CASSETTE
CASSETTE VOCABULARY
When referencing cassette's and their differences there are a lot of different numbers that get thrown around. The first number is often "12s" or "11s" any number followed by a "s" is how many speeds that bike has. The number of speeds is just bike talk for how many gears you have on the rear of your bike. A higher number of gears can correspond to either a greater gear range (this will get covered next) or smoother transitions between gears. All of the options below are 12 speed cassettes, but if you want different gearing reach out to us and we can make it work!
The second set of numbers is the gear range. The gear range is listed as the smallest gear's (hardest) number of teeth, to the biggest gear's (easiest) amount of teeth. An example of this would be the SHIMANO DURA ACE 12s road cassette which can be round in a 11-34. Meaning the hardest gear has 11 teeth and the easiest has 34 teeth. A smaller small ring (for the example above a 10 is smaller than an 11) will make it harder to pedal but you will get an increase of top speed before you "spin out". A bigger big gear (in the example above instead of a 34 a 44) makes it easier to pedal and have more control over hard terrain (like a hill).
Pairing the above knowledge and chainring size (this is covered in the crankset section) you can calculate your gear ratios, and then your speed at a certain RPM. Attached here is a very handy online calculator where you input your cassette range, chainring size, and rpm and it makes a chart of speed for you!
SHIMANO
DURA ACE (R9200)
The Shimano DURA ACE 12 speed cassette is the top of the line cassette from SHIMANO. It features their HYPERGLIDE+ technology that provides seamless shifts up and down the cassette while under load. This cassette can be used on an 11-speed freehub body, or a new 12s road hub. This cassette can be found in 11-30T (223g) or 11-34T (253g) combinations. This cassette also features Titanium hard gears to reduce weight, and the easy gears are all machined out of the same block of steel.
ULTEGRA (R8100)
The Shimano Ultegra 12 speed cassette takes the technology that makes the Dura Ace cassette revolutionary and provides it at a more accessible price point. This cassette features SHIMANO's HYPERGLIDE+ technology that allow it to shift seamlessly no matter the load. This cassette can be used on existing 11s road freehub body, or on the new 12s road body. The 11-30T cassette weighs 291g and the 11-34T cassette weighs 345g.
105 (CS-R7101-12)
The Shimano 105 7101 cassette is SHIMANO's more budget minded cassette. This 12s cassette does not feature the HYPERGLIDE+ technology, but can be used on both SHIMANO 11s and 12s freehub bodies. With a gear range of 11-34 it weighs 361g.
105 (CS-HG710-12)
The Shimano 105 HG710 is very similar to the R7101 cassette but it has an 11-36T range cassette and weighs 361g.
SRAM
RED (XG-1290)
The SRAM RED XG-1290 is available in silver and rainbow colorway. This cassette is SRAM's top of the line cassette and provides smooth and fast shifting through all 12s. This cassette is machined as one piece to save weight, and can be used on an XDR hub. This cassette comes in 10-26T (178g), 10-28T (181g), and 10-33T(210g) range with the rainbow option available on all BUT the 10-26T.
XPLR XG-1271
The SRAM XPLR XG-1271 features a 10-44T range to give you the gears to ride anything! It features SRAM's MINI CLUSTER cassette technology that combines 4 small cogs that have been CNC machined out of a single block of steel, with an additional 8 cogs that have been pinned together. This results in a light (373g) and durable 12s cassette! This cassette is designed to be run on an XDR hub, and on a 1x only setup. This cassette is only compatible with the XPLR series of rear derailleurs.
FORCE XG-1270
The FORCE XG-1270 features all of the cutting edge technology that is included on the SRAM RED (XG-1290) but in a slightly heavier package and at half of the cost. This 12s cassette features the MINI CLUSTER technology that makes the XPLR XG-1271 so robust. This cassette can be used with XDR driver bodies and can be bought in 10-28T (223g), 10-30T(232g), 10-33T (267g), and 10-36T (309g).
XPLR XG-1251
The SRAM XPLR XG-1251 is a more budget friendly alternative to the XPLR XG-1271. It features all of the same technology as the XG-1271 but uses a steel that is slightly heavier to reduce cost for the user! This 12s 10-44T cassette weighs in at 412g, can only be used with 1x gearing, and can only be used with a XPLR rear derailleur.
RIVAL XG-1250
The RIVAL XG-1250 cassette features SRAM's FULL PIN technology. This innovation means that there are 123 high strength stainless steel pins that hold the cogs on the cassette together. This results in a very economically efficient, durable and light cassette. This cassette should be used on an XDR driver body and is 12s. This cassette can be bought in both 10-30 (282g), and 10-36 (338g). gearing combinations.
XPLR PG-1231
Here is what SRAM has to say about their XPLR PG-1231 cassette, "Maximum range, minimum fuss. This 12-speed 11-44T cassette provides 2x range in a 1x package and fits on a traditional 11-speed driver body for broad integration. The smooth cog progression keeps jumps between cogs tightest when it’s time to go fast, with more meaningful gaps for climbing.". This cassette weighs 425g and can only be used on a 1x system, and with a SRAM XPLR rear derailleur.