Miche Primato 10spd cassette

Miche’s Primato cassette continues the groupset’s theme of high performance, precision engineering and very keen pricing. With it’s high lustre chrome finish and a choice between Shimano and Campagnolo patterns it’s a great choice for racing, audax, winter training, and even a spot of light touring.

Emerging from the understated packaging, the mirror finish is mesmerising, yet closer inspection and riding in wet, coastal conditions with minimal lubrication suggests it’s sufficiently hardy for four seasons’ service. Curiously, while obviously machined to save weight, the mid cluster of sprockets are drilled, reminiscent of a bygone era.

Our 12-25 ten speed cluster coupled with the Miche Race Evo provided nigh on perfect ratios for my style of fast paced road riding-up hill and down dale, laden or otherwise. Running a 700x23 wheel/tyre comb along with a 53X36 chainset equated to gearing between 37.8 and a whopping 116.1 inches while a compact triple would provide a useful bail out for weary legs and/or hauling trailers/tag-alongs in more mountainous regions. Being a cassette means not only easy replacement of favourite ratios but easy tweaks to suit conditions.

Nylon spacers are largely fit and forget-especially compared with the aluminium type but that said they proved trickier to snug down in the first instance. I’m a man for a’la Carte componentry and am delighted to report these performed harmoniously with a KMC chain, Campagnolo Centaur mechs and the Race Evo crankset. Shifts both up and down the cassette are effortless-even under load thanks to precise machining and selective ramping. Priced to compete with Veloce, it delivers markedly slicker shifting and could be an inexpensive means of putting extra sparkle into this or say a Mirage groupset.

Verdict

Good, durable and keenly priced Campagnolo alternative.