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Having already searched the forum and internet, does anybody have any long term-ish feedback of Sram/Shimano ultra wide range cassettes?
The reason I ask is I'm going 1x12 and although I plan to run sram mech and shifters, I'm curious as to which cassette is the better option. I've got to change the free hub anyway so that's not a consideration.
The price of a GX 10-52 is roughly £150 whereas a Shimano XT can be had for less than a ton. The Shimano also has a decent spread whereas the Sram has a huge step up to the 52 ring. They're a comparable weight too.
So before I part with my cash I'm just curious to see what feedback there is from any owners? Cheers
Not massively long term but I’ve been through dry dust and slogged through mud already. Xt cassette / shifter / mech / slx chain + HG12 compatible chainring.
Works well in the dry - it shifts well under power as suggested in the reviews. In mud / wet grit I find it all skips a bit and is much less good. I’m not a huge fan - I don’t know if it’s the cassette spacing or the mech and shifter.
Prefer my gx 11 speed but that doesn’t have the range I want on my full suss.
I have had my sram gx 10-50 running for over 2years now, starting to slip at little now, so time for a new one.
Generally, I found that 12 speed isn't quite as smooth as 11 speed. I've run GX Eagle for a couple of year; XT 12-speed for just over a year. Of the two, I'd choose the XT. It shifts a little more cleanly, particularly under load. But the chain needs to be properly lubed (not *over* lubed, but not dry) and it's much quieter after a decent bedding-in period. And from a purely cosmetic point of view, XT looks better, longer.
12 speed XT for the last 7 months, wear seems fine, shifting has been excellent, have had no problems with it in bad weather. I'd say the Hyperglide+ ramping on the XT is worth it over the SRAM, had SRAM eagle previously and it was very solid and consistent shitfing but very 'clunky'. WIth the XT you get the sense that the chain is moving accurately from one cog to the next whereas the SRAM feels much more like it's being rammed into gear.
13 months on XT 12 spd with XTR chain. Just changed the chain (hopefully pre-emptively - I’ll let you know if that backfires).
Best shifting group I’ve had in all conditions.
I have two xt systems- with xt and sram chains - both work excellently. and the best shifting I have ever had on a bike - chain doesn't seem to matter..
About 2500 miles on XT in a variety of conditions. One warrantied mech (spring failed). Some issues with skipping on the smallest sprocket which required ignoring the b-screw line to get working. Running nicely now.
Before that, about 1500 miles on GX/X01 with an XTR shifter. Got to the point where I just could not get it shifting nicely - changed jockey wheels which improved it a bit but still not satisfactory. Could be the tolerances with the Shimano shifter didn't tolerate much slop in the mech.
I thought Shimano shifters moved slightly less cable.
There's a very slight difference - but it is possible to get it working fine, as mine was while the drivetrain was newer. Whether that's the reason why it didn't work well later on is debateable, I should try it again with the GX shifter on it, maybe.
Thanks everyone for the comments, genuinely helpful.