Hi . I’m going 1×11 and want opinions on the 11-46 cassette , I’ve no doubt the 46t would help
But the step up from the next gear looks massive , has anybody experienced any shift problems ?
Also has anyone wished they’d of gone for the 42t instead
Thanks in advance

I’ve not tried it but the big jumps at the end and two alloy cogs instead of one made me choose the sunrace mx8 instead for the wife’s bike.

Big jumps don’t bother me too much, but unless you’ve a well lubed chain the 46 feels pretty rough ime

I also went for an mx8 because of the large jump up to the 46T on the XT.

I have one I put on not too long ago (with M8000 XT med cage rear derailleur and shifter). It felt good just bimbling around near my house, and I went out for my first proper ride last weekend.

It’s good. The big jump is not an issue; shifting was pretty quick and crisp and with a 32T front ring gives me pretty much the same size granny setup as I had with 2×10 on XT 38/24 and 11-36. I seem to recall I calculated that I lose about a gear and a half at the top end compared to my 2×10 on this setup, and I can easily live without. The spacing between the gears feels good and some sections was more comfortable changing up and down one gear at the back than maybe two or three on the 11-36 while still maintaining a cadence that felt near enough the sweetspot. I may sound like a 1x fanboy, but I really wasn’t and umm’ed and ah’ed about switching forever. Only an issue on the rear derailleur made me change (and I had in fact ordered a 10sp like for like replacement that I um’ed and ah’ed about putting on for a week before I sent it back and got an 11sp).

I can’t compare to MX8 as haven’t used one, but no regrets here (albeit on a new chain/chainring/cassette/derailleur setup, maybe gremlins will creep in with use but it doesn’t feel like it).

Have tried both the xt 11-42 and the 11-46 and they both work great. No more difficult to set up than a normal 10 spd. You do notice the step up to the 46, but not in terms of poor shifting just the gap in ratio, but as its an emergency gear for me that’s fine. The chain doesn’t sound quite a smooth on the 46 cog compared to the 42, but when riding there is no noticeable difference to me. There is a weight penalty, but again I’ve noticed no real world difference when actually on the bike and would prefer to have the easier gear than lose c 100gr. Only had for a month so too early to tell on wear.

If rough in 46T it’s likely to be a chainline issue, as a larger sprocket should run smoother.
Try spacing your chainring in 2mm with chainring spacers. Done that on my 1x bikes (mix of 11-40 and 11-42) – made an immmediately noticeable improvement.