What cassette?

[Russell]

My bike is currently 11 speed slx cassette, dreailer and shifter. I'm thinking for my next , 3rd, cassette I would like to try a 8 or 9 speed set up. My rational being maybe the wider chain could last longer and I don't really need the big sprockets on the rear. I have seen a review on this site for box two e cassette but I can't find it for sale in the UK. There is the SRAM ex1 or whatever it's called but I have read it lasts no longer than normal Shimano stuff and it's £300 for the cassette!
What else is recommended for the embt and is a 9 speed cassette the same width as 11speed?

 

[Gary]

If staying 11spd an slx cassette is pretty unbeatable in durability/VFM stakes
changing to 9 speed will require a new mech and shifter. (either old components or pricy new ones will work)
If going to 9spd and low gears aren't important I'd just fit a standard £20 shimano 9 speed (11-32 or 11-34) casstte and a £10 SRAM chain. whatever's best on offer online..
PM me for longer term use info on the Box two-e components and where to buy if you want.

The internal width of a 9spd chain is no wider than 10 or 11 so your logic there is slightly flawed.
Outer plates are narrower on an 11spd chain. Wear is caused by roller/pivot wear, the plates themselves don't "stretch" (a common misconception)

 

[Gary]

is a 9 speed cassette the same width as 11speed?

overall width on the freehub body. yes.
Sprocket spacing (pitch) is (obvs) different. as are individual sprocket widths (1.78 vs 1.6mm).
This is where you 'should' find greater durability. (but is not always the case)

 

[Mad Mark]

WOW that's all a bit technical........
I think you should just ride & enjoy your bike ?

 

[Tamas]

The 11-speed SLX cassette and SRAM PC1110 chain are hard to beat for the price. If you don't need the range just get an 11-40 cassette instead of the 11-46 or whatever you have.
You won't have any benefits going 8-9 speeds over your current setup. As far as I know, there is no 8-9 speed rear mech with a clutch (apart from EX1).

 

[Gary]

Any Shimano clutch mech can be modded to index with a 9 speed casette and an old 9 speed shimano or SRAM shifter.

For a shimano shifter a hole needs drilling in the lever arm to re-route the cable to the pinch bolt
for a SRAM shifter the cable pinch bolt needs spaced out a little.

It's just a case of altering the leverag/pull ratio

 

[Tamas]

Any Shimano clutch mech can be modded to index with a 9 speed casette and an old 9 speed shimano or SRAM shifter.

For a shimano shifter a hole needs drilling in the lever arm to re-route the cable to the pinch bolt
for a SRAM shifter the cable pinch bolt needs spaced out a little.

It's just a case of altering the leverag/pull ratio

I just don't see a point in doing it...

 

[Gary]

I just don't see a point in doing it...

Fair enough
it's a perfectly valid route to an incredibly cheap, reliable and durable 9 speed drivetrain though.
especially if you happen to have older parts lying around unused

I can buy a 9 speed 11-34 for a tenner. The e bike specific alternatives have more range granted but they also cost £110-400 a pop and weigh almost double .
If you don't require a low gear (I actually don't unless my motor is off) that's a massive saving in running costs.

 

[Kernow]

I’ve been trying out the sun race cassette shifter and mech , in 11 speed . Great value and shifted similar to Xt to begin with , however after a bit of use it’s not as good as Xt for shifting especially when it’s dirty and I managed to bend a couple rings on the cassette with a ham fisted uphill gearchange . It’s bent back into shape ok . Iam running a kmc ebike chain so perhaps a normal chain would have broken so it’s maybe an unfair comparison .
The original ex1 8 speed was truly amazing at shifting under power at low speed , but I feared the huge long mech would get damaged easily and it picked up sticks etc too easily .
Next time it will be back to good old Shimano XT

 

[Wiltshire Warrior]

As you all know I dont like my SLX11-46 for 2 reasons (1) stupidly heavy and (2) I dont need granny gears on acoustic- so defo not on an ebike.

I am now using the Shimano 105 R7000 11-34, and it indexes perfectly with XT mech and shifter and is only 379g

CS-HG700-11

I have kept the slx (which is made from pig iron), but I havent missed it, afterall with careful battery management (or carrying a spare) why would you want to go uphill slower than an OAP rambler.

 

[Tamas]

Fair enough
it's a perfectly valid route to an incredibly cheap, reliable and durable 9 speed drivetrain though.
especially if you happen to have older parts lying around unused

I can buy a 9 speed 11-34 for a tenner. The e bike specific alternatives have more range granted but they also cost £110-400 a pop and weigh almost double .
If you don't require a low gear (I actually don't unless my motor is off) that's a massive saving in running costs.

For me, worrying too much about running cost went out on the window when I bought the ebike.
I found the 11-speed parts cheap and lasting long enough but I think they will be even cheaper especially since Eagle became the best thing after a slice of bread...

 

[Russell]

Thanks for all the replies.

overall width on the freehub body. yes.
Sprocket spacing (pitch) is (obvs) different. as are individual sprocket widths (1.78 vs 1.6mm).
This is where you 'should' find greater durability. (but is not always the case)

What is the part that wears ? It's been a while since I split a chain. Does the roller sit on the turned in lip of the link plate or directly on the river? If 11 speed plate is 1.6 and 9 is 1.78 then is there more metal for the roller to sit on?
That's another point I hadn't thought of, if the cassette has smaller granny gears then could I have a shorter rear derailleur cage?
I have noticed the chain and derailleur on this bike does pick up a lot of shit , more so than my last 9 speed, and now it's wet it really gets covered in mud and messes with the shifting.
If I went down to 8 speed would the cassette fit the hub?

 

[Gary]

For me, worrying too much about running cost went out on the window when I bought the ebike.
I found the 11-speed parts cheap and lasting long enough but I think they will be even cheaper especially since Eagle became the best thing after a slice of bread...

11spd 11-46 SLX cassettes can be found as cheap as £35 online.

What is the part that wears ?

The chain pivots, pins and rollers. each little bit of wear creates play in each link/join and add up to increase the overall length of your chain. the steel chain plates do not actually stretch as is commonly misunderstood.

 

[Gary]

For me, worrying too much about running cost went out on the window when I bought the ebike.

I have 11bikes 9 are mtbs (8 are running somewhere around XT level kit and high end suspension/brakes). I can't say I worry about any of them but I'm certainly not naive enough to be conned into spending £400 on a 9 speed ebike cassette that's no more durable or well made than a £35 11 speed one.

BTW SLX and XT cassettes are more or less the same thing. XT is 25g lighter but a lot of that weight saving comes from a lighter lockring.

 

[Russell]

I know it's not a massive amount of money but I'm getting about 900-1000 miles out of 1 cassette, two chains and one motor sprocket and one set of cables, that's about £150. This time I'm trying cheaper sprocket, £15 instead of £40, different oil and changing chain earlier, 0.5 instead of 0.75% and replacing sprocket with each chain. We will see. I'm on second chain and sprocket at 700 miles. Chain number 2 went on at 600 miles roughly.
I think I will try a 10 speed next as there are not many 9speed bits available and according to wiki 10 speed is 6.2mm and 11speed is 5.5mm.
I will also try a shorter cage rear derailleur with smaller range cassette as I think my one picks up a fair amount of dirt.
Unless of course someone can tell me where I can get a box e two cassette in the UK?

 

[Gary]

1 chain
1 SLX cassette
1 chainring
same cables
1600miles and counting. (nowhere near worn out)

Unless of course someone can tell me where I can get a box e two cassette in the UK?

Any bricks and mortar bike shop with a moore Large account

contact them and ask where your nearest dealer is

Contact Us

 

[Tamas]

I have 11bikes 9 are mtbs (8 are running somewhere around XT level kit and high end suspension/brakes). I can't say I worry about any of them but I'm certainly not naive enough to be conned into spending £400 on a 9 speed ebike cassette that's no more durable or well made than a £35 11 speed one.

BTW SLX and XT cassettes are more or less the same thing. XT is 25g lighter but a lot of that weight saving comes from a lighter lockring.

Absolutely... I found SLX components the 'sweet spot' when I want to spend the money wisely.
To me, it looks like manufacturers kind of gave up on the outrageously expensive EX1 and started to push the crappy Eagle on ebikes too.

 

[Russell]

1 chain
1 SLX cassette
1 chainring
same cables
1600miles and counting. (nowhere near worn out)


Any bricks and mortar bike shop with a moore Large account

contact them and ask where your nearest dealer is

Contact Us

Crikey, how much wet off road are you doing?
I have emailed box but it's looking like it will be £250-£300 for their setup.

 

[Gary]

Crikey, how much wet off road are you doing?

I live in Scotland. How much do you think?
I do however clean the bike and drivetrain and re lube it after every wet ride.
I get 3000+ miles out of a regular drivetrain (and I never swap chains)

#ShiftSmoothlyBro

 

[wildsau2]

may be offtopic: i ve tried to replace my eMTB Shimano XT 11 (11-46) with a Shimano Ultegra 11 (11-32) but it doesnt fit. About 5mm difference. i am looking for a solution...

 

[Gary]

may be offtopic: i ve tried to replace my eMTB Shimano XT 11 (11-46) with a Shimano Ultegra 11 (11-32) but it doesnt fit. About 5mm difference. i am looking for a solution...

Take it back to the shop and exchange it for an XT
road 11 speed isn't compatible with mtb 11 spd

 

[wildsau2]

Take it back to the shop and exchange it for an XT
road 11 speed isn't compatible with mtb 11 spd

if there is a solution to get 11-12-13-14-... or better 10-11-12-13... i would like that pretty much

 

[Gary]

if there is a solution to get 11-12-13-14-... or better 10-11-12-13... i would like that pretty much

road cassette, mech and flat bar road shifter should manage the second configuration if that's your ideal gear spread.

11spd 11, 12, 13, 15, 17, 19, 23, 28, 34, 39, 46 would be my ideal custom emtb cassette.
mated to a 36t ring on an e8000 motor.

nice close ratios for the faster speeds emtbs can achieve but everywhere with the same good range of the SLX 11-46 for climbng steeper gradients of climbing mellower climbs unassisted.

I wouldn't want a 10t sprocket on an emtb for durability/chain wrap reasons.

 

[mark.ai]

I don't know if this is useful then, but you can get versions which allow you to keep MTB shifters with a road derailleur: Shiftmate Compatibility Charts and Choices - Jtek Engineering

 

[More-read-than-ride]

My 1986 cassette mix with Journey and Bon Jovi is unbeatable!

 

[Kernow]

I know it's not a massive amount of money but I'm getting about 900-1000 miles out of 1 cassette, two chains and one motor sprocket and one set of cables, that's about £150. This time I'm trying cheaper sprocket, £15 instead of £40, different oil and changing chain earlier, 0.5 instead of 0.75% and replacing sprocket with each chain. We will see. I'm on second chain and sprocket at 700 miles. Chain number 2 went on at 600 miles roughly.
I think I will try a 10 speed next as there are not many 9speed bits available and according to wiki 10 speed is 6.2mm and 11speed is 5.5mm.
I will also try a shorter cage rear derailleur with smaller range cassette as I think my one picks up a fair amount of dirt.
Unless of course someone can tell me where I can get a box e two cassette in the UK?

The Dogs Wheels bike shop in Plymouth sells box stuff , he’s very helpful and does a lot of mail order , always price matches without being asked , I can’t speak highly enough of thier service

 

[Russell]

OK cheers. I will give them a try

 

[steinmb]

I hope you don't mind me using this thread:

I have a Bosch CX with a Shimano 8 speed shift. Use it mostly for commuting, shopping and riding gravel trails in the surrounding mountains. I live on a steep hill so even the commute with one or two panniers force me to use the biggest gear. Would like to upgrade from the 8 speed system to something with bigger climbing gears. In this thread there is a lot talk about the SLX M7000 11. Looking for something that work on my existing freehub.

 

[skyfree]

FWIW, I have an EX1 8-speed with over 1,000 miles on it. I fully expect to go 2,000+ given the current condition. I have ridden several different e-mtb's in 1x10, 1x11 and 1x12. 11 and 12 speeds are way too many in my (limited) experience. I prefer the 8 but would go to 9 without hesitation. I just don't like to shift that much I guess.

 

[steinmb]

Everyone have different use cases and terrain they normally ride in. Many options. Thank you for you feedback