Want a way to boost the range of your drivetrain without replacing the whole thing? Take a look at the new e*thirteen TRS Race cassette. Expanding on the range of the current TRS Plus, the new Race cassette kicks things up a notch with a new 9-46t range. That creates a cassette that is lighter, cheaper, and also offers a slightly wider range than SRAM’s new Eagle cassette.
Maybe best of all, it’s still compatible with all of the current 11 speed drivetrains…
Using a similar assembly to the current TRS Plus cassette, the TRS Race varies slightly to make it even lighter. The largest three cogs are machined from one piece of aluminum and the final assembly fits onto a standard SRAM XD free hub body and is held in place with a lockring. The second chunk of gears is now machined from a solid piece of steel resulting in a more durable and lighter weight set of gears. This piece locks into the aluminum base with multiple locking tabs.
We can’t deny the performance of the SRAM Eagle drivetrain, but the e*thirteen cassette makes a compelling case for keeping that 11 speed drivetrain. Since it is smaller, the cassette comes in a 276g – SRAM’s top of the line XX1 Eagle cassette measures 360g. It also requires less chain and a doesn’t need a bigger derailleur, something e*thirteen will save you up to a half pound. Comparing the gearing with a 30t ring and 27.5″ wheels, the Eagle cassette has a min/max range of 0.62/3.11 while the TRSR comes in at 0.68/3.46 which they say works out to a 511% range.
And then there’s the price. At $350 it isn’t exactly cheap, but it’s still $70 less than an XX1 Eagle cassette and will save you money since you don’t have to replace the whole drivetrain. e*thirteen will also offer the ability to replace just the aluminum section of the cassette for $109 which should prolong the life of the cassette. Available in November, the cassette will join the TRS Plus 9-44 11 speed and 9-42 10 speed cassettes at $279.