In a break from STW tradition, I’ll like to talk about something bike related!

So, I had no idea this was coming, although I suppose everyone else did.

11/50 Cassette, uses ‘Shimano’ freebody. ‘only’ costs £365 which I think is roughly what you can actually buy GX for so, probably sub £300 when it actually reaches CRC et al.

What do we think? We anyone actually step over the picket line from Shimano to Sram (or vice versa for the 51 tooth XTR).

The cassette is an odd one, I never suspected they’d ever go back to Shimano freebodies, and oddly all the cogs are steel, bar the biggest one which is alu. I’ll have to admit my 42t XT cog is always the first to go, but perhaps that’s because 32 x 42 is a gear too high for my fat arse and if I had Eagle I might use a few more.

11 speed NX uses a shimano freehub

Yeah I’ll be tempted . Always been a Shimano fan but when it’s time to replace my current chain and cassette i might have a think about replacing the shifter and mech at the same time with this . The fact I wouldn’t need a new freehub is a bonus .

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Yeah I’ll be tempted . Always been a Shimano fan but when it’s time to replace my current chain and cassette i might have a think about replacing the shifter and mech at the same time with this . The fact I wouldn’t need a new freehub is a bonus .

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I’m thinking the same, I’m sure 51t cassettes will trickle down to SLX level at some point, but it’s a long way off.

The cassette cost was always the annoyance for me – £200 for a GX, I can get through 2 in a bad year.

11 speed Sunrace 11-50 already out there using the shimano freehub. 11 speed replacement bits like chains, derailleur etc are generally cheaper. Can’t see much benefit personally if you’re converting to 1 by?

Will be popular on new bikes at the lower/mid spec points I’d imagine though.

The cassette cost was always the annoyance for me – £200 for a GX, I can get through 2 in a bad year.

12 Steel GX Cassettes or 2 Alu based shimano ones?

Trickle down, I saw somebody saying 12sp SLX would be the gamechanger on the XTR thread, well in the end it’s here already.

“The cassette cost was always the annoyance for me – £200 for a GX, I can get through 2 in a bad year.”

GX eagle cassette costs £130 btw.

The cassette cost was always the annoyance for me – £200 for a GX, I can get through 2 in a bad year.

Don’t base your prejudice of Shimano short life cassettes against SRAM.

I have an XX1 cassette thats now 7800km deep & it still shifts fine & takes a new chain. The one piece steel bit looks almost new still. Yes the Alu 42T ring is worn, but I can replace that from OneUp or Wolftooth when it doesn’t shift.

SRAM cassettes are so much better than anything Shimano offer.

Awesome, means a much cheaper way of converting from Shimano to SRAM 12 speed and more options when mixing and matching eagle parts.

Now where’s Eagle (XX1) eTAP?

NX mechs seem very vulnerable to crashes, had to replace 4 on customers bikes as the parallelogram always starts to bind and hinder movement down the cassette after a knock unlike shimano’s shadow design

I’d be tempted to swap – sunrace 12 SPD cassette looks a good alternative.

Looks promising,I just hope they start to sell the steel eagle chainring it comes with  as a nice cheap and hard wearing aftermarket alternative to the available  £70 ish ones rather than just lock it down to OEM.

So this will fit my 2007 9 speed Hope Pro 2 hub presumably. It’s a 26 incher but other than the geometry being dated this would make a great upgrade. That’s if it will fit?

Yep will fit fine

What dirkpitt said. Sunrace cassette significantly lighter ( still a boat anchor )

Cassette 613g – that’s a level above a boat anchor!

https://flowmountainbike.com/tests/shimano-slx-11-speed-review/

Yep a boat anchor

Cassette, 11-42: XT 434g vs SLX 476g

137g for a massive extra range there… I’m guessing the SLX 12sp will be so much lighter 😉

For the price it’s spot on really.

Anything to do with Shimano vs SRAM and you are such a funsponge.

yeah sorry there, keep bringing these damm facts into it….

go back to slagging it off as you were

Will this cassette and 12 spd Shimano mechs end up working well together? And when the more affordable Shimano 12 spd groupsets arrive… will they feature cassettes that can go straight onto “old” Shimano freehub bodies like the NX one can?

I’m not expecting answers as this stage, obviously.

XTR arrivrs autumn so go a level a year from that…

Or just give gx a go for shifters and mechs you never know it could be better and here now rather than 3 years time

I’ve ridden GX Eagle, that’s very good.. Cassette and chainring from NX looks very promising. I can still wonder outloud about how Shimano mix and match might turn out.

Eagle needs to be cheap for all the times when the chain gets jammed at the lower jockey wheel and the mech explodes when you try and pedal.

These big cassettes are getting heavy, it’ll be back to a front derailleur in a few years .. :0)

How much does you average extra front chainring / front mech / front shifter weigh, vs the extra weight of this sort of cassette va a traditional 11-36?