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Looking at buying a few cassettes before the vat increase. Usually use xt, however, are they worth the extra over slx?
Used both, have XT now and not noticed much diff. Both work well. Will replace with SLX when time comes.
XT Weight 256g for 11 - 32T
SLX Weight 282g for 11-32T
Care of the Shimano website!
There's a reasonable weight difference in the lockring too, i forget how much but they're interchangable so assuming you've got an old XT one, whack it on an SLX cassette and they close the gap.
XT worth it? Depends how much of a weenie you are, performance is identical so it's just the weight change.
Sheesh - XTR of course!
Hahaha, ok druidh. Word must be out that i won the lottery!
What hub?
Everybody goes on about the carrier on the XT cassette protecting alu freehubs, but when I put my 11-34 XT cassette on the bike at the weekend I noticed that the 15t sprocket just mounts directly onto the freehub splines without any spreader at all. That's gonna dig in more than a deore, which at least has all the sprockets riveted together.
The rivets wear out pretty quickly
And its the big sprocklets that do most of the digging so from 15t down its not so much of an issue.
Big sprockets do more 'digging' because there's more torque. The rivets don't do anything to prevent 'digging' as the sprockets can still move enough under power to cause it. They're only there to hold the whole thing together.
If you have a fragile (usually aluminium) freehub body then XT is a 'safer' bet though SLX should be useable just might need some persuasion to allow it to be removed when necessary.
Think I will take my chance with the slx cassettes.
Anjs, it's a hope pro2
"If you have a fragile (usually aluminium) freehub body then XT is a 'safer' bet though SLX should be useable just might need some persuasion to allow it to be removed when necessary"
SLX is part carrier, biggest 3, next three pinned together (like SRAM 980). I'm not sure if thats better or worse that a 7 sprocket pinned block deore/970/950?
Hope recomend XT and above for their Alu free hubs
They do, but then they wrote that recommendation before SLX existed. They also say that any marking caused by a lesser cassette is purely cosmetic, which is of course an Enormous Lie 😉
My SLX cassette, dug its way into the Hope Alloy Freehub, was quite a struggle to get it off, and I had plenty of copper grease on.
Never have this problem with XT,
I've had that happen with both- it's the little sprockets that dig in on mine and they're off the carrier on both SLX and XT so it made no difference. Copper grease won't help, in fact I guess it could actually make it worse by helping the sprockets move, though in practice I doubt it makes any difference.
having always used XT had to put an SLX on last change as shop sold the XT the pevious morning, really not impressed with it! been on for 7 months so far, (using new XT shifters, xtr inners and sp41 full outers and xtr 970 rear mech, kmc x9l) just isnt as crisp shifting up or down as the XT cassette,
i know there really isnt a lot in it weight wise, but directly comparing the two i'd go XT for sure, and will when this ones toast,
I can't tell any difference at all between the 2 shifting wise, stuck a new one of each on my 2 bikes in august and they both shift equally (and very) well.
Happy enough with SLX shifting-wise, however it has dug into my Pro2 hub 🙁 Wish I'd paid more for an XT now.
verses - Member
"Happy enough with SLX shifting-wise, however it has dug into my Pro2 hub Wish I'd paid more for an XT now."
All cassettes will do it. Which sprocket is it specifically that bothers you? Remember there's only one more on the XT spider. The little ones will dig in until Hope sort out a non-wearing design.