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Hard wearing cassette
Out on my usual Sunday run and i got to thinking (as you do), well when your cassette is worn beyond belief and the chain is jumping like a bitch because yours truly hasn't replaced the chain as often as he should so the middle sprockets are like shark's teeth.
So, i was wondering why doesn't anyone make a cassette where the middle sprockets are tougher than the low/high gears as the middle of the cassette is where most people spend most of their cycling. The largest/smallest sprockets could be slightly softer as they are only used for shorter periods of time when climbing/descending respectively (unless you're a cycling god and spend all your time on the 53/11 combo!).
Think of it like focal lengths for photography lenses - the 28/25 tooth sprockets being like a fisheye lense which gets used infrequently and the 12/11 tooth sprockets being like 300/400mm telephotos.
Mad idea or am i barking up the wrong tree.....
If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.
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5 comments
Looks like i've found my answer in the form of SRAM's Red XG 1090 cassette - the middle eight sprockets being made of Tool Grade Steel. The only thing is, it's 10 speed and incompatible with the 8 speed set up on my winter hack.
Anyway, congratulations to SRAM for thinking of the idea - surprised no-one else has taken it up also.
But it's £250 - you can get more than FIFTEEN 8-speed cassettes (Shimano HG50) for that price! Or half a dozen if you want Shimano 105 (£30-40).
6/7/8 speed chains are interchangeable. I've had good service from SRAM PC850/PC870 and KMC Z82. The lower grade versions PC830 and Z51 don't last anywhere near as long.
It would be impossible to tell which ones to make harder wearing because everyone has a different riding style and rides different routes using different sprockets. I always used to wear out the biggest sprockets first when commuting because of the stop-start nature of the journey. The only solutions are to check your chain for wear regularly or else switch to single speed or an old ten speed. The wider chains and sprockets are much less prone to wear.
Wrong tree? Possibly. Manufacturers would have to charge so much more for the extra-hardened cogs it wouldn't be worthwhile.
I ride my SCR in the 39t middle ring a lot so use the smaller cogs (17-12, 5th-9th gear) more often than the others.
I'd just clean the chain and cassette regularly and replace them before they're worn out. It's always a delight to ride on a brand new chain.
Woof Woof
Probably because they make more money out of you if they wear out. It would be more expensive to have different blends/temper of metal as well. Might be another reason though