[ire]

I'm in the market for a "race" cassette, but I don't want something that is going to wear out fast. I'm going to use it on my cross race bike, probably only for dry races. I see a lot of Asian cassette makers (Recon, Token, etc), but the reviews indicate that the cassettes are light, but shift like crap. What about SRAM Red? It's made from steel, so it should be durable. I know they say it doesn't do well in the mud. Do SRAM cassettes work well with Shimano? I'm on Ultegra SL. What about DA? Solid bet? Any help appreciated

 

[Heisenberg]

7900 or 6700 (if you're into dropping 40-50 grams for $100 more). Better shifting performance than SRAM, IMO. My bike is all Red aside from the cassette/chain...Shimano still rules the roost there.

I like how noisy the 1090 cassettes are, and they're stupid light, but would def suck for cross.

 

[HAB]

7900 or 6700 (if you're into dropping 40-50 grams for $100 more). Better shifting performance than SRAM, IMO. My bike is all Red aside from the cassette/chain...Shimano still rules the roost there.

I like how noisy the 1090 cassettes are, and they're stupid light, but would def suck for cross.

What he said, except for the noisy part. Shimano FTMFW. I can't justify D/A stuff so I run Ultegra, but I'm poor.

 

[spam16v]

Sram and Shimano play nice when mixing I gather then?

 

[Heisenberg]

Sram and Shimano play nice when mixing I gather then?

Yes, if by mixing you mean just cassettes/chains. Shimano's offerings in that regard tend to work a bit more smooth and crisp IMO.

 

[-dustin]

I'm typically all about Shimano cassettes, but man, the Red cassette on my bike....I have no idea how old it is. Somewhere around May of 2009. It's the only cassette I have used on my road bikes since then. While Shimano cassettes are smoother shifting, I'll sacrifice a bit of smooth for this kind of durability. Many chains (Shimano and SRAM), one cassette. All has been bueno.