twisty – Member
…I wonder how long it will be before one of the major manufactures tries a smaller chain pitch size in order to reduce the size of the dinner plate without creating too much wraparound loss of the high gear.

Pretty sure Shimano had a 10mm system over 10 or so years ago. Pitch 10? Introduced late ’70s.

I know Dahon were looking at reintroducing it around 2006 for a lightweight folder.

Normal tools, but you should use a cassette tool with a decent amount of insertion. When I say pretty much every way, the only real issue with the XD cassettes is that the splines that mesh with the cassette tool are easy to damage if you don’t have a good enough purchase on them, and damaging them basically renders the cassette only good for the bin.

Top tips:

1. Grease/copperslip the freehub body liberally before fitting. By liberal I mean liberal, don’t be shy with the grease 🙂 This will help prevent spline damage when removing it again. The inside face of the cassette will be greased – but still add more.
2. If you have one, use a torque wrench to fit it. You’ll find that it will stiffen up about 80% on, you need to get it fully on, but don’t over tighten it. 35NM is about right.
3. You cant fit the new cassette with the X12 end cap in the hub. That needs to be fitted after the cassette.
4. As mentioned use a tool with good insertion into the tool splines.
5. When fitting, the cassette will just seat onto the splines on the freehub enough to engage them. Make sure you push the cassette onto the freehub body as fully as you can, then turn a fraction and you’ll feel it drop onto the splines. Then you know its ready to tighten.

Other than these pointers, the actual job of fitting & removing is identical to a standard cassette and needs the same tools.

Fantastic Ben, thank you very much for that 🙂

I have a proper torque wrench and the Park cassette tool so fingers crossed I should be fine.

Thanks again.

Pretty sure Shimano had a 10mm system over 10 or so years ago. Pitch 10? Introduced late ’70s.

Avantage injuste

You mean the dura-ace 10 i mentioned 4 posts before you? 😉

ghostlymachine – Member
You mean the dura-ace 10 i mentioned 4 posts before you?

Oops. Yes.

For some reason that didn’t register. Sorry.

No worries, i only knew as i saw it at a few races/in a few magazines when it was being pushed as the next big thing.

Even shimano make mistakes.

ghostlymachine – Member
No worries, i only knew as i saw it at a few races/in a few magazines when it was being pushed as the next big thing.

Even shimano make mistakes.

I always thought it was a good idea, however my thinking is always towards straight chainline stuff rather than derailleurs.

If you’re not concerned about the bulk of current systems, you could build a 10mm system with the same diameter cogs, but getting greater efficiency because of the reduced departure angle of the chain (obviously with an appropriately larger front ring to preserve the ratio).

But where it would be really good would be with an enclosed oilbath chain system because there would be none of the bulk needed with the current chains.

For an mtb with the likes of a Rohloff or Alfine (or gearbox), that could mean an almost invulnerable drivetrain with a life expectancy of many years. (I have some old British bikes with full chaincases and they are on their original chains)

If you are that keen, just get some smaller pitch chain and get some cogs custom machined.. shouldn’t cost a fortune. And if you are going oilbath, they’ll last years.

ghostlymachine – Member
If you are that keen, just get some smaller pitch chain and get some cogs custom machined.. shouldn’t cost a fortune. And if you are going oilbath, they’ll last years.

It’s on the cards for my next project bike. 🙂

I have Hope Pro 2 hubs on my Light Bicycle wheels with a Shimano freehub, would it be possible/expensive to change this for a SRAM freehub so I can get the weight down of my 11sp cassette?

Pretty sure the Pro 2 can’t take an XD freehub, you’d need to have the pro 2 EVO hub. The XD freehub is about 60 quid.

But you can convert the Pro 2 to Evo spec with a new axle and bearings, I think.

Thanks for the input chaps. I shall contact Hope forthwith…

If you are that keen, just get some smaller pitch chain and get some cogs custom machined.. shouldn’t cost a fortune. And if you are going oilbath, they’ll last years.

Industrial chain can be bought by the meter 3/8″pitch 5mm internal width is good for 9kN; 8mm pitch 3mm internal width 5kN. Steel platewheels are also availible off the shelf.

My thinking would be to iam for a 17T rear and size the front to suit.

The 1/2″ chain is massively overspecced for a straight chainline, but as front cog diameter decreases the force on the chain increases through leverage, so going down to 8mm might be pushing it a bit far. A 3/8″ with a steel rear and alu front, enclosed and oiled should last forever and would be 30% smaller than 1/2″.

Bollocks.

Just realised the hard way that the XD freehubs differ between Pro4 and earlier hubs.

Just fitting a XG-1150 cassette onto the Hope XD hub and it just doesn’t feel right.

The splines at the rear of the freehub only just engage with the splines on the cassette before it needs the lock ring in the center turning. You can then start to turn the center by hand approx 2 turns before it goes stiff. Is this normal?

I have exactly that combination on one set of wheels and it was fine until the cassette destroyed itself.

Are there different Hope XD hubs/XD cassettes?

They look completely incompatible.

Trying to fit this http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/sram-xg-1150-11sp-cassette/rp-prod135801

Onto this http://www.wiggle.co.uk/hope-sram-xd-11-speed-cassette-freehub-body/?lang=en&curr=GBP&dest=1&sku=5360617659&kpid=5360617659&utm_source=google&utm_term&utm_campaign=UK_PLA_Components&utm_medium=base&utm_content=mkwid%7csmTpEZKw1_dc%7cpcrid%7c67090789142%7cpkw%7c%7cpmt%7c%7cprd%7c5360617659uk

Hope Pro 4 if it helps?

Any XD freehub should meet the XD spec and fit XD cassettes, otherwise I guess they would be breaking the licence agreement. If you have calipers then you can check the dims against the XD spec which is here http://www.xddriverbody.com/