 | | Purchased At: | A brooklyn shop in Pk. Slope | | Strengths: | Looks good and love the gearin' on that Beatch. | | Weaknesses: | Hard to clean with all those milk and cranys to dig into. | | Similar Products Used: | all of the Shamano cogsets | | Bike Setup: | a tough ass salad of good parts. | | Bottom Line: | I refused to buy the Ti edition because I ride pretty hard and I not much of a weight weenie'. Some parts you should try to shave off some weight, Cogs are not one of them. | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Buff
a Cross Country Rider
from Elkridge, MD
Date Reviewed: July 28, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | Avalon | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$79.00 | | Purchased At: | wherever | | Strengths: | Light, Looked really cool when it came out in 1996, Aluminum lockring fits other shimano cassettes | | Weaknesses: | Titanium rings bend so you can't even hand cassette down to your beater bike | | Similar Products Used: | XT-8, XTR-8 Steel, SRAM 5.0 | | Bike Setup: | 94 S Works, 00 Z4 Air, 1996 XTR | | Bottom Line: | Rode cassette for 6 months on hardtail and bent the ti-cogs (the 4th biggest cog got on my nerves the most--nothing worse than a ghost shifting power gear). I used to bend them back after every ride by prying them over with a cone wrench (cone wrench just skinny enough to get between cogs). Replaced with XTR-8 steel and XT-8 and no bending. Tried another new one on a 4" rear travel bike thinking I wouldn't torque it so hard. I was right, I't didn't bend for a year. Now it's impossible to find any XT-8 that aren't 11-28, so if you want 11-30 or 11-32 in 8sp then jump on SRAM 5.0 if Nashbar's still got em (a bit heavier but who cares when you're a retro grouch who was only crazy enough to shell out for XTR group once in a lifetime). Seems to me Shimano could avoid the ti cog bending if the aluminum spider had 5 arms instead of 4--do the XTR-9 have 5 arm spiders? | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Fatman
a Cross Country Rider
from Feldafing
Date Reviewed: June 30, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$120.00 | | Purchased At: | Rabe Munich | | Strengths: | Lite, reliable smooth shifting, holds out | | Weaknesses: | expensive, but worth the extra money, and some of it is titanium, so the price seems justified. | | Similar Products Used: | XTR steel eight, XT eight, LX eight | | Bike Setup: | Trek 9900 Pro Issue 1998, full XTR 98 eight ... | | Bottom Line: | Very good cassette. I am 260 lbs, at times, and when I get going, there should be much strain on the drivetrain. The only thing I do for maintainance is to change the chain frequently (2 times a year), and I have used only Shimano's HG90 and the Rohloff STL 99 eight (aaahhhh!!, what a chain). I really can't imagine how you can really bend or brake this thing. But I am used to keep strict shifting discipline, i.e. I never shift under heavy torque and I don't care for oblique chain lines. I am very satified with this product. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Eric
a Cross Country Rider
from Michigan
Date Reviewed: February 12, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$83.00 | | Purchased At: | Supergo | | Strengths: | Light, crisp shifting, fairly easy to clean | | Weaknesses: | Price | | Similar Products Used: | SRAM 9.0, 7.0, XT | | Bike Setup: | Cannondale Jekyll, Mavic/King, Raceface ISIS Next LP, XTR, Hayes Hyd. | | Bottom Line: | Very happy with the 12-34 cassette and have had 0 problems. I ride about 1300 trail miles a year (wish it were more) so I think I put it to good use. The design allows for easy cleaning and maintenance which I performed every couple rides (less since I started using ICE Wax).
After the XTR started showing some wear, I a SRAM 9.0 cassette to save about $25. I ended up bending the 34 cog on the SRAM which is what people complain about the XTR here on the board. Well, since I don't want to stop riding I purchased another XTR cassette.
Bottom line, if you have the bucks, want crisp shifting, performe routine maintenance, and don't beat on your bike, then buy the XTR. Otherwise I would suggest going with the XT since it holds up and shifts reliably. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
rafi julius
a Cross Country Rider
from JERUSALEM
Date Reviewed: February 5, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$50.00 | | Purchased At: | another cyclist | | Strengths: | this review is for the xtr 8 ti 11 - 30 cassette:
amazing cassette: shifts great,very light, and after 1 year of abuse (12K ofroad) looks like new. theath selection of 11-30 is the best for a reasonblly strong xc rider. | | Weaknesses: | i bought new in the box from a cyclist that did'nt know what he was selling and got it real cheap. in shop its rather expensive. | | Similar Products Used: | xt 8, sram 5.0 | | Bike Setup: | trek stp xt\xtr 8 speed , avid sd ultimate, crossmax notubes converted, mars elite | | Bottom Line: | probablly the best 8 speed cassette (i find 12-32 cassette rather sealy gears selection) | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mike B.
a Weekend Warrior
from L.A. Cal.
Date Reviewed: January 20, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | LA River | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$48.00 | | Purchased At: | Jenson USA | | Strengths: | excellent ratios; seems very strong | | Weaknesses: | none yet | | Similar Products Used: | Shimano LX 8-speed | | Bike Setup: | Raleigh M50 | | Bottom Line: | This is for the 8-speed model.
As far as I know, this set is all stainless steel ( it was advertised that way ). It was on close-out at Jenson so I figured is was an older unit.
Anyway, in the brief time I've used it, it has performed flawlessly. I probably could use a 34-tooth low gear, but otherwise, the ratios are spot-on. And the shifting is superb ( unless I go through water ). The cassette feels very strong and solid, and I like the "spider" type of frame to hold the rings.
I have had it through horrible mud, water, up and down steep hills, and nothing has tripped it up. I only hope that it is NOT titanium ( it felt pretty heavy ) because I'm pretty hard on my gear.
Five flamers so far. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Nick Ong
a Cross Country Rider
from Melawati, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Date Reviewed: January 18, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | jungles | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$100.00 | | Purchased At: | LBS | | Strengths: | Light, 9-speed | | Weaknesses: | Ti 8th and 9th cogs too delicate.... | | Similar Products Used: | 8 speed xtr from 1998 | | Bike Setup: | all-black cannondale f2000, mavic tubeless, sram x.0 RD, sram hydraulic discs | | Bottom Line: | i decided to join the 9-speed masses last year. after years of trouble free rides with my 8speed xtr cogs, the 9speed 2002 xtr's looked like a good choice. big mistake! the 8th and 9th rings bent outwards after 6 months of riding (bent while shifting, climbing out of the saddle). my LBS changed the whole set for a 2003 (XTR again) set and within 2 rides, the same thing happened!
do people actually race with this untested fragile equipment? go for xt or sram.. they're tougher. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Michael
a Cross Country Rider
from Calabasas, CA
Date Reviewed: November 23, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$100.00 | | Purchased At: | Supergo | | Strengths: | Light Weight, Precise Shifting | | Weaknesses: | Cost, and durability | | Similar Products Used: | XT | | Bike Setup: | Titus Racer X | | Bottom Line: | My 8 (12/32) speed has performed well throught the years, but the thin titanium teeth will eventually bend. I've
replaced my recently after three years of use. Overall
a very good cogset the shifts perfectly. Just expect to replace it every couple of years of hard riding. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Steve
a Racer
from Pittsburgh, PA
Date Reviewed: August 26, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Strengths: | Lightweight. | | Weaknesses: | Not very durable. | | Similar Products Used: | XT, SRAM | | Bottom Line: | I really liked this cassette at first as it shifted very smooth and was light. During a long practice ride, my bike wouldn't stay in gear no matter what. When tuning the barrel adjuster did nothing, I checked my cassette only to see that the teeth on the third largest ring were bent. Three teeth were bent inward, two teeth were bent outward. This stunk because now, I couldn't use the second or fourth rings either. Bottom line is that I went back to my XT cassette as it NEVER gave me any trouble. This is really unacceptable when you consider how much this thing costs. Do yourself a favor and use the XT or SRAM cassette. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Eric
a Weekend Warrior
from Modesto, Ca
Date Reviewed: June 28, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | Mix | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Strengths: | lightweight | | Weaknesses: | WEAK, especially the ti cogs! | | Similar Products Used: | SRAM 5.0, the best for the money!!! | | Bike Setup: | Trek 4500, Full XT/XTR | | Bottom Line: | Despite everyones review of the ti cog breaking on the M-952, I tried it anyways. The first day I rode on it on flat terrain, I bent a ti cog, the 4th one from the granny gear. I was disappointed, but I read everyones reviews and I still bought it so it was my fault. Don't waste your money on this crappy cassette! Go with the XT if you want a light weight cassette and it's cheaper too. If you're strapped for cash, get the Sram 5.0. For the money you can't beat the 5.0s!!! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Kel Cov
a Cross Country Rider
from Brooklyn NY
Date Reviewed: June 5, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | Open trails!! | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$65.00 | | Purchased At: | Local shop | | Strengths: | Good gear ratio, lots of range | | Weaknesses: | Hmmmmm..... | | Similar Products Used: | sram 9.0, XT | | Bike Setup: | Jamis Dakota | | Bottom Line: | I'm kind of heavy so I avoided the Ti cogs like a STD. Not going to fall for all that light weight crap then complain when it wears out!! Great Product...Period. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Samuel VeraSforzza
a Racer
from Seattle, Wa, USA
Date Reviewed: April 24, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | Whistler BC | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$110.00 | | Purchased At: | LBS | | Strengths: | Light, super fast shifts, great quality, I find it works best with full XTR group. | | Weaknesses: | Price increase in relation to the performance increase over an XT set; it's a cogset, not as important as cranks, RD, or other XTR components, this should be the last thing on your bike to upgrade into the XTR line. | | Similar Products Used: | XT | | Bike Setup: | 2000 S-Works M4 (sub 20 lbs)
2001 S-Works M4 (sub 21 lbs) | | Bottom Line: | Great cogset, the best if the price doesn't scare you, no need to upgrde unless you've got the bank, put your $$$ into a number of other things that will get more bang for the buck, these are for an XC racer with nothing left to upgrade, but great product nonetheless. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Philip
a Racer
from LA
Date Reviewed: April 15, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$90.00 | | Purchased At: | Performance | | Strengths: | Its light and it lets you brag to your buddies about having TITANIUM cogs | | Weaknesses: | Weak cogs | | Similar Products Used: | XT | | Bike Setup: | S-Works | | Bottom Line: | This piece of equipment seems to prove the rumors about the XTR line of products. I switched to XTR from XT because of a great sale, and I think it was a mistake. I am a light XC rider and I managed to bend both Titanium cogs within 6 months. I didnt notice any shifting benefits over the XT model that is 1/2 the price. I would not recommend this cassette to anyone who is not sponsored by shimano and getting them for free. Yes it is light, but it seems that a ton of folks have found the titanium cogs very easy to bend. This has happened to me as well as my only friend who also owned one.
Luckily for me, Performance bike has a 100% guarentee and I am getting a new cassette for free. If that was not the case I would have definitly go back to the XT version. It lasted twice as long with no complaints. In addition, the XT has a shinier finish that looks flashier after I clean the bike. I wonder if shimano sees a trend in these reviews. If they cared, they might notice that the cassette just doesnt hold up. I guess if you are a racer with a neverending flow of parts then go for it. Lastly, I think that the XT may even be a little easier to adjust cleanly, or maybe its my memory of that old favorite. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
James Stockstill
a Racer
from Hohenfels , Germany
Date Reviewed: April 9, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | all of them | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$70.00 | | Purchased At: | Stadlers | | Strengths: | Light, shifts well, decent durability. | | Weaknesses: | cost a lot, xt is tougher, | | Similar Products Used: | shimano stx, lx, xt, sram 7.0 | | Bike Setup: | which one? | | Bottom Line: | these are really good cog sets, I am about 210lbs, and I beat on my trail bike pretty hard, I use it for trials,dual,down hill and urban riding in some of the worst weather you could imagine. And I have had great luck with the XTR 8 SPEED(I just purchased a new Yeti and it has 8 speed upgraded to xtr I will post review after I get a couple hundred miles on it.) I also used these on my xc race bike all season last year and I raced to 2nd place in the U.S. military open mens. overall a really good product for its intended purpose. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mikko
a Weekend Warrior
from Helsinki Finland
Date Reviewed: March 28, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | Any xc | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Strengths: | light wieght, smooth shifting | | Weaknesses: | weak, better not mis-shift. Very pricey | | Similar Products Used: | lx,xt,Ultegra | | Bottom Line: | Alot lighter than the LX I was using before but I think the shifting performance is marginally better. The biggest adavantage is the much lighter weight but expensive. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Matt
a Cross Country Rider
from Bay Area, CA
Date Reviewed: March 26, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Purchased At: | eBay | | Strengths: | gear range, all steel cogs (8-speed), reliable shifting | | Weaknesses: | umm... durability? | | Similar Products Used: | no-name 6-speed, STX 7-speed, XT 9-speed | | Bike Setup: | Titus Racer-X, Deore thumbie rear shifter, SRAM PC-68 chain | | Bottom Line: | I would've hoped for more durability out of a product like this, dropping almost $50 a shot. It wore out almost as quickly as my STX cassette, which doesn't bode well. I change my chain whenever the stretch reaches 1/8th inch, (every 2-3 months), so I know I'm not damaging the cassette by running a worn chain.
I weigh 190+ and I've never broken a cassette cog (but I won't buy ti because it's too fragile), but I go through 2-3 cassettes a year, riding about 2500-3000 miles on a mixture of dirt and road.
Overall, the shifting is solid and crisp until it starts to wear, and when it does there's no turning back. Either never use that cog again or switch it out. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Rick
a Racer
from Tallahassee
Date Reviewed: March 2, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Purchased At: | came on bike | | Strengths: | Light, Light, Light | | Weaknesses: | only available in 12-34, wish I had an 11-32, expensive | | Similar Products Used: | All Shimano and SRAM | | Bike Setup: | Hardtail XC, XTR R. Der & Shifters, SRAM PC-99 chain | | Bottom Line: | The think is light and that's what its about. I'm reading about people breaking theirs. I personally haven't bent or broken mine yet, but it does scare me. I'm not gonna slam Shimano for the failures, though, because when a product is this light, you can't expect it to be as strong as something weighing alot more. The gripe I do have with them is that they only offer this cassette in a 12-34. I am a racer, and live in florida, so I prefer an 11-32 spread. (sometimes even 11-27) If I happen to break this cassette, I'm not sure if I would replace it with XTR or not. Its bucks, too. Overall rating does not consider price. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Greg
a Cross Country Rider
from Denver, Co
Date Reviewed: February 19, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | not telling | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$150.00 | | Purchased At: | ?? | | Strengths: | Light | | Weaknesses: | Weak. | | Similar Products Used: | all other cassettes | | Bike Setup: | XTR | | Bottom Line: | This cassette broke on me in Moab. I was riding up a hill and the 30 tooth cog snapped off the 4 arm aluminum carrier wedging itself against the second cog leaving me with only the 3-8 cogs to finish the ride. I'm getting a little annoyed because this makes almost $500 in XTR parts that have failed on me in the past 12 months. I think I will start using XT and replacing it at intervals not to exceed 2 years. If you check all the reviews, you will notice many good reviewers have only used the products for a short time, while others have actually USED the products. I weigh about 190 and am definately NOT a downhiller, all my stuff breaks going up. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
David
a Racer
from louisville
Date Reviewed: December 12, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$45.00 | | Purchased At: | Slightly used sed on eBay | | Strengths: | Very light. Lightness excites me! | | Weaknesses: | Doesn't handle mis-shifts well. | | Similar Products Used: | XT, LX, Mavic (road), Regina (road) | | Bike Setup: | 2000 Specialized FSR XC, Crossmax wheels, Specialized StrongArm II cranks, LX front and XT rear derailleurs, Avid SD 5 brakes, Avid SD 7 levers, Easton CT2 bars, Manitou SX-R, U.S.E Alien seatpost, Mountian Speed FSR bearing and link kit, Mountain Speed FSR drop out kit, Specialized S-Works tires, SPD pedals. | | Bottom Line: | I bought this slightly used on eBay. Meshes very well with my chain. It does not seem as smooth as XT. It feels like the titanium is harder, less forgiving on mis-shifts. If you plan ahead and get the shift right it is no problem. When you screw it up the "grinding" noise sounds terrible to me, since I'm worrying about the life of the teeth. However, I am an old road racer and love light weight things. I will continue to use this setup until it breaks on me. Then I will be pissed off. You should only buy this if you are also obsessed with light weight. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Erik
a Cross Country Rider
from Saugerties, NY USA
Date Reviewed: December 2, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | left left gully | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$95.00 | | Purchased At: | superego | | Strengths: | It shifts fine, and all that titanium! Luxurious. I never have to use my smallest chainring. | | Weaknesses: | I wonder why it only comes in one size. | | Similar Products Used: | XT 8 speed 11-28 | | Bike Setup: | Superego Access with XTR stuff and my old wheels and crankset. | | Bottom Line: | I got this thinking later I'll get the bigger chainrings that go with it. Does everybody commenting on the low gearing have it set up with the "standard" chainrings which could be as big as 26 - 36 - 48. (I think...) That would give higher gearing, and having bigger cogs and chainrings should make the whole set up wear longer. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
GS
a Cross Country Rider
from Chicago
Date Reviewed: November 30, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$90.00 | | Purchased At: | Price Point | | Strengths: | Light weight!!!! | | Weaknesses: | I haven't had any problems yet. | | Similar Products Used: | Other Shimanos | | Bike Setup: | 2002 Giant SE2, XT front derailler, Shimano M535 wheels, velociraptor tires. | | Bottom Line: | Well I haven't had a problem...was concerned when I say how many were breaking these things, but after using it for sometime now....well I haven't had that problem. Definately notice a difference in shifting from the factory cassette. I think any cassette is going to be stressed if your shifting while climbing. This cassette is very light weight, and I am pretty good about gearing correctly before a hill, which eliminates the strain a lot I think.
I don't race, but would like to see an 11-32 version come out. I am very happy with it. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jon
a
from Tampa, FL
Date Reviewed: November 21, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: |
|
$ 100.00
