There seems to be a cheapo 11-36 from Shimano (HG400) and one from Sunrace which is cheap but claims to have an alloy spider for the top 6 cassettes.
Are they both going to be pretty heavy? Any other options?
A triple chainset? 😉
Those are the two I was looking at for the Mrs's bike. Went with Shimano HG400 12-36 in the end as it was only around £15 or so (and the bike won't see much use so a few extra grams is no issue).
It doesn't feel super heavy or anything. I have a 10 speed Sunrace on my mtb, seems as good as Shimano tbh. If you want slightly lighter then get the Sunrace , if cost isn't an issue.
Sunrace claim the 11-40 is 425g, I think I weighed mine at 445ish before fitting
I got the Shimano one and weighed it at 395g. The XT 11-32 that came off was 270g. If you use the 11 and 13t sprockets from the XT along with the lockring you save 18g...
When I removed the XT cassette where all the weigh saving holes were filled with mud it weighed 340g. The HG400 has very few holes. I was going to drill a few in it to save weight, but if they just fill up with mud I couldn't really see the point. In use I can't feel the weight difference (and I am a weight weenie), but the lower gears are very welcome!
On the other hand, if people can single speed, I should be able to deal with 32/34....
I've also got the HG400 12-36, shifting is smooth enough with my old XT 9 speed rear mech and shifter, and it didn't feel too much heavier than the 11-32 I took off. I wish it was an 11-36 though, I might have a play around with it as suggested above.
I keep toying with upgrading to 11 speed, as it would give me a higher and a lower gear, but part of me thinks that I should stop spending money on this bike and start saving for a new one.
Shimano one came with my trike. I replaced it with an 11-23. It's a bit of a boat anchor. It's never been used. Make me an offer if interested.