I’m current on 2 x 10 and I drop the chain on the front too often. So I’m considering 1 x 11 upgrade. Do I need a ned freehub to take the cassette? My wheels are spank oozy. Is it worth the outlay? I’ve thought about a 10 speed with an expander cog but id still have to get a new cassette as mine is one of the SRAM one piece jobs, so I’d thought id at least consider 11 speed.

Any advice would be great!

Xtr cassette will fit your current hub body
Sram cassette will need a xd driver or wheel

If you go SRAM 1×11 then you’ll need a new freehub. If you’re just going for XTR 1×11 then a standard 10 speed freehub will do the job.

If you’re so inclined, you can of course mix XX1 and XTR by using XTR shifters and mech with an XX1 cassette for the wider gear range. I’m not sure if you can use XX1 shifters and mech with an XTR cassette but I can’t see any reason why it wouldn’t work.

You could try 1×10 with a new cassette and an extender cog along with a thick/thin chainring and it would work out a lot cheaper than an 11 speed set-up but I’ve no idea how well it works.

If you are considering XTR then just get a new cassette and 40t expander and get the same thing for a significant saving.

But annoying jumps between some gears.

I did not like my 10 speed with expander cog for that reason

Hardly notice mine and the ones that replace come with a 16t seem to do a lot better, is it worth XTR money to fix that?

Mikewsmith – I’ve got XTR 11 speed on one bike and XT/XTR 10 speed with expander gog/RAD cage/16T sprocket on another.

The bodged one is so much clunkier and with uneven ratio jumps even with the 16T sprocket in place of the 15/17T.

Shouldn’t really be surprising, but 11spd XTR is a huge improvement in feel and shifting performance over the 10spd version, and a country mile better than the bodged version with expander cog etc.

Does the xtr cassette wear quickly? I notice it’s titanium which is much softer than the steel cassettes of sram. My sram cassette has lasted about two years and doesn’t skip even on new chains.

Sillyoldman, my experience of a SRAM 10sp with Hope 40t conversion, shifting is crisp and the one real jump isn’t really that noticeable for me. At no point does it feel bodged. Just wondering how much better an XTR would be, for my cash XTR offers very little more in the 1x space, I’d like to try it but the numbers don’t really add up for me.

edward2000 – dunno. Early days….

mikewsmith – if you’re ever near Glasgow you’re welcome to try it?

Would agree I have a mix of XX1 and XTR on one bike and it’s amazing but at a cost of course. On the other a 1×10 set up One up extender RAD cage 16t etc and in no way is it clunky / compromised. It shifts perfectly every time, now coming out of its second winter. Would recommend.

I’m sure I will get the chance when I spy a test bike in tassie with it. Not many so far though. In the end for the money the 10 & 42t offer a lot more for me.

I don’t need the range, nor the bigger gaps, nor lumpy 10T sprocket.

Nice to have the option either way – would be dull if the two brands had the same approach.

So would an 11 speed xtr mech work with the 10-42 range?

New SLX triple for 70 quid LOL!

If it helps i’m running all X1 11 speed and very impressed with the quality and simplicity of the setup. It would be nice if Sram offered a 10-40 or an 11-42 in the future.

@edward2000 yes the XTR 11 speed works perfectly with the Sram XX1 10-42 cass. So if you like Shimano shifting but want the Sram range you can have XTR shifter/mech & Sram cass. Best of both worlds.

Anybody know if the old 10speed xtr mech will work with
the new 11speed cassette and shifter?

Anybody know if the old 10speed xtr mech will work with
the new 11speed cassette and shifter?

It won’t

Does the xtr cassette wear quickly? I notice it’s titanium which is much softer than the steel cassettes of sram. My sram cassette has lasted about two years and doesn’t skip even on new chains.

IME of 10 speed ones the XTR cassettes do wear a bit quicker than the XX/XX1 ones. Worth keeping on top of chain replacement certainly.