johngwheeler

I'm thinking of getting a second wheel set for my Giant TCX, which has a stock SRAM Rival drivetrain.

To save messing about with changing the cassette every time I change wheels, I was thinking of getting a new one for the "road wheel" set, and Ultegra 6800 looks reasonably good.

Will these be compatible with the indexing on my current SRAM cassette? Are there any notable differences between Shimano and SRAM cassettes in terms of ratios, dimensions etc, that would make swapping cassettes and wheels difficult?

Thanks!

John.

chi-james

I've used sram cassettes on my 6700 drivetrain no problem.

TimothyH

There is no guarantee that different brand cassettes on different wheels will align with the derailleurs exactly the same. There is likely to be a need to adjust H and L screws as well as indexing.

If the cassettes have different size large sprockets then the B screw might need to be adjusted as well.

They only way to know is try.

I'm open to correction.


-Tim-

sch

I have used SRAM and Ultegra cassettes interchangeably in 9 10 and now 11 spd without any problems. Shifting
not noticeably different. I buy whichever is in the $45-60 price range when I need one (unless I find one under
$45, which occasionally happens).

TallRider

The answer to your question is yes, they are compatible.
SRAM and Shimano have the same spacing on their cassettes.
I'm currently using an 11-32 SRAM 9-speed cassette with a 9-speed Shimano drivetrain.

HillRider

They are compatible but you might have to "tweak" the limit screws and cable tension slightly even if you were to use the same range cassette by the same maker. There are manufacturing tolerances and not every one is a "drop-in" match.

Crankycrank

If you're up for a headache inducing task you can align the wheels on the axle to have the same cassette spacing from the dropout so no adjustment is necessary between wheels (except possibly B-Screw for different size cogs). May be an easy fix or you may have to search for .1 mm axle shims to get the spacing exact.

Kopsis

The spacing between cogs on Shimano and SRAM (and SunRace) 11-speed cassetes is identical, so indexing can work fine (though you may need adjustments ... keep reading). If you get cassettes with roughly the same largest cog, you won't have to tweak the B-screw when you swap wheels. Doesn't have to be exactly the same ... usually a couple of teeth difference either way is fine.

That leaves you with cable tension and limit screws. For that, even identical cassettes may not be swap-and-go because different brands and models of hubs will position the cassette slightly differently. A good shop should have 0.5mm cassette spacers that fit behind the cassette. That's usually enough to get the alignment pretty close. Whether you fit the spacer to the old wheel or new depends on which has the cassette farther inboard. That should get you close enough that you don't have to mess with the limit screws. You may still need a small cable tension tweak when swapping wheels, but once you know how much, it's the same every time, so it just takes a second or two. Don't forget to consider the other side of the wheel. Disc alignment offers the same challenges as cassette alignment. Shims are available for 6-bolt disc rotors.

It all takes some work to get your wheelsets set up, but if you do it right, you really can get to a swap-and-go setup.

operator

Yeah because shift performance is only reliant on cog to cog spacing.

Could maybe post some correct information for once.