Shimano cassette compatibility - Project Sports
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Shimano cassette compatibility

5 min read

Asked by: Julie Ritter

Compatibility between different drivetrains SRAM and Shimano cassettes, on either road or mountain bike, are interchangeable with each other as the spacing is the same between the sprockets. However, Campagnolo road cassettes will only work with Campagnolo drivetrains.

Are all Shimano 11 speed cassettes interchangeable?

When SRAM entered the road groupset market in 2006, it decided to adopt Shimano’s specifications for its chains and cassettes. As a result, the chains and cassettes from the two brands have always been completely interchangeable for any given type of transmission (e.g. 11-speed).

Are Shimano and SRAM freehub compatibility?

Modern Hyperglide freehub bodies will fit an 11-speed Shimano/SRAM-compatible cassette for road bike wheels. You can also use Shimano-standard cassettes with 8, 9 or 10 speeds, but will need to fit a 1.85mm spacer on the inboard side of the cassette to fit, plus an additional 1mm spacer for 10-speed cassettes.

Are all 12 speed cassettes compatible?

The 12-speed cassette is designed to be backwards compatible with the existing 11-speed road freehub, while the 12 speed-specific freehub (available on Dura Ace hubs currently) can’t be used with the 11-speed parts. Sram HG-style cassettes are largely the same spacing as Shimano, with the 10 speed exception.

Do all cassettes fit all hubs?

Both 6 and 7-speed HG cassettes are narrower in width and therefore can be installed on any of the above HG freehub bodies with the addition of a 4.5 mm spacer behind the cassette. However, newer 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12-speed cassettes cannot be fitted to old and narrower 7-speed freehub bodies.

Can I use a 105 cassette with Ultegra?

There’s no reason why you can’t use an Ultegra cassette with an otherwise 105 groupset, or vice versa. With both 105 and Ultegra, the largest sprocket you can officially use is a 34-tooth, although in truth you can go much larger than that; we have gear systems with 11-40 cassettes that work very happily.

Will an 11 speed Shimano cassette fit on a 10 speed hub?

No, 11speed mountain cassettes are slightly wider than 10/9/8 speed ones, so newer Shimano free hubs come with a small spacer (only 1 or 2 mm) so they’re still compatible with older drive trains.

Are all Shimano 12-speed cassettes Micro Spline?

Shimano 12-speed



Once again, you’ll need to check with your hub manufacturer. Shimano has also not made Micro Spline and open standard, which means that if your hub could work with Micro Spline, the hub manufacturer might not be able to make one.

How do I know what cassette is compatible with my bike?

You can know what cassette to get for your bike by determining the teeth count on the largest sprocket and the smaller sprocket of your current cassette. For example, a size 12-25t cassette, which is standard to road bikes, has 12 teeth on the smallest cog and 25 teeth on the largest cog.

Are SRAM and Shimano 12-speed cassettes interchangeable?

Technically, a SRAM cassette can work with a 12-speed Shimano chain. However, the combination doesn’t provide the benefits offered by Shimano’s 12-speed drivetrains. What is this? 12-speed Shimano chains and cassettes are designed to work in conjunction to optimize shifting under load.

Can I fit a 12 speed cassette on a 11 speed hub?

Yes it will. Shimano did a great job of ensuring backwards compatibility. Let’s take a closer look at the new cassette and freehub body and see how this is possible.

Can I fit a 12 speed cassette on a 10 speed hub?

In addition to being able to fit our 12-speed cassettes on Shimano HG 10 and 11 speed freehubs, you can also convert the ROTOR 13-speed cassette into a 12-speed one and use it with your current wheels.

Can you use a 12 speed derailleur on 11 speed cassette?

So you can’t use a 12 speed derailleur on an 11 speed setup or vice versa but you can you an xtr 12/11 speed shifter on an 11 speed drivetrain.

Why is Ultegra better than 105?

Conclusion. There is no longer any real technological difference between 105 and Ultegra, and the only real difference is that Ultegra is a lighter groupset.

Why is Shimano called 105?

105 is the reverse of 501, which came from Levi’s Jeans, popular in the late 80s in Japan and matching the “workhorse reliable” nature of the 105. In the late 80s Shimano introduced SIS shifting and SLR braking.

Why is Dura-Ace better than Ultegra?

Although Dura Ace is considered to Shimano’s out-and-out performance groupset, surprisingly, Ultegra is generally deemed to be much more versatile, mainly because of the lower range of gears that it offers. While Ultegra cassettes go all the way up to 34 teeth, Dura Ace cassettes only go up to 30 teeth.

Can you mix Shimano groupsets?

It is possible to mix and match as long as you get components from the same generation. For example: 9000 Dura Ace, 6800 Ultegra, and 5800 105 are all cross compatible. Each have 11-speeds in the rear, use the same cable pull per shift and use the same front derailleur design.

What does CS mean on Shimano cassette?

I am looking at getting a new bike, and am trying to figure out what the shimano abbreviations for cassettes actually stand for. Their cassettes are broken into two groups, CS and MF. The CS has a free body hub, and the MF has a screw on type cassette (my favorite type).

How do I know what cassette is on my bike?


Quote from video: – numbers mean it. All comes down to gearing. So to make it simple the numbers indicate the smallest. And the largest number of teeth.

Can I put a bigger cassette on my bike?

Yes, almost any bike is compatible with bigger cassettes, bike drivetrain is groupset of components that works in perfect harmony, any miss reconfiguring can break the perfect functionality of the system, parts that need to be changed and reconfigured when putting bigger cassette which is long-chain, wide cage

Do you need a new derailleur for a bigger cassette?

You’ll have bigger jumps between the gears, but you’ll have a bigger range of gears. With a wider range cassette, you may need a new rear derailleur with a longer cage.

Which cassette is best for climbing hills?

Your best bet, especially if you’re a slightly heavier cyclist and you have trouble keeping up on hills, is to install a rear cassette that has a large cog size of 34 or 36. With that option available for climbing, those ascents will be much easier to handle.