Along with the TRS+ 12-speed cassette, accessories specialist E-Thirteen also supplies a conversion kit for SRAM 11-speed drivetrains! Simply swap a small gear in the shifter and two spacers in the rear derailleur, slide the cassette onto the freehub body, and the SRAM 11-speed GX, X1, X01 or XX1 are transformed into a 12-speed drivetrain – complete with a wider gear range. With 9 to 46 teeth, the cassette outperforms the 12-speed competition from SRAM and Shimano with a gear range of 511 per cent, and it’s lighter too.
Keen DIY mechanics can easily carry out the conversion of the gear components at home and won’t be put off by the subsequent gear adjustment either. One thing to note: with a Hope XD freehub, the cassette’s clamping area needs to be shimmed with spacers until there is no play whatsoever. This is a bit fiddly.
For everyone else, we recommend buying from a specialist retailer whose workshop can get this delicate mechanism running like a dream. The chain will then run quickly and as smooth as butter over the well-spaced sprockets. Compared to the jerky original, we couldn’t feel any difference. Only the change from the tiny 9-tooth sprocket to the 10-tooth sprocket required us to shift slightly further, meaning the gear lever had to be moved just beyond the notch.
E-Thirteen justifies its choice of a 9–46 gear ratio on the grounds of lower weight and greater ground clearance. The 9-tooth sprocket theoretically allows a 10 per cent smaller front chainring to be used without having to sacrifice the long final drive ratio. At the other end of the range, even without a giant sprocket, there is at least one significantly lower-geared climbing gear. This is sufficient in the vast majority of situations. The kit is therefore recommended as a replacement for a worn-out SRAM 11-speed drivetrain, particularly if you want to increase the gear range or reduce the weight.
PLUS The E-Thirteen-TRS+ 12-speed cassette beats SRAM and Shimano in terms of weight and gear range. It works a treat. What’s more, it comes with a sustainability bonus.
MINUS The small Allen screw that secures the two parts of the cassette is of only moderate quality, and the photos in the assembly instructions are very dark.
Weight of the cassette 333 grams
Weight of the chain 276 grams
Price of upgrade kit 299 euros
CONCLUSION by Sebastian Brust, BIKE editor
With the same gear range as the brand’s own 11-speed version, E-Thirteen’s new 12-speed TRS+ cassette offers noticeably finer gear spacing, but is also more prone to rattling. With a range of 9 to 46 teeth and a gear ratio of 511 per cent, the cassette outperforms the 12-speed competition from SRAM and Shimano, and it’s lighter too. Upgrading the drivetrain components is no problem for experienced DIY cyclists. The kit is therefore recommended as a replacement for a worn-out SRAM 11-speed drivetrain, particularly if you want to increase the gear range or reduce the weight.
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Sebastian Brust
Editor
