Hello fellow mountain bikers,
I’ve been noticing a weird issue with my drivetrain, and I’m wondering if it’s time to replace my cassette. Sometimes, when I start pedaling, I hear a crackling noise coming from the drivertain, and it makes my frame vibrate with a “dinggg” sound. I recently replaced my chain, but the issue persists. I’ve also noticed that some gears on my cassette look more rounded than others, so I suspect it might be the cassette causing the problem.
Currently, I’m using a Shimano HG50, 11-36, 10-speed cassette. My budget for a replacement is around 20€, so I’m looking for good options that won’t break the bank.
I came across a brand called “Zitto” on AliExpress, which seems decent since it has no bad reviews, but I’m curious if anyone here has experience with it or other AliExpress cassettes. Are they worth it, or should I stick with well-known brands like Shimano or SRAM?
Any recommendations or advice on what brands to choose (or avoid) would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance for your help!
by Infinite-Campaign278
1 Comment
If you just recently replaced the chain, it is likely wear on the cassette. Basically as the old chain stretched the teeth on the cassette went along with it. When you put the new chain on, it will often shift much worse or continually slip out of gear. Most common in the high (smallest size) gear.
I had a great mechanic explain this to me after they put on a new chain and my bike was even worse lol. Since my front chain ring is so small, I end up spending too much time in that smallest gear. The rest of my cassette was fine, the smallest gear was fucked lol. So I had to replace the entire cassette.