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Submitted by
justjoshnya
a Cross Country Rider
from
Date Reviewed: October 9, 2008 | | Favorite Trail: | Four Winns, Lake of the Ozarks State Park | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$100.00 | | Purchased At: | Oz CYcles | | Strengths: | Light, Strong, smooth shifting, lasts a long time. Sexy. | | Weaknesses: | None | | Similar Products Used: | LX and deore cassettes | | Bike Setup: | 08 Trek Fuel EX 8 custom build | | Bottom Line: | Best cassette I've used. Albeit I've never tried SRAM personally, my experience as a bike mechanic has showed them to wear out super fast. I usually get 3 chains worth out of an xt cassette | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Tommy
a Racer
from Utah
Date Reviewed: July 16, 2007 | | Favorite Trail: | XC, Uphills | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$40.00 | | Strengths: | Light and durable. A little bit heavier than the XTR but it doesnt matter hardly notice. Doesnt bend when used on uphill. Nice style,one look and you can tell its an XT. | | Weaknesses: | none | | Similar Products Used: | sram, shimano lx, shimano xtr | | Bike Setup: | Santa Cruz Hekler frame, some FSA components. Kenda Nevagal. | | Bottom Line: | This component is strong enough to go uphill. I've tried the XTR cassette, it bent after 2 months of use. Since i'm an xc racer I do lots of uphill ride for training. The XT cassette can handle chain stretching. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jim Turner
a Racer
from McKinney, TX, USA
Date Reviewed: September 27, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | Flume Trail, Mt Snow, Vail | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$80.00 | | Purchased At: | RBM | | Strengths: | Tough cassette that doesn't bend. | | Weaknesses: | Slightly heavier than the XTR that came with my bike, but worth the switch for durability. | | Similar Products Used: | XTR ti | | Bike Setup: | Klein Adroit Pro, King/Mavic, Easton seatpost and bar - 20.5 lbs. | | Bottom Line: | This is a great cassette. It has taken a beating and has stood up. I've slammed it in rock gardens, dropped it from cliffs and hammered it badly. No bends or wear after 3 yrs. Trade your XTR for this one! Buy it if you race, buy it if you don't race. The weight difference is well worth the durability. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Matt Hawkins
a Racer
from Earlysville, VA
Date Reviewed: April 22, 2005 | | Favorite Trail: | Kicker | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$50.00 | | Purchased At: | The Bike Stop Culpeper, VA | | Strengths: | The best cassette period. | | Weaknesses: | None | | Bike Setup: | Cannondale Caad 5 with Sram PC-99 and Race Face Deus with XT guerillas. | | Bottom Line: | The most durable and affordable cassette made.
XT is what you need if you pay for your own stuff, or if you work on it yourself... it doesn't wear easy and is inexpensive to replace when the time comes. I've ridden XT cassettes since the early 90's and they always take the beating EVERYDAY... I've worn out many a chain. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Curtis
a Cross Country Rider
from College Park MD
Date Reviewed: October 9, 2004 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$39.00 | | Purchased At: | Supergo (on sale) | | Strengths: | Durable, reliable, good design saves weight, great range, and it's pretty when it's clean and shiny :) | | Weaknesses: | None I;ve ever found | | Similar Products Used: | SRAM 5.0 on my old bike | | Bike Setup: | Giant Rainier, Duke XC, XT Cass, XT fr. der, XT rear der., XT chain, LX crank, LX shifter/brake combo | | Bottom Line: | I totally agree with Dan W, these reviews make no sense to me what so ever. I have been riding this cass for 6 months now, and I still have no reason to think it won't last. XT is good stuff, and the low weight that you get with this cass is crucial if you're a weight weenie like me. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Brian Wong
a Cross Country Rider
from Malaysia
Date Reviewed: September 16, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | Any Trail | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$47.00 | | Purchased At: | local bike shop | | Strengths: | Not heavy, better shifting,er...good-looking? I just bought this piece few weeks ago and it performs very well in shifting.
| | Weaknesses: | Like everyone said, right after some easy-going rides, it started to bend especially when i cycled uphill last week. Genting Highland is one damn hard hill to ride. Maybe i used wrong gears or etc but anyway it is a shame to see shimano xt cassette performanced so badly. Although it's not a terrible bending, but it still bring down the quality of the cassette. | | Similar Products Used: | stupid Recon Taiwan cassette. | | Bike Setup: | Specialized rockhopper with deore drivetrain. Avid brake systems. | | Bottom Line: | Although the quality isnt that good, at least the shifting is nicer a bit. By the way, i planned to upgrade to better rear derail. Hope that this cassette can help. Next time, im gonna try SRAM cassette. I heard that they performed better. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
mzzm
a Cross Country Rider
from Naperville, IL
Date Reviewed: August 2, 2004 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$39.00 | | Purchased At: | Online | | Strengths: | Price | | Weaknesses: | Bending often | | Similar Products Used: | LX years ago | | Bottom Line: | I've now got a collection of these things due to consistent bending. People keep telling me I'm in the wrong gear and need to shift more and have less cross torque. Well, continuing to do this helped for a while and then it happened again. These are just to sensitive. I'm going to start collecting these from others like AOL CDs and start making art out of them. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
mel forgues
a Weekend Warrior
from Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Date Reviewed: July 19, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | moosepackers | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | Light weight, looks good. Smooth Shifting. | | Weaknesses: | Weak material. | | Similar Products Used: | LX,Sram. | | Bike Setup: | Xt drivetrain on a Ellsworth Joker | | Bottom Line: | I bent my cassette in two different rings just from torquing my way up hills. I would have gotten the LX as a replacement but my LBS had sold out of them. The LX is much stronger and more reliable. I upgraded to the 760 XT and we shall see how that goes. I am going back to LX for my next cog set. Cheaper is better in this case. The only advantage the XT has over the LX is weight. If you are a aggressive rider that generates a lot of torque when pedalling get the LX version. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mike
a
from Boston, MA
Date Reviewed: July 11, 2004 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$79.00 | | Purchased At: | LBS | | Strengths: | Lights, looks | | Weaknesses: | Weak-Weak-Weak | | Similar Products Used: | LX | | Bottom Line: | On my sixth ride on this cassette and it bent. I was climbing up a mean hill that was rocky (going pretty fast). The derailleur was being banged around. I was in the middle gear in the front and the 2nd largest in the back. That is when the chain jumped off. I walked the bike to the top of the hill. I looked at the cassette and the 2nd largest gear was bent. To show how weak it was, I was able to bend it back with my hand. If you look at the SRAM cassettes, you will notice that they have a little extra metal to provent this from happenning. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
chris schoonover
a
from sacramento, ca,usa
Date Reviewed: November 4, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Strengths: | rigid, takes punishment well | | Weaknesses: | wish it had ti cogs like xtr | | Similar Products Used: | lx, sram9.0, xtr, sram7.0 | | Bike Setup: | klein adroit race, full xtr(except casseste) wipperman ss chain, mars cl, bontrager racelite wheel set(chris king version)
| | Bottom Line: | The best casseste out there. unless you race and are willing to replace your casseste every 100 miles, then this is the only casseste to go with. I have 3000 miles on my bike and am only now buying my third casseste. I am only 160 but I have a high torque output and ride mainly road. I have never bent a ring at most I have only broken a tooth, and that was under to much stress upill and becuase i was in the wrong gear. This is the only casseste you should buy. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
chris schoonover
a
from sacramento, ca,usa
Date Reviewed: November 4, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Strengths: | rigid, takes punishment well | | Weaknesses: | wish it had ti cogs like xtr | | Similar Products Used: | lx, sram9.0, xtr, sram7.0 | | Bike Setup: | klein adroit race, full xtr(except casseste) wipperman ss chain, mars cl, bontrager racelite wheel set(chris king version)
| | Bottom Line: | The best casseste out there. unless you race and are willing to replace your casseste every 100 miles, then this is the only casseste to go with. I have 3000 miles on my bike and am only now buying my third casseste. I am only 160 but I have a high torque output and ride mainly road. I have never bent a ring at most I have only broken a tooth, and that was under to much stress upill and becuase i was in the wrong gear. This is the only casseste you should buy. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
dennis calapit
a Cross Country Rider
from batangas city, philippines
Date Reviewed: September 15, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | any trail | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Purchased At: | locally distributed in the philipppines | | Strengths: | it's more lighter than my previous deore 9spd, i guess its more durable co'z i haven't bent any teeth in it | | Weaknesses: | as far as of today, i haven't see anything yet, maybe a couple of decades will. | | Similar Products Used: | shimano deore 9spd | | Bike Setup: | cross country hardtail | | Bottom Line: | it's light, it withstand my abuses of some jumping, riding on rough sandy terrain, some muddy trails. it a far cry cheaper than its sibling xtr though i guess it works the same. if your on a tight budget and want's a high performing piece then this one's for you. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
robert tarran
a Cross Country Rider
from Chapel Hill, NC, USA
Date Reviewed: September 11, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$33.00 | | Purchased At: | KHS | | Strengths: | light, shifts ok when working | | Weaknesses: | lack of strengh - bent the 2nd/3rd cogs in less than 3 months | | Similar Products Used: | LX, XT both 8 spd | | Bike Setup: | KHS FXT Pro, pyslo, mavic cross max, mostly XT | | Bottom Line: | I've only recently switched to 9 spd on my mtb so this is my first 9 spd cassette - i was expecting it to last a lot longer than this. Apparently the lx is a lot stronger so i'll try that next. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Dan W
a Cross Country Rider
from Wheat Ridge
Date Reviewed: July 14, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Bottom Line: | These reviews are nonsense. I ride this cassette all the time and have done so for almost 2 1/2 years. I shift on the thing CONSTANTLY and have not had a single cassette-related problem. It shifts as well as new. I ride mostly in dry, sandy conditions with drops and jagged rocks. I have crashed my fair share of times as well. If kept clean and used with a good chain, it should last for a long, long time. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Rob T
a Cross Country Rider
from San Jose CA
Date Reviewed: June 3, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | Henry Coe State Park | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$50.00 | | Purchased At: | Cambria | | Strengths: | Shifts good,lasts awhile if you use SRAM chains,widely available | | Weaknesses: | Cogs bend if power shifted with Shimano chains | | Similar Products Used: | xt,xtr8sp,dura ace,ultegra,lots of older stuff | | Bike Setup: | Turner 02 Its a nice bike! | | Bottom Line: | This is the second review.I straightened the cog I bent and switched back to the Sram pc99 chain.I rode it about 200 miles and didn't bend it.Shifting was a little funky due to my not quite perfect repair.I was a little more careful how I shifted,but power shifting is hard to avoid where I ride unless I concentrate on shifting all the time(I'd rather check out the wildflowers!).I haven't bent those cogs again so I bought a new one and it been fine so far.Boycott Shimano chains!!! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Joe P
a Cross Country Rider
from Portland
Date Reviewed: May 21, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$45.00 | | Purchased At: | Universal Cycles | | Strengths: | It looked nice and was light | | Weaknesses: | Bent the thing on the first ride | | Similar Products Used: | XTR 12-32 Spd, XT 11-32 8spd & a variety of low budget cassettes | | Bike Setup: | 1998 SC Heckler Z-1 & XT 9spd | | Bottom Line: | My XT rear deraileur died so I decided to upgrade to a 9spd system. I have been using a XTR 12-32 8spd cassette for the past 4yrs but I didn't want to spend the extra cash for the XTR 9spd and opted for the XT 11-34 9spd. The first thing I noticed was how light the cassette felt. It was definitely lighter than my XTR 8spd. I got the bike back together and on my first ride I ended up bending the 2nd and 3rd cogs from the top. I noticed that Shimano makes the small 11T ring out of steel while the rest are aluminum. I guess they are pretty weak. Kudos to Universal Cycles who allowed me to return the Cassette and get a SRAM in its place. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Rob T
a Cross Country Rider
from San Jose.CA
Date Reviewed: April 18, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | Henry Coe State Parks | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$50.00 | | Purchased At: | Cambria | | Strengths: | Shifts good,these can be found at most any shop | | Weaknesses: | Cogs bend real easy with Shimano chains. | | Similar Products Used: | XTR 8SP Great!(lasts forever) | | Bike Setup: | Turner 02 Bomber King RF XT XTR & goodies | | Bottom Line: | 1st one lasted a year before I bent it.2nd(and last)bent on the 1st ride.My bike is set up such that I can clean just about any steep hill that I put my will into conquering,I try not to shift under load,but sometimes I can't help it when it gets steep and technical.The Shimano chains shift so fast I think that they can put a lot of load onto the cogs during a power shift.I didn't seem to have these problems when I used the Sram chains(59or99).I'm going to try to straighten these and use a Sram chain to see if it lasts longer on my backup bikes.I'm going back to the XTR 8sp set up on my long technical rides until I'm convinced I can set up the 9sp reliably.I think I'm stronger than I've been for quite awhile(100mi/week) and maybe I've gotten a little sloppy shifting under power,but I rarely break chains.I think these cassettes should be made tougher for the average guy.I was only attracted for the 34t cog.I didn't really see the need for an extra cog.Maybe it's just the chain but doesn't Shimano design this as a system?1 flamer for bending,3 for lasting a year with SRAM chain. | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Kevin
a Weekend Warrior
from Tempe
Date Reviewed: April 9, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$50.00 | | Purchased At: | supergo | | Strengths: | It works good right up until it breaks | | Weaknesses: | 1000 mile lifespan, as compaired to 2200 miles for older 24 speed XT's (I am talking about tooth wear failure) | | Similar Products Used: | 9 speed el-cheapo that came with the bike, 24 speed XT | | Bike Setup: | '01 GT I-Drive 5.0, with many upgrades/ replacements due to wear failures on this mega-9 BS | | Bottom Line: | I think mega 9 was designed by buisness people not engineers, Shimano has probably doubled their replacements parts sales on this garbage. I ride long distance and this cassette lasts about 1000 miles then the teeth deform and it won't hold a chain, however the non-spider cheapy that came with he bike went the same distance. This go around I'm going to try replacing the chain at 500 miles and see what that does. On the 24 speeds you were supposed to change the chain at 1000 miles, and before I learned that I had a tooth wear failure at 2200 miles, so I figure half the lifespan = chain replace. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Crutch
a Racer
from Bozeman, MT
Date Reviewed: April 5, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | Boggs Mountain "Freeway" | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$45.00 | | Purchased At: | Price Point | | Strengths: | It's cheeply priced for what you get. You can get two XT's for the price of one XTR cassete! It works good, and it's relatively light. What else do you need. | | Weaknesses: | The 34 tooth is sckepticle, but that is obvious. | | Similar Products Used: | LX, XTR | | Bike Setup: | XT, XTR, Psylo Race | | Bottom Line: | I'm submitting this as the XT cassete is quite adequate for just about anything! Like most shimano cassetes, the XT will wear out after a season or less, but it gets the job done. You can listen to all the problems about bending the 34 tooth gear. When it comes down to it, how can you hammer in the 34 gear and get anywhere anyhow? I use that gear only for steep and mostly seated climbs when the preasure is somewhat continuous due to a smooth spin. Everyone should think back to the days of not that long ago, when our XT cassetes only went to 30. I have never had any trouble with the 30, so I hammer with it for quick burst climbs. I would recomend this cassete for anyone as it is cheep and gets the job done! Actually, I'm buying another one shortly for when the snow melts off! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
John
a Cross Country Rider
from DC, USA
Date Reviewed: March 26, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$45.00 | | Purchased At: | somewhere online | | Strengths: | Extremely durable, smooth shifting | | Similar Products Used: | lx | | Bike Setup: | FSR with LX cranks and rings, sram chain, xt rear der and lx front der | | Bottom Line: | This cassette has lasted longer than I expected, around 2000 miles. I change chains every few months, clean it regularly and avoid ham-fisted shifting. Lasted twice as long as the lx I had previously. Let the sponsored riders have the xtr, I'll stick with xt. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Dave
a
from Richmond, VA
Date Reviewed: November 8, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Strengths: | wide range, reasonable weight | | Weaknesses: | weak | | Bottom Line: | Bent the 26t sprocket on a 12-34 just by shifting under load. I'm a weakling rider. 9 speed is pretty fragile for MTB, but we have no choice. Thanks a lot, shimano. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
BigBoy
a Racer
from North Georgia
Date Reviewed: October 13, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | Pisgah | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$68.00 | | Purchased At: | LBS | | Strengths: | The packaging...it's reputation. Just kidding. | | Weaknesses: | The big ring...I've destroyed a 32 tooth cassette and recently a 34 tooth cassette though "other" circumstances might have contributed to this. | | Similar Products Used: | None...nobody can think of a better one to recommend. | | Bike Setup: | Specialized FSR XC Pro, SID, Fox RC rear, Panaracer Fire XC Pro, XTR deraliuers, XT brakes. RaceFace Turbine | | Bottom Line: | A short blast of power at the exact moment of shift with a little chain slip up to the big ring and kapow!
So why did the chain slip? My barrel connector on my XTR rear deraliuer was broken which caused flex in the housing and inadvertant , hard shifts at inopportune moments. I'm also a Clydesdale racer which doesn't exactly make gentle conditions for equipment.
The 32 tooth version has a 4 spoke spider and the 34 tooth has a 5 spoke spider so I assumed that the 34 would be slightly more ridgid. Last friday (1 yr later), I destroyed it and because of a race on Sat, it cost me $70 at the LBS instead of $42 mail order.
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Kevin
a Weekend Warrior
from Tempe, AZ USA
Date Reviewed: September 18, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$45.00 | | Purchased At: | supergo | | Strengths: | works good. good performance, reatively easy to adjust deraillure to | | Weaknesses: | lifespan (applies to 9 speed cranksets and chains as well in my opinon) | | Similar Products Used: | 8 speed, junk that came with bike | | Bike Setup: | '01 GT i-drive 5.0 w/ XT/LX on drivetraine | | Bottom Line: | If you're into XC and distance riding the small three gears will have a wear failure at about 1000 miles, roughly the exact same lifespan that the junk and came with the bike had. 8 speed on my old bike went 2200 miles before a similar failure, chain replacement at 500 miles seems excessive to me, I'm shoping for old 8 speeds. Until the failure it was a great cassette. If you use the whole range of gears it may last longer, but if you're like me you may want to research cheaper stuff. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
RJ
a Racer
from Boise, Idaho
Date Reviewed: July 19, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$50.00 | | Strengths: | Light, strong, durable | | Weaknesses: | I have not experienced any weaknesses | | Similar Products Used: | lower end Shimano | | Bike Setup: | GF Ziggurat, XT components, Avid Single Didit Ti brakes. The usual light stuff | | Bottom Line: | A very very good cassette with no durablity problems. Mine wore out after about 2500 miles, but I didnt change my chain like I should. Im sure it would have lasted longer. A recreational rider should get a lifetime out of this cassette if you do proper maintenance. They are light and provide good shifting if you race but dont want to throw money away on XTR level components. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Brian Crawford
a Racer
from Newcastle, NSW, Aust
Date Reviewed: July 9, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | single trail racing | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$75.00 | | Purchased At: | Jensonusa | | Strengths: | Very light, Very Strong | | Weaknesses: | Havn't hit any yet | | Similar Products Used: | Acera, Alivio and LX levels | | Bike Setup: | XT level Sintessi | | Bottom Line: | Good casette for a weight weenie
lookds great while its shinny | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Rich A
a Cross Country Rider
from Denver
Date Reviewed: July 9, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Strengths: | reasonable price | | Weaknesses: | heavy at 290G | | Similar Products Used: | Other shimano cassettes | | Bike Setup: | Mostly XTR | | Bottom Line: | This is the 2nd 12?-34 cassette that has bent on me with less than one season on it. The first time I did not realize what the hell was going on and ended up breaking my chain. I thought my rear derailluer or drop out was bent.I spent an hour trying to figure it out. Finally, Fred who doen't know anything about bikes looked at it and stated,"this gear is crooked." Sure enough, the 34 tooth was bent in towards the 30 tooth gear. No problem, things happen, buy a new one. Well it happened again, within 3-months of the last one. It starts out with the chain skipping on the 2nd gear (30 tooth) down to the 3rd gear. Adjustments will not correct the problem, don't bother wasting your time. I determined the easiest way to check it is to stack some feeler gages (spark plug gap gages) together and run it between the two gears. If its not consistent, chuck the cassette and buy something besides shimano. I guess the engineering gurus at shimano don't use XT components. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
steve
a Cross Country Rider
from ca
Date Reviewed: June 16, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$42.00 | | Strengths: | very strong spider. Lightweight. Shifts smoothly. Very rigid. and looks cool | | Weaknesses: | None | | Similar Products Used: | 3 shimano Lx cassetes over 1 1/2 yrs | | Bike Setup: | gary fisher hardtail | | Bottom Line: | after using the LX cassette for a while, I naturally wanted to upgrade to the XT. I was impressed with how much better it is than other cassettes i looked at. A definite Buy if you are looking for a Lightweight, rigid, daily driver that performs on the weekends as well. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
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