11sp cassette compatability caution: gearing weenie talk

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eric
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by eric

TL;DR: do Sram, Shimano and Campy 11sp cassettes all work on an Sram 11sp bike?

I'm researching 11sp before I update my 2012 Sram Red bike to 11sp. I'm curious about compatability between Shimano, Sram and Campy 11sp cassettes.

Someone on another forum linked to this excellent article on drivetrain compatability: http://blog.artscyclery.com/science-beh ... atibility/

Even if you ignore the rest of my post, go read that. It's very useful.

In it they say that the inter-cog spacing for Shimano is 3.69, Sram is 3.72, and Campy is 3.76.

The reason I am asking about compatability is that Sram and Shimano both have cog setups that I dislike in their 11sp. I want to have cassettes with a 27t or 28t cog for training and most racing, and need an 11-30 for some extreme climbing events.

Srams' 11-28 cassettes have an ugly 19-22 jump. I use the 21t a lot on climbs and the 19t almost as much. I don't think I'd like that big gap.
Shimano's 11-28 has a nice 19-21-23-25-28 but has a 15-17 jump. On the flat I like to have a 16t between them. I'd rather use what they had for 10sp (21-24-28) with the 15-17 gap filled in. Sram makes an 11-30 that will work for me.

Wheels Mfg has a Campy conversion cassette (fits on 10sp Shimano splines) which is 11-27, with the 16t and 21-24-27 that I am used to.

Can I use that on an Sram 11sp system? Will Shimano and Sram 11sp cassettes interchange?

by Weenie


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bikerjulio
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by bikerjulio

In practice, everyone that has tried mixing brands of 11-speed cassette has reported they work fine. The reported difference in cog spacing is extremely small. If SRAM is 3.72 and Campy 3.76, then difference per space = 0.04mm. About a gnat's eyelash. If the RD was set up to be spot on in the center of the cassette, then 5 cogs over there would be a difference of 0.2mm between cassettes, about the width of a human hair. Easily accommodated by the system.
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random101
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by random101

My campy EPS shifts better when using my Sram red 11-28 over my record... even when both are tuned... (go figure :P )

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showdown
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by showdown

So many threads already answering this post.

Answer: YES.

/thread over.

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F45
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by F45

bikerjulio wrote:In practice, everyone that has tried mixing brands of 11-speed cassette has reported they work fine.


Not me. SRAM cassette on 6800 drivetrain. I found a total gear stack discrepancy of almost 2mm between SRAM and Shimano, SRAM being wider. I could get the center gears to shift nicely, but the extremes weren't as smooth as I liked.

spdntrxi
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by spdntrxi

random101 wrote:My campy EPS shifts better when using my Sram red 11-28 over my record... even when both are tuned... (go figure :P )


Samething for me when I was running Campy mechanical....
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Marin
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by Marin

I'm swapping between Sram and Shimano 11sp cassettes on my bikes and I can't tell the difference.

If somebody measured a 2mm difference, they should measure again. Don't forget that Sram and Shimano fit on the same freehub!

by Weenie


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