Trickstuff’s 10 speed 11-41 MTB Cassette Now Available Through Radsport USA

Written by Zach Overholt Dec 31, 2014 10:00 a.m. ET

Support us! Bikerumor may earn a small commission from affiliate links in this article. Learn More

Based on the number of wide range cassette adapters available, the desire for wider range 10 speed cassettes is widespread. Without any purpose built cassettes and derailleurs, riders have been forced to modify current cassettes or pony up for expensive 11 speed drivetrains.

Most cassette adapters result in odd jumps in the cassette that are now starting to be filled with additional 16t cogs. While completely functional, you have to assume a purpose built cassette may shift better. Thanks to German component manufacturer Trickstuff, it looks like that time has come. First spotted as a prototype at the 2013 Eurobike show, Trickstuff has put the finishing touches on their 10 speed wide range cassette and it’s now available in the U.S.

Is this the 10 speed cassette we’ve been waiting for? More details next…

Called the 4111, the cassette’s name comes from the highest and lowest gears, 11-41. With a low gear between the popular 40 and 42t cassette adapters, clearly a lot of b-tension will be needed to keep the derailleur cage from interfering with the largest cog, but with a OneUp Rad or Radr cage or SRAM X-Type derailleur it should work fine.

Trickstuff told us at Eurobike that the prototype was still being developed and that their goal was to get the 11-40 cassette down to 270g to compete with XTR. Not only did they bump the low gear up to 41t, but the cassette now has a claimed weight of just 257g. To get the weight low but keep the cog’s durability gears 1-7 are made from hardened steel and run on a carbon spider while 8-10 are made form nickel plated 7075 aluminum. Using a standard Shimano/SRAM 9/10 freehub body, the cassette should work well with both SRAM or Shimano drivetrains.

Compared to a Shimano XT 11-36 cassette with a 40t cassette adapter and a 16t cog (11-13-16-19-21-24-28-32-36-40), the 4111 has a 20% maximum change in gearing with 11-13-15-18-21-24-28-32-36-41 cogs. Combining better spaced jumps at the higher end of the cassette and the possibility of more cohesive shifting the cassette has a lot to offer. The only drawback may be the price – at $329 which includes free shipping from Radsport USA, the 4111 is more expensive than a SRAM X1 11 speed cassette. Then again, the 4111 is over 58 grams lighter and doesn’t require a new shifter, derailleur (OneUp cage not withstanding) or freehub body.

trickstuff.de

radsportusa.com

Zach Overholt

5,630 articles

Zach Overholt is the Editor in Chief of Bikerumor. He has been writing about what’s new in the bicycle world for 12+ years. Prior to that, Zach spent many years in the back of a bicycle shop building and repairing nearly every type of bike, while figuring out how to (occasionally) ride them.

Based in Ohio, Zach is now slowly introducing a new generation to cycling and still trying to figure out how to fit the most rides into a busy schedule as a new dad.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

29 Comments

Oldest

Newest Most Voted

Inline Feedbacks

View all comments

craigsj

9 years ago

What a truly awful selection of gears for a cassette.

DGWW

9 years ago

If it cannot come within 20% of price of a mid to high end 10 speed cassette, there is no point. If this thing were half the price, it would be an absolute home run, it could literally catapult these guys into the drive train game….but at $329.00 I can’t see it being what we all need at the moment.

Tony

9 years ago

DGWW, it is lighter than an XTR cassette, so that would be the comparison. It is another option, that hopefully forces the big 2 to get their shit together and make better offerings as well. With the shifting/skipping problems that 11 speed still has, I think this is something that could be a viable option.

AlanM

9 years ago

That is one hell of a first sentence to kick of this article.

Luiggi

9 years ago

SRAM has been teasing 11 speed, Shimano compatible drivetrains for a while now. Combining several actual bits it might be possible to hack the ultimate 1×11, wide-ratio-Shimano-interfaced-cassette drivetrain:

– This SRAM X01 10/11S derailleur: https://bikerumor.com/2014/03/04/sram-unveils-x01-7-speed-downhill-mountain-bike-components-x01-10-speed-upgrade-for-all/
– These shifters: https://bikerumor.com/2014/12/24/sram-updates-road-trigger-shifters-the-s-700-goes-to-11/
– This cassette, but with a 11-42 config: https://bikerumor.com/2014/12/01/sram-adds-wider-range-11-36-force-cx1-cyclocross-cassette/

Luiggi

9 years ago

Sorry for the duped comment. I get timeouts when trying to post here in BR pretty often, and when I refresh the page I don’t see the comment posted right away, so I think the system didn’t get the comment.

Chromium on Linux here, maybe it’s relevant to find the solution.

9 years ago

Price is too high. I’ll stick with my XT cassette, RAD cage, and 16 & 42t cogs, which can be had for a combined $185. Maybe they’ll come out with an XT level 11 by 41 next.

bimjeam

9 years ago

Ist pretty simple, just make 11-34t 9spd cassete + 40t cog! (All cogs made of steel.)
10spd cassette 11-40t: 11-13-15-17-20-23-26-30-34-40 or
11-42t: 11-13-15-17-20-23-27-31-35-42
And take my money.

Terry

9 years ago

its about time someone made a 41T. 40 is too high and 42 too low. sweet spot is 41T. is the 41T avail seperately???

craigsj

9 years ago

“10spd cassette 11-40t: 11-13-15-17-20-23-26-30-34-40 or
11-42t: 11-13-15-17-20-23-27-31-35-42”

Yes, exactly. The 40T could be 39T. That’s what I did years ago before the industry caught on. This 11-42 is the way to go.

jnr_seahorse

9 years ago

The quality of the shifting is critical here. The big two have years of experience perfecting the art of moving a chain smoothly across the cassette. For this price the Trickstuff needs to match them or come in pretty close. We need a review!

Turner92

9 years ago

Why are we all running away from triples? There seems to be a lot of spare gears around there, but still…. 🙁

20(ti custom 64bcd)-32-40 with an 11-36?

What about having something with a crazy gap like a 20-36 crank?

There have to be better options…..

http://www.gear-calculator.com/#KB=20,32,40&RZ=11,13,15,17,19,21,25,28,32,36&GR=DERS&TF=95&UF=2099&SL=2

http://www.gear-calculator.com/#KB=24,38&RZ=11,13,15,18,21,24,28,32,36,41&GR=DERS&TF=95&UF=2099&SL=2

http://www.gear-calculator.com/#KB=20,32,40&RZ=11,13,15,17,19,21,25,28,32,36&GR=DERS&TF=95&UF=2099&SL=2

Marc

9 years ago

best 11-42 10 speed cassette would be
11-13-15-17-20-23-27-31-36-42
16.1% mean step, 1.6% standard deviation.
this 11-41 have a 2,4% standard deviation

best converted cassette would be a shimano (11-13-15-17-19-21-24-28-32-36) SLX (highest grade with separate cogs after pin removal) with the 19&21 removed and replaced by a 20. You end up with a 11-13-15-17-20-24-28-32-36-42 : 2,4% standard deviation.

Slow Joe Crow

9 years ago

It’s definitely elegant and light but the costs don’t pencil out for me. I’m in the US and for $300 I can buy an XT 11-36 cassette with an entire Wolftooth setup (40T cog, 16T cog, 34T chainring) plus a new chain. I’m more concerned with cost than weight (the only XTR parts I buy are 9 speed chains) so unless they can make an economy version for $200-225 I’ll pass.

'Merika

9 years ago

@Turner92 “Why are we all running away from triples? There seems to be a lot of spare gears around there, but still….”

Because triples suck, they’re noisy, a pain to adjust, and heavy. And they’re not necessary for guys who can climb, like me. Granted, if your just getting into the sport, they’re fine. But I don’t think Shimano should be catering to the beginner/intermediate crowd by offering a triple XTR M9000 crankset. What a waste of resources and proliferation of SKUs.

UpgradeKing

9 years ago

Yeah, xt+wolftooth 16/42+Rad cage are over a $100 cheaper… Also, triples should be banned. I still have scars from the big ring cutting into my ankle…

Andy

9 years ago

Triples, when adjusted correctly, are fine other then the ground clearance, weight, and gear redundancy. 2x are probably the best solution for the mass. And personally I would rather see some of this R&D applied to internal transmissions as there could be a huge benefit for all.

Matt

9 years ago

+1 for wanting more development in the realm of internal transmissions.

ACMI

9 years ago

Turner 92 – Triples are awesome. Whatever gear I need is available.

hellbelly

9 years ago

I guess I am an insensitive thug as I have ran a OneUp 42t cog with a Wolf Tooth 30t chainring driving it for more than six months without a single complaint. I put mine together before OneUp starting adding the 16t cog. I have never noticed a single shifting issue nor dropped chain. My set up is with a X-9 cassette, XO type 2 rear derailleur/shifter. It is simple, inexpensive (compared to the cassette in this post and any of the SRAM 11 speed stuff) and just works.

Morpheous

9 years ago

Matt and Andy: Pinion and Effigear. (internal trannys)

Veganpotter

9 years ago

Andy…agreed for sure!!! I don’t see it happening soon but a low friction and fairly light crank gear is possible in the future. Lets say the made it lighter by not having a huge range, like a 38/28 or 36/26 for those that need it. I’m looking forward to SRAM making a tighter cassette for their XD because an 10-40 11 speed cassette would be great with this combo but I’d like a 10-38 even more to keep the ratios tighter. With an internal gearbox up front, you can still keep a good chainline and HOPEFULLY someone will be able to make one fit in a normal BB(it may need to be bigger than a 73 BSA though)

I’d love to try a Pinion Gearbox. But there is little info out there about how efficient it is. Its obviously kinda heavy, expensive and you have to have a bike made specifically for it. Also, if you have a problem with it(I’m sure its about a durable as a Rohloff which is good news but problems can still happen with anything) you’re SOL for a while since there is no quick fix. If a double can be put into a somewhat normal BB and you wind up having a service issue, you can just throw a normal crank in while you wait to get your internal serviced.

***Since a lot of people are VERY happy with XX1 and find that adequate for their riding, it would be great if Pinion tried making a lighter gearbox with fewer gears to equal XX1 or better it by a small amount. Where “I” ride, “I” wouldn’t need the Pinion range and it would only weigh me down since I’d probably never use the hardest two gears and the easiest two gears. But I know that the Pinion range would be awesomely useful for MANY MANY people out there

Eric.nm

9 years ago

Agree w/ @ hell belly and upgrade king: Wolftooth RAD cage + 42 & 16T + a RaceFace 30T with Shimano clutch dérailleur = kinda the poor mans’s Xx1 or XO1. I’ve run this for four months without a hiccup.

Got to demo a ROS9 w/ a ful XO1 setup for 2 hours yesterday. Could not tell a bit o’ difference.
: )

JJR

9 years ago

Hmm $330 for one piece of a 1x drivetrain, or $600 for full Sram X1 drivetrain?

codyish

9 years ago

You had me until “$329”.

jeff

9 years ago

@ Turner – I agree with triples. I use to think 1x would be the best (back when 9 speed was the norm) then I went 2x and now I see 1×11 BUT 3x just gives you every gear you need. Ground clearance is a little bit of an issue on a FS and I guess there is a weight penalty (Only an issue for bragging rights). 9 speed is definitely easier to setup compared to 10 speed. I think the main problem with 9 speed is that most people had lower end front derailleurs that would flex and be hard to shift along with a lack of understanding on how to set them up caused people to start demanding simpler drivetrains.

mark

9 years ago

Just another iteration and proliferation of what has been obsolete for sometime. If the two “S” really wanted to, they could have already built a mtb grade internal drive system. But of course the economics of selling expendable drive train parts is what keeps the serviceable internal drives from happening. Too sad and too true.

Kevin

9 years ago

Praxis Works is getting ready to release their version of a 11-41 10 speed cassette by June, if not sooner. Could this be the Holy Grail?

http://www.praxiscycles.com/the-scoop-on-our-upcoming-cassette/

Luis

7 years ago

Awfull cassette. Shifting was unaccurate and slow from the first day. I have just bought a new one from another brand and it works perfect (I use SRAM XX). But the worst thing is that with just 1500 km, the third cog makes the chain jumping, so 250 eu to the garbage. Incredible the quality deficiency in a product with such a high price.