Entirely machined in the EU, the Garbaruk Gen2.0 is the lightest Transmission-compatible cassette you can buy, while also being less than half the cost of either of SRAM’s two top-tier offerings – all without sacrificing durability or eMTB-ready strength. Not to mention the option for some sweet anodized colors to make your drivetrain pop. Plus, new smart Gen2.0 cassette sizing will let you run bigger gearing ranges on your existing 12-speed Xplr gravel groupset, whether you upgrade to a Garbaruk cage or not.
It’s not all precision-machined European cassettes though. Garbaruk also has a new heavy-duty enduro crankset, an ever-growing range of unique chainrings, an all-new line of ultralight but extra-stiff carbon wheels built on a customizable rainbow of aluminum RS spokes, and a lightweight electronic derailleur project in the works!
Garbaruk Gen2.0 MTB Cassette is lightest Transmission option
A real highlight for Garbaruk is their ability to precisely engineer and manufacture lightweight drivetrain components in-house at their HQ in Poland for a lot less than you would get directly from the likes of Shimano or SRAM. Their latest Gen2.0 MTB cassette is now the lightest Transmission-compatible cassette that you can buy.
A big part of that weight savings comes from Garbaruk refining the machining of their 11 hardened steel monoblock cogs, even carving out unnecessary material below each tooth.
Less material also means better mud & debris clearing, too. But the Gen2.0 cassettes also get new shift ramp and tooth designs that Garbaruk claims improve smooth shifting, even if the derailleur is slightly misaligned. That also means a quieter-running drivetrain, and more secure chain engagement when coasting or backpedaling.
Lighter and much cheaper than standard SRAM T-type cassettes
While the top SRAM XX SL 1299 cassette sells for an unbelievable 720€ at 350g with the three upper cogs machined from aluminum… the Garbaruk Gen2.0 is much more affordable at 299€, weighs just 340g, and features just one aluminum cog with the rest machined from steel for improved durability. That’s also less than half the price of the 660€, 380g XX 1297 cassette; 1/3 cheaper than the 480€, 385g X0 1295 cassette; and the same price as the cheapest 445g GX 1275 cassette. SRAM doesn’t sell an MTB Transmission cassette cheaper than the Garbaruk Gen2.0, even though it’s lighter and more refined than every one they offer.
Technically, the recent limited-edition SRAM 1987 cassette is a few grams lighter – at a claimed 325g. But to save those 25g vs. the standard XX SL XS-1299 model, SRAM machined so much extra material (and half the legs) out of the upper aluminum Spider Cog carrier that it’s no longer suitable for high-torque use, like on ebikes. Plus, it’s not actually available as a standalone part. You would have to buy the entire $3500/3800€ groupset to get one of the lighter cassettes, before they sell out.
The new Garbaruk Gen2.0 MTB cassette for Eagle Transmission still sells for 299€. It comes in 10-52T only, in your choice of 8 anodized colors for the largest aluminum cog/carrier.
Gen2.0 Gravel Cassettes give your bike a bigger 10-48T or 10-50T gearing range
The 299€ Gen2.0 cassettes also bring more range to existing SRAM Xplr 12-speed gravel bikes.
Garbaruk testing showed that they could mount a 10-48T cassette to stock 12-speed Xplr derailleurs, increasing your range from SRAM’s stock 10-44T cassettes.
Or if you need even more help in the mountains, upgrading your SRAM Xplr 12-speed derailleur with a 156€ Garbaruk cage, and you’ll be able to fit a 10-50T cassette for a 500% range, and a 13.6% easier gear to climb the steepest of hills.
The cage + cassette upgrade is also compatible with SRAM AXS road derailleurs, too.
Garbaruk Enduro crankset gets extra burly with bolted sandwich design
It’s been a few years since Garbaruk first introduced their light alloy hollow-arm XC crankset, then followed it up with an even lighter road & gravel version. Now, there’s an even more burly Enduro crankset, designed to handle the toughest off-road abuse. To make a “robust, indestructible crankset for all mountain biking challenges“, Garbaruk reinforced their same two-piece, hollow CNC-machined 7075-T651 aluminum crank arm construction. The top & bottom of the Enduro arms get thicker material for extra stiffness and impact strength. Plus, 8 new alloy bolts cinch together the two halves during bonding, and give the new cranks a more industrial look with the option for extra anodized color contrast.
With weights as low as 462g (for arms, spindle & hardware), you still get to pick from 30mm or Dub 29mm axles, Boost or Super Boost spacing, and 165/170/175mm arm lengths. Plus, the arms and bolts are each available in 8 mix-and-match ano colors, so you can create a unique crankset. Classic silver or black, or red, orange, gold, green, blue, or purple. Cranksets are assembled to order for 450€, with direct-mount chainrings (Cannondale/FSA interface compatibility) sold separately for an extra 70€.
More sizes and types of 1x chainrings
Garbaruk’s biggest sellers are their drivetrain parts. That’s because everything your chain touches is going to wear out. And buying a new cassette, chainring, or set of derailleur pulleys is a relatively affordable way to add some lightweight bling to your bike. Plus, Garbaruk components are typically lighter and often more affordable than many OEM parts, from 70-120€ depending on application. And they are made entirely in Poland, CNC-machined from 7075-T6 aluminum.
Direct-mount 1x chainrings are made to fit cranks from Shimano, SRAM, Cannondale, e13, Easton, Hope, RaceFace, Rotor, Specialized, THM, Tune, most eMTB systems, and of course, Garbaruk’s own cranks. And for several, you can pick aero or spoked designs, even round or oval rings.
There are also bolt-on rings for universal fit or integrated fits like this Shimano 4-bolt ring. And sizing options from as small as 26T for MTB up to 60T for road 1x setups. The newest option is probably their thread-on rings to fit SRAM XX/XX SL powermeters.
Ultralight carbon wheels built with aluminum Garbaruk RS spokes & special hubs
While light alloy drivetrain components seem to be the bulk of their sales, Garbaruk seems to be incredibly passionate about a machined aluminum product I hadn’t really realized they put so much R&D effort into: Garbaruk RS spokes & hubs. Engineered to “deliver superior strength and stiffness” over conventional stainless steel spokes, Garbaruk manufactures RS spokes from 7075-T6 aluminum to create a “more responsive, more efficient, and more stable” wheel.
Garbaruk testing shows that the RS spoke is 18% stronger than a conventional 2mm butted steel spoke, 8-20% stiffer, while still being 28% lighter. There are lighter multi-butted and bladed steel spokes if you are trying to build the lightest wheel. But Garbaruk says steel simply can’t match the strength:weight or stiffness:weight ratio of the alloy RS spokes. And with the ultimate goal of building stiffer, more responsive wheels for high-impact off-road riding, nothing comes close.
Complete Garbaruk RS alloy spoke wheelset options
Garbaruk offers the spokes separately for 9.10€ per spoke in 274-300mm lengths and all 8 of their colors. They get nipples machined directly into the spoke from one end and threads on the other that screw directly into their special RS hubs. Those being the only compatible hubs – 205€ for the Garbaruk RS front & 484€ RS rear hubs. But it does look like they can work with most traditional rims.
Garbaruk does offer 4 standard carbon rim wheelsets with the RS spokes from 1659-1959€ for Gravel, Trail/AM, Enduro, and XC/Downcountry. And complete weights are quite light – from 1170g for the gravel wheels with a 25mm internal x 25mm deep carbon rim. And they also offer custom wheel builds starting at 1125€, where they will lace their spokes and hubs into your favorite rims.
Any wheelset you pick can be individually customized.
Pick the hub drilling (24/28/32) that matches your rim and riding discipline. Then, axle spacing to fit your bike, and freehub to match your drivetrain. Then, you can individually pick hub colors, and the color of each individual spoke. Garbaruk even has a nice custom wheel configurator tool that lets you visualize your design and tell you how much it will weigh. Mix and match to get your perfect rainbow wheel, and they’ll build it for you with an approximately 2-week lead time.
Prototype wireless electronic Garbaruk derailleur
Official information is still quite thin on this one. Garbaruk is working on their own wireless off-road derailleur project, a design that has not significantly changed since they first teased it last spring.
What we do know is that it is a fully CNC-machined aluminum body with a removable battery in a plastic case. All the wireless electronic controls and motor are contained within a relatively small gold b-knuckle with a conventional hanger mount. The gold p-knuckle appears to contain a clutch mechanism behind a purple cover.
There is no spring between the purple links of the parallelogram, as the motor actuates the derailleur both up and down without any need for assistance. That’s pretty common for modern electronic derailleurs, and yet it still seems surprising to see so much empty space in between the links.
Garbaruk has yet to share any expected price range or concrete availability dates. But they do tease that we should expect it to hit bikes in “early 2026”. And since they make plenty of different aftermarket cages, we would not be surprised to see at both a mid-cage version for road & gravel and a long-cage version for their widest mountain bike cassettes.
Stay tuned.
