Just got a set of Flow mk3 on Shimano hubs (Zee rear, XT front) for my 26+ experiment.

Got the WTB tyres on and up tubeless first time, discs fitted fine (even with a Centrelock to 6 bolt adapter on the rear) and came to swap the 10 speed SRAM (with Hope T-Rex) cassette over from my old wheel to the new one.

BUT…

Can’t get the cassette lockring to bite into its thread on the freehub. Haven’t got any lockrings with longer threads in my bits box.

Never had a Shimano hub before – is this a known thing trying to fit SRAM cassettes to Shimano hubs or am I just unlucky?

Also, what are the options for a fix? Try a Shimano cassette? Does anyone make longer lockrings? Hit stuff with a hammer until it fits?

One of those small but really irritating build issues…

What model cassette is it? I think most are interchangeable unless it’s a sram xd cassette, which will need a sram xd freehub.

I’ve run both sram and shimano cassettes on my hope hub which has a ‘standard’ freehub.

Not XD, just a ‘normal’ SRAM cassette. Has come off a SS Switch Ultra (free)hub, which it fitted just fine.

Is there a removable spacer at the back of the free hub?

Nope. Nothing there…

Make sure there is no dirt or grime between the individual sprockets – this is often enough to prevent you from engaging a lockring.

I’ve had this before. Did manage to get enough bite with some force to lock and thread right in, but on one ride the freehub threads cracked (Swiss Cheese Crank Brothers alloy freehub).

Found a longer thread lockring, might have been a Shimano XT. Worked fine. I’ve moved to Shimano cassettes since then anyway as also had issues with SRAM at the time with the screws on the back of the cassette hitting the hub flanges. Though partly a flaw of the crappy wheels. Since also moved on from there, but I stick with Shimano freehubs. Proper standard and it works. Components are cheap.

Will try properly cleaning the cassette again (only stripped it down a few weeks ago). Failing that a bit more brute force and look for an XT lockring maybe.

Hmmmnnn. Cleaned off all the cogs, refitted them, tapped down with a rubber mallet and lockring went on first time…

Thanks everyone. One more bike build glitch to chalk up to experience…