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Shimano XT Cogset

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# of Reviews 136
Average Rating 3.99/5
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Description: Shimano XT Cogset


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    Submitted by Carl Mare a Cross Country Rider from Nelspruit, South Africa
    Date Reviewed: November 10, 2007
    Duration Product Used:6 months
    Price Paid: $40.00
    Purchased At:LBS
    Strengths:Smooth shifts, accurate. Strong enough for me.
    Weaknesses:A bit more pricey than corresponding SRAM-products.
    Similar Products Used:SRAM PG950, PG970, PG980.
    Bike Setup:Raleigh Carbon hardtail, SRAM x9, Reba Race, Juicy 5, DT Swiss XR1540
    Bottom Line:Works well with good shifting. Light. Less expensive than the XTR. Shifts just as well. Does not have the lifespan of the XTR. Good for cross country racing. Buy it.
    Value Rating:5Overall Rating:4

    Submitted by Stan a Cross Country Rider from Sandy, Utah, USA
    Date Reviewed: October 11, 2005
    Favorite Trail:Mid Mtn. Park City, Ut.
    Duration Product Used:1 Year
    Price Paid: $80.00
    Purchased At:Revolution Cycle
    Strengths:11 to 34 tooth cogs
    Weaknesses:Expensive, my set broke after 11 months, no warranty
    Similar Products Used:Deore 11-34, XT 11-32
    Bike Setup:Ventana X5 Spinergy wheels, XT shifters, XT Crank, XTR derailers, Chris King Head Set, Marz. Bomber and RP#
    Bottom Line:Rode for 11 months, with all the good reports on this product I ended up with a lemon. A portion of the 3rd largest cog broke off, during a ride. Not sure when, noticed the shifting was funny, just thought I needed a derailer adjustment. Got home, cleaned the bike and noticed the broken cog. I dont consider myself a hard rider on equipment, most likely broke on one of the uphill sections. Guess I will try and find one on ebay, they are fairly expensive, I liked the 11-34 tooth cassette and not sure of any better or less expensive alternatives.
    Value Rating:2Overall Rating:3

    Submitted by David Santillan a Weekend Warrior from philippines
    Date Reviewed: September 29, 2005
    Favorite Trail:urban, single track
    Duration Product Used:More than 3 years
    Price Paid: $40.00
    Purchased At:extreme bikeshop
    Strengths:weight, plating doen't easily chips off, four arm looks cool
    Weaknesses:none!!!!
    Similar Products Used:shimano lx cog set, sram 9.0
    Bike Setup:"01 santacruz bullit, marzocchi z150, raceface north shore DH XT all over...
    Bottom Line:this cassette has been in service to me since oct of 2002... it has'nt failed me yet... i ride urban and trails... highly recommended... cheaper alternative to an xtr or an sram....
    Value Rating:5Overall Rating:5

    Submitted by Jason a from Modesto, CA
    Date Reviewed: January 13, 2005
    Duration Product Used:2 Years
    Similar Products Used:Shimano LX
    Bottom Line:Mine last about 6 months before you can see substantial wear on the teeth. That's probably more my fault because I prefer to torque on the tougher gears instead of shifting to the "correct" gear. I'm more than happy with the way it performs. The weight is good. Look on eBay and you can find them for around $55-$65. I'm sticking with this cassette forever. Knocking one chili off for value because they are a little expensive.
    Value Rating:4Overall Rating:5

    Submitted by Adam Pippin a from Dallas, Texas
    Date Reviewed: September 10, 2004
    Favorite Trail:Robber's Cave State Park
    Duration Product Used:2 Years
    Price Paid: $45.00
    Purchased At:Pricepoint
    Strengths:Very lightweight, seems to last for me
    Weaknesses:none, really- may be designed for lighter riders?
    Similar Products Used:alivio 7 speed, LX 9 speed
    Bike Setup:custom xc hardtail- drivetrain: LX crank, XT derailluers(9 speed), LX shifters, pc 99 chain
    Bottom Line:I bought this cassette to replace my LX almost two years ago, and I used it on several mountain biking trips, and now I use it for commute to school. So far, I haven't really noticed a lot of wear, and I've ridden on it quite a bit. Maybe it lasts longer because I weigh 150? I use it with a SRAM PC 99 chain, which seem to work well together. Other than me not cleaning it often enough, it's been great.
    Value Rating:5Overall Rating:5

    Submitted by Ryan R a Cross Country Rider from Long Island, New York
    Date Reviewed: April 25, 2004
    Favorite Trail:Dirt ones :)
    Duration Product Used:6 months
    Price Paid: $42.00
    Purchased At:Bike Junkie
    Strengths:Fairly Light; Compared to the LX Model
    Decently Strong: Able to take a good beating while shifting
    Durable: Have yet to bend a cog or round out the teeth
    Shifts well: No bad skipping
    Weaknesses:a Little on the heavy side but that is compared to the XTR, Picks up trail garbage really easy but what cassette dosen't in the fall with all the leaves down. Shifts well but sometimes I think the stock one that came with my bike (LX) shifted slightly better than the XT version. Some skipping but nothing too bad.
    Similar Products Used:Shimano LX and Sram X7
    Bike Setup:Specialized StumpJumper FSR XC Highly Modified!
    Bottom Line:This is a good cassette I have experienced none of the things in some of the poor reviews for it. It is far durable than the XTR cassette that was on my buddies Fuel. The XTR is far lighter but much less durable than the XT. So I decided to use the XT version. Most of the pro riders use the XT version unless you do short track XC or World cup Racing. They can afford them when they strip them out but the common folks like us should use the XT for it's weight and durablity and price. Compared to the XTR version you could buy four of these for the price of one XTR!
    As for the shifting it is good but sometimes I think my heavier LX did a better job of shifting than this one does. Sometimes my chain will skip under load but it only happens when I know I'm pushing way too bid of a gear up hill. As for the bottom line I belive the Shimano XT cassette is the better one on the market it is durable enough to survive out on the trail and it is light enough not to bog down the bike on that long climb. If your looking for a new cassette look to the XT for a good one if your a racer who only uses his bike to compete then look to the XTR for weight saving, but for durablity use the XT. The cogs teeth round out way too easy on the XTR and are known to bend very easy, some pro's have had this problem in the past. For a trail bike it's great and affordable expect to replace your cassette once a season if you ride religously like most mountain biker do and don't forget a new chain at least once to twice a season and you won't have any shifting problems PEACE!
    Value Rating:5Overall Rating:4

    Submitted by kent a Cross Country Rider from hong kong
    Date Reviewed: April 5, 2004
    Favorite Trail:agressive xc
    Duration Product Used:1 Year
    Price Paid: $38.00
    Purchased At:yuen long, lbs
    Strengths:1. best value
    2. lightweight
    3. choice of different cogs
    4. fast changing gears even under heavy pedal
    5. looks cool and shiny
    Weaknesses:a little bit expensive
    Similar Products Used:N/A
    Bike Setup:01 NRS1, 02 SID-sl, xt disc 6", mavic F519 with DT onyx hub
    mainly xt drivetrain
    Bottom Line:I weight 149lbs, and ride agressive xc with light downhill on this cassette with 1300km.
    using at 9speed 11-34 cog set

    It shift lighting fast and accurate even under heavy pedaling together with XT HG-93 chain(2003),XT rear derailleur(2002), LX shifters(2002)

    Half the price of XTR cassette, 20grams something heavier than XTR. Why pay for double price if you aren't racing or just for 20grams weight saving?

    Highly recommend for all around use.





    Value Rating:5Overall Rating:5

    Submitted by JaKo a Weekend Warrior from Truro, NS, Canada
    Date Reviewed: April 1, 2004
    Favorite Trail:the well known up and down variety
    Duration Product Used:1 Year
    Price Paid: $40.00
    Purchased At:eBay
    Strengths:Fairly light and great range.
    Weaknesses:The cogs are very "sensitive" to the stuff we ride through -- twigs and sticks. Fortunately a scredriver and pliers would "fix" the bends ...
    Similar Products Used:Deore, LX, SRAM
    Bike Setup:MtB
    Bottom Line:XT used to be a good value (before the 760). The 34 to 11 has a "big step" on 6-7th, which is OK for a causual rider, but I would like to see a bigger step on 1-2nd.

    One day perhaps, we'd see an internal shifting and driveshaft instead of the chain and deraileurs ...
    Value Rating:4Overall Rating:3

    Submitted by Dan a Weekend Warrior from Marlborough, MA USA
    Date Reviewed: December 28, 2003
    Favorite Trail:Vietnam
    Duration Product Used:More than 3 years
    Strengths:Now that I'm looking for another one, I can't find a better value. Half the price for twice as long.
    Weaknesses:OK, so I got a lemon. The 4th cog snapped w/ two pieces lying on the trail. Not sure yet if I can get the local shop to fix just that cog. Bummer because the cassette is near brand new. I'm in a new area of the country and its not worth sending it all back to the original bike shop.
    I like the argument about 8sp vs. 9sp is a good one. 8 sp has bigger chain, bigger cogs, and who needs 27 speeds on a mountain bike? (Looks like I kinda got my wish for 8 spds) For that matter, the big up front 44 chain ring is just a bash guard anyway that eventually flats out all its teeth. So a 16 speed would be bulletproof.
    Oops, back to the subject. The XT cassette shifts fine and have had no trouble w/ bent rings on my other bikes. The XTR cassette was even fine except for the big cog, but wore out quickly. Seems that if you can get through the break in, then these things will be reasonably reliable until they wear out.
    Similar Products Used:XTR
    Bike Setup:Cannondale Jekyll 3000SX Carbon
    Bottom Line:Looks like there is no better value out there. Even if money were no object, a Ti cassette w/ chronic bending and 20 miles to go is no use to anyone. For that matter, make it out of steel and market that it is a lot lighter than carrying 2 extra cassettes in your backpack. OK so 5 chili's for value and only 3 chili's until I find out I'm not going to break (bend is better than break) another cog w/ a new one.
    Value Rating:5Overall Rating:3

    Submitted by Nitish Nag a Cross Country Rider from Fremont, CA
    Date Reviewed: December 19, 2003
    Duration Product Used:6 months
    Price Paid: $40.00
    Purchased At:Performance Bike
    Strengths:Durable, Cheap, Good looks, Great Shifts,
    Weaknesses:Not as light as XTR,
    Similar Products Used:XTR, Deore, LX
    Bike Setup:2003 Santa Cruz Blur, 2003 XTR with discs, Progressive 5th Element Air Shock, Easton Carbon Cockpit, eggbeaters SS,
    Bottom Line:This the best value in the cassette market. Nothign beats the durablity and performance of the XT cogset at the price that it is offered at. Get this if you prize value and performance.
    Value Rating:5Overall Rating:5

    Submitted by adam a Cross Country Rider from kokomo, in, usa
    Date Reviewed: September 3, 2003
    Duration Product Used:3 months
    Price Paid: $45.00
    Purchased At:pricepoint.com
    Strengths:performs well under regular riding conditions. changes gears when i need it to. looks good (when clean).
    Weaknesses:a tad expensive and shifts a little loud at high cadence. maybe that is normal, this is my first cassette purchased seperate from the bike.
    Bike Setup:EPX Terrashark frame, mostly XT drivetrain, easton bar and stem and marzoochi MX Pro fork
    Bottom Line:it seem expensive for a cassette, but i have heard (and read) it is very durable. i hope i get my money's worth after a few thousand miles when i have to replace it instead of a few hundred miles
    Value Rating:4Overall Rating:4

    Submitted by Seth a Weekend Warrior from Seattle
    Date Reviewed: August 25, 2003
    Duration Product Used:2 Years
    Price Paid: $40.00
    Purchased At:LBS/Online
    Strengths:Good Wear. Smooth Shifting. Affordable. They have treated me well.
    Weaknesses:The interface between the cassette and the free hub has slightly worn (deformed) on the cassette. Causing annoying amount of wiggle room which results in some rattling while coasting (but this cassette is two years old, and I ride hard, so I can live with this one (I have broken two sets of cranks during the life of this cassette)). This is probably due to the large amount of torque that I generate (since I use platform pedals).
    Similar Products Used:Shimano LX, XT, lower grade IG and HG stuff (30 or 50 series)
    Bike Setup:Steel Hard Tail Custom Ride. Built Strong w/ Old School Parts like Syncros, Race Face Cranks, Titec Hellbent Ti-Riser Bars and XT Front Derailleur & Front Hub. New school XTR shifters, V-brakes, Rear Hub and Derailleur. Chris King Headset. Marzocchi Z-1.
    Bottom Line:I gave up my clipless pedals about 4 years ago for platforms (to accomodate the technical trails that were spouting up everywhere here on the NW Coast). I have noticed that this puts alot more strain on the drivetrain due to increased pedal pressure (read: no spinning). For this reason I have stuck with 8 speed components, because they are thicker and therefore stronger. I have been happy with the 8 sp XT cassettes. I am about to install my 4th one since 1996.

    Change your chain periodically to reduce wear on your cassette. As the bushings (?) on the chain wear, the effective engagement length between the pins increases, causing the chain to "ride up" on the teeth of both the cassette and the chainrings. Through in some mud, dust and road grit, and the teeth are forced to wear down to accomodate the "longer" distance between pins. $20 for a new chain is a lot cheaper than spending $150 on a new drivetrain.

    For heavier riders or those who ride with platform pedals, use 7 or 8 speed setups. They are much stronger.

    LONG LIVE 8 SPEED!!!
    Value Rating:4Overall Rating:4

    Submitted by leo a Downhiller from hk
    Date Reviewed: August 17, 2003
    Duration Product Used:2 Years
    Price Paid: $42.00
    Purchased At:bike shop
    Strengths:light,strong,and nice
    Weaknesses:none
    Similar Products Used:lx
    Bike Setup:gts hardtail,z1 fr,521,mainly xt
    Bottom Line:i think that this cass is really stong,i can use two different chain on this cass, but no any scratch,not many cass can do that.
    but some guys told me that the sram 9.0 cass is much more strong than the xt,is't it?can anyone answer me?thx!
    Value Rating:4Overall Rating:5

    Submitted by axel a Cross Country Rider from yakima
    Date Reviewed: June 25, 2003
    Favorite Trail:skyline
    Duration Product Used:1 Year
    Price Paid: $50.00
    Purchased At:sagebrushcycles
    Strengths:great shifting, strong, stiff, lasts forever, looks good, stays clean on its own
    Weaknesses:no so far
    Similar Products Used:sram 7.0, shimano LX
    Bike Setup:kona roast, and a NRS
    Bottom Line:Buy one of these cassetes if you want a bike that shifts good and looks good. the sram pile of crap that i used to have wore out so fast i didnt even know that it came on my bike untill i took it off. i now have two of these cog sets one in a 32 tooth and a 34 tooth both work grean and i have had them both forever and they still work great. in a week or two i am going to try an XTR,but i am going to keep the XT around and if the expensive stuff doesnt work i am going back to reliable.
    Value Rating:5Overall Rating:5

    Submitted by Greg a Racer from Germany
    Date Reviewed: February 18, 2003
    Duration Product Used:1 Year
    Strengths:shifts very well.
    Mine were quite durable.
    Weaknesses:too expensive
    Similar Products Used:LX
    Bottom Line:Can't complain about the durability.
    I changed my first XT cassette after 2800 miles
    because I took my bike to Ireland and I wanted
    it to work well for a while. The second cassette
    has seen some 600 miles of boggy Irish trails in
    spring, a whole race season and countless very muddy
    winter rides (overall more than 3500 miles). Shifting
    is not up to race standards any more now but the chain
    still doesn't slip. Nice.
    Value Rating:3Overall Rating:4

    Submitted by Kevin a Weekend Warrior from Tempe, AZ
    Date Reviewed: October 25, 2002
    Duration Product Used:1 Year
    Price Paid: $48.00
    Purchased At:SUpergo
    Strengths:Works well until it fails
    Weaknesses:VERY low lifespan, about 1,000 miles to a wear failure on the small gears, half that of the 8 speeds, and the same as the deore 9 speed
    Similar Products Used:deore 9 speed, LX 8 speed
    Bike Setup:i-drive 5.0
    Bottom Line:Mega 9 is to thin, shimano need to start selling individual cogs if they intend on keeping up this crap
    Value Rating:2Overall Rating:2

    Submitted by KB a Cross Country Rider from Salt Lake City
    Date Reviewed: September 2, 2002
    Favorite Trail:any single track
    Duration Product Used:3 months
    Price Paid: $50.00
    Purchased At:Supergo
    Strengths:Nice finish.
    Weaknesses:Bent cog.
    Similar Products Used:XT and XTR 8 speed.
    Bike Setup:Lenzsport, Raceface, Fox Forx etc.
    Bottom Line:Nine speed version used only three months. Could not shift into third cog. Close examination revealed second biggest cog bent probably because everything is thinner than the trusty old 8 speed. Nine speed is an evil Shimano conspiracy to get more dough out of us! Nine speed absolutely is much more inferior than 8 speed. My bike will be Shimano free by 2003. I now have an 8 speed cassette with nine cogs. Ever tried dealing with Shimano directly?
    Value Rating:2Overall Rating:1

    Submitted by Jan Solar a Weekend Warrior from Prague, Czech Republic
    Date Reviewed: August 7, 2002
    Duration Product Used:More than 3 years
    Price Paid: $50.00
    Purchased At:Prague
    Strengths:DURABLE!!!
    Weaknesses:It's not produced any more...
    Similar Products Used:Sram 5.0
    Bike Setup:HKS Alite 4000, Fuji 4 Diamond, Mrazek FS; Z1, mainly XT
    Bottom Line:talking about 8spd 1998 product. Lasted more than 9,000 (nine thousand) miles over (3 years). IG90 chain changed each approx. 1000 miles.
    Value Rating:5Overall Rating:5

    Submitted by BOB a Cross Country Rider from MarysvilleCA
    Date Reviewed: July 25, 2002
    Favorite Trail:South Yuba
    Duration Product Used:More than 3 years
    Price Paid: $35.00
    Purchased At:Price Point
    Strengths:Has held up to about 3,500 miles and is on my second bike and still turning. Has seen at least 6 different chains.
    Weaknesses:I havent found any except a little wear where it goes on to the freehub body thats why I bought a new and put it on my secondary bike. I just built it three months ago to save miles on my Superlight.
    Similar Products Used:All shimano
    Bike Setup:Which one . Superlight or my urban hardtail . They both use XT 9 speed cogsets
    Bottom Line:I have to say I have nothing bad to say. It works well.I ride hard and I handed the one down to my urban hardtail with alot of miles and I have relly pounded it some more on a different bike. I was concerned about the play where it goes on the free hub but its hanging tough. The brand new one runs awesome and I do not believe it is any smoother shifting than the old one with over 3500 miles.
    Value Rating:5Overall Rating:5

    Submitted by simo a Weekend Warrior from sydney
    Date Reviewed: June 3, 2002
    Duration Product Used:1 Year
    Price Paid: $70.00
    Purchased At:shop
    Strengths:shimano
    Weaknesses:bendy
    Similar Products Used:always shimano
    Bike Setup:turner xc with xt throughout
    Bottom Line:i am getting older and shimano gear is getting flimsier. these are too light, they wear out and they bend if you are a bit ham fisted in the gear changing department. this is really not acceptable. my advice is to buy the cheaper model and change more frequently- you get sod-all performance gain with xt in this case. bring back 8 speed!!
    Value Rating:2Overall Rating:3

    Submitted by Hakan a Cross Country Rider from NYC
    Date Reviewed: May 16, 2002
    Duration Product Used:6 months
    Price Paid: $50.00
    Strengths:Works well, install it and forget about it
    Weaknesses:Wears a bit fast
    Similar Products Used:LX
    Bike Setup:Rocky Mountain Vertex with a few upgrades
    Bottom Line:Think I had a LX cassette before but the chain snapped and I decided to put in a XT and a new pc 99 chain. Apparently it's recomended to change the cassette when you change chain. It seems to wear out quickly but who cares, it's cheap and works well
    Value Rating:4Overall Rating:4

    Submitted by Joe a Cross Country Rider from Clearwater
    Date Reviewed: May 15, 2002
    Duration Product Used:1 Year
    Price Paid: $40.00
    Purchased At:pricepoint
    Strengths:light, cheap if you buy online
    Weaknesses:weak, cogs wear fast
    Similar Products Used:lx
    Bike Setup:rm instinct, race face and xtr everything
    Bottom Line:this will be my 3rd in just over a year - seems when the chain is done you might as well buy another cassette. every time I put a new chain on a moderately used xt cassette it skips on me. I weigh 190 a ride alot, but this cassette should last longer than a 3-5 months. haven't tried the sram 9.0 yet, it's got crappy reviews too so I'm not sure what other product to try.
    Value Rating:2Overall Rating:2

    Submitted by Matthew a Weekend Warrior from Austin, TX
    Date Reviewed: March 17, 2002
    Duration Product Used:3 months
    Price Paid: $50.00
    Strengths:Clean design: Light and responsive
    Weaknesses:Weak: Bent cog and cracked my rear dropout and broke B - bracket of my XTR derailleur.
    Bike Setup:Giant XTC NRS AIR '02
    Stock
    Bottom Line:If you are over 180lbs and ride hard (especially on uphills).. you might bend the cog and cause your chain to snap. This could lead to yanking on your derailleur causing it to snap off (like it happened to me)
    Value Rating:3Overall Rating:2

    Submitted by Daniel a Cross Country Rider from Knoxville, Tennessee, United States of America
    Date Reviewed: February 4, 2002
    Favorite Trail:Any at Haw Ridge
    Duration Product Used:2 Years
    Price Paid: $60.00
    Purchased At:www.cambriabike.com
    Strengths:Shifts crisp, fairly light, looks pretty good (not that it matters much).
    Weaknesses:None.
    Similar Products Used:LX 9 speed, LX 7 speed.
    Bike Setup:Giant XtC, 2002 SID SL, full XT, XT discs.
    Bottom Line:I have had no problems with this cassette. It still shifts as crisply today as it did when I first bought it. I have had no problems with bent or broken cogs. I weigh 155 and maybe that makes a difference, I also never run the 34 tooth with the middle ring (shift into that gear sometime and tell me that isn't cross-chained). If you experience chain skipping with any cassette, try changing your chain as a stretched chain will not work with a non-stretched cassette. I would say buy this product. Shimano is a business with a bunch of engineers and accountants, if they are having to replace lots of products due to warranty issues those accountants make sure the engineers hear about it, and I bet that Shimano fixes the problem as rapidly as possible, and no I don't work for Shimano either.
    Value Rating:5Overall Rating:5

    Submitted by johnnyb a Cross Country Rider from San Anselmo
    Date Reviewed: December 17, 2001
    Favorite Trail:singletrack kind
    Duration Product Used:6 months
    Price Paid: $26.00
    Purchased At:Online
    Strengths:Lightweight. I thought the plated surface would add some sort of strength.
    Weaknesses:Fell apart on me.
    Similar Products Used:LX, STX
    Bike Setup:Stumpy Pro, Atom Bomb, Mavic 517, 222, Raceface and Phil Wood BB
    Bottom Line:Felt this would be an upgrade to my regular LX.

    Recently, this cassette worked great for about six months until one of the pins that holds all the gears together fell out, making a clean shift impossible.

    A previous set lasted about 8 months, but the teeth in the bigger gears wore faster than I had hoped.

    I weigh about 215 lbs and ride alot and I think I like the LX cassettes better, because of their solid design of the gears. My 8-speed XTs were cutout and drilled to save the weight and I suspect this comprises strength.

    I think I've used LX cassettes since '95, at least four set and all I could do to those were wear them out. And thats what I have on for now.

    Probably a good cassette for lighter riders.
    Value Rating:2Overall Rating:3

    Submitted by spongerator a Cross Country Rider from NJ
    Date Reviewed: December 16, 2001
    Favorite Trail:Ramapo State Forest and area
    Duration Product Used:6 months
    Purchased At:online somewhere
    Strengths:Looks nice in the bottom of my garbage can
    Weaknesses:Lasts for 6 months
    Similar Products Used:LX
    Bike Setup:01 Truth
    Bottom Line:This is for the 12-34. It lasted only 6 months and then started skipping the next to lowest ring. Some rides fine, then other horrible. I adjusted it constantly and then again, the XTR chain would just, skip and engage, disengage, etc. SO....off to SRAM I went. Got a 9.0 and a 99 chain and its like being in heaven.
    Value Rating:2Overall Rating:1