I've only ever used shimano cassettes, looking for a new one for my pro 2 wheel, are the 990s any better or worse than XT, are they as smooth shifting and last as long?
Thanks

Get whatever's cheapest. I very much doubt you'll ever feel any difference between the two of them and they'll probably both last as long as each other. To be honest, I've got a Deore one on my Orange 5 and an XT one on my Klein and frankly, I can't tell the difference in the shifting. The Deore one is stuck on my Hope Freehub though so don't bother buying one of those…

Why not try the Sram, though? At least then you'll know what you prefer for next time 🙂

I've got xt and it's great- running on a hope pro II hub with a sram 990 chain and xt rear mech

I've got an XT now and is good. I had a Sram PG970 before and I can't feel the difference… Sram was heavier but lasted for very long (My mate still runs it on a 3rd chain, I run the other 2). Good shifting with a sram 951 chain and that combo costs less than an XT cassette on it's own. Also comparing chains my 951 chain lasted longer than my 971 chain… Next time I'll go for whatever is cheaper but now I'm just replacing chains before the 0.75 mark so XT should last for ages.

I've swapped between and there's no real difference. Just get whichever's cheaper.

I went for SRAM last time as I got a cracking deal on an OE part which was 11-28 instead of the usual 11-32. Since I seldom used the 32 cog, it was a good way to save weight.

Definitely worth shopping around (I got mine at Evans which was most unexpected!) for who has the cheapest OE part.

Ok thanks, think they're about the same price so will have a look round

I just got a 980 cassette from merlin for £34. Similar weight to xt but much cheaper…has the spider too so it doesnt get stuck.

SLX is very XT-like but quite a bit cheaper.

I think the Shimanos are a tiny bit better at shifting myself.