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Simplify your drive train with the Hope 11-speed Cassette. This wide range cassette is machined from two solid billets for added strength and durability. Suitable for both Hope’s Pro 4 and Pro 2 EVO hubs, this cassette comes with QR, 12mm and X12 drive side spacers included to suit Hope’s own specific freehub/cassette setup.
Features:
- Ratios: 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 21, 24, 28, 33, 40 and 48t
- Larger four sprockets machined from single aluminium billet
- Smaller seven sprockets machined from single billet of steel
- 11-speed spacing
- Maximum 20% ratio changes
- Please Note: Freehub (HUB539) required to fit cassette and is not included
- Weight: 296g
Hope Cassette Review:
Introduction/Background:
Four years ago Hope marketing manager Michael Falkenstein spec’d a 18/24/36/46t 9/10 speed cassette for himself on his brand new Ride Pro2 Evo bike but when the drive train went on his season’s long bike build, when he came back to it the following spring, it was still unfinished and sitting in boxes with his other stuff. His 18/24/36/46t 9/10 speed cassette stayed on his bike for a few months (to his consternation) and then shortly thereafter he took it off and instead put on the stock (but 9/10 speed) 29er Hope cassette. He’s still running that Hope 36t 9/10 speed cassette, stock only, because 10 speed as a standard was a dumb decision in his opinion (?). Michael Falkenstein rocks. Hope is sticking it out with 9/10 speed, proudly, and they’re bigger than ever.
I asked him about the cassette and he explained to me, without a doubt, that it would work on a Shimano system and now I can say I understand why. It’s because it has more range and that I was trying to get this cassette to work on a Shimano cassette body, which would not work (really on any Shimano system). So instead of trying to get it to work on a Shimano System I moved the cassette body from my Kona Dawg, which is a 68x91mm Shimano freehub body, to a Hope freehub in the same shell that I had.
I’ve probably spent dozens of hours on this build and I’m not too sure why that is. Pleasantly, the cassette does work on a Shimano system!
So it’s 4.4 grams heavier than the Shimano 11 speed cassette on its own without the 11 speed spacers and is 5.3 grams heavier than the 10 speed version also without the 9/10 speed spacers. UPDATE: I just got my Shimano XT M785 11 speed cassette now and with the case it’s 530 grams. The 10 speed cassettes back in their foam cases weigh 560 grams and the 11 speed cassette with the case in foam weighs 551 grams. So the freehubs are equally heavy.
Weight w/o the cases adjusted for 4.4 grams of cassette weight so lets call it the cassette weight. The 9/10 speed spacers pair weighs 3 grams, the 11 speed spacers pair weighs 6 grams. The 12 speed space out weighs 6 grams. The 2 12 speed spacers pair does not exist.
Just got off the phone with Hope and the 20 tooth cog is mirrored right to left so you need to use the stock Shimano spacers for a Shimano cassette to make it work. Reason for this is it’s not actually 20T but 35T. 10 speed spacing is a close as it can get to 11 speed. This isn’t really emphasized on the website. You aren’t going to see any of this in person until the Hope guys are around you with the cassette in their hand to show you. Shimano uses bigger, 10mm, splines compared to the 9.5mm on Hope. The 20T cog really needs a 10mm to work on a Shimano system.
One more thing, the Hope 11 speed cassettes have the 36/46t and the 15/25t in the block as Hope is not using a freehub that can hold 36/46t unlike Shimano. This is not a bad thing at all but it is a thing.
So when you pair the fairly expensive Hope 11 speed spacers with the Hope cassette the overall weight is the same as a stock Shimano cassette.
Let me start with a stock Shimano XT M785 10 speed cassette, which is 578 grams, and add the weights of the spacers with the spacer weights not being stacked above the perches.
So you can do this with any Dream Drive system but you need the right spacers, the ones that have the opening for a Shimano 11 speed body in the hole
These are the weights of the Hope 9/10 and 10/11 speed spacers, the weight of the 11 speed spacers are not in the same order. Yes the 10/9 spacer set weighs less than the 9/10 set even with the extra 3 grams of the 9/10 set. The 10/9 set increases the cassette body by 5.6mm. The 11 speed spacers do not fit on these bodies, they are not the same. First of all, the 11 speed spacers are 6 grams heavier, 2 of the spacers are wider, the width of the 10/11 speed spacer set is 9.5mm and the 9/10 set is 10.5mm to be exact, the 11 speed spacer is 12mm.
Of Hope’s own brands 9/10 and 10/11 speed spacers the 9/10 is 24 grams and the 10/11 speed spacer is 20 grams. I don’t have weights on the stock Hope 9/10 speed or 10/11 speed spacers. The 10/11 spacers weigh half of the stock 9/10 speed ones, so around 12 grams, so they’re going to be 16 grams total. Hope doesn’t want to slag on Shimano and they definitely don’t want to launch any big PR attacks on Shimano. I don’t blame them, they know how to make a part that works. Shimano isn’t going to make them any money and they are focused on their own business.
Hope’s 9/10 speed and 10/11 speed spacers are made out of a material called Rilsan. Rilsan is an isotropic, high-performance engineering polymer. They are highly durable and extremely flexible because of this material. Hope to me is not going to go to the trouble to have to make these spacers for 11 rather than 11 speed with a specific shape.
So you end up with 652 grams for the 11 speed cassette and 574 grams for the 10 speed version, both of them with Hope’s own 10/11 speed spacers or 9/10 speed spacers.
So which is the actual weight you want to use. I don’t know but the 11 speed body/bodies are really that much heavier than the Hope 10 speed bodies so it’s not that much extra weight, you’re looking at 5 grams here.
It’s time to move along I think with the industry. It’s not just us that are getting tired of this but the factories also. The cassette body sizes aren’t going to get any smaller and if you are going with a 10 speed system then use a 10 speed cassette.
I don’t want to start that argument that I see going on in the posts, I’m just saying that you can use a 10 speed cassette with a 10 speed body on your 11 speed system and it will work. If it was not meant to be then why won’t the 11 speed cassette body fit in an 11 speed Shimano freehub?
I’m seeing people giving up on the Hope 11 speed cassettes because I cannot tell you how many people are
getting rid of the 11 speed bodies that they got with their new XO1 rear wheels, I even sold my XO1 carbon wheelset. I tried to sell them on the Hope 11 speed cassette but the cat is out of the bag. Now more people are going to the X9 system to use the Shimano 10 speed bodies and spacers they have.
I think I’ve covered this topic fairly well. Writing this for all those people that like to know why and how, and you also get the good news that a 10 speed cassette body
does fit an 11 speed cassette. This is not really all that new information but for those that read my blog I want to explain it more.
Hope has no interest in this market, the 10 speed market, to contend with any other company selling cassettes. They feel Shimano has everything covered and I’m sure that Shimano is not going to make too much money off the 10 speed bodies either. Hope is going to come out with a 12 speed body later and that is when we should really see some racing technology to go with it.
Hope has the ability to make a cassette that works on Shimano, Chris King, Sram, Sram×8, and X9, XO1, XX1 systems. We haven’t gone over the King system yet but just wait, it’s coming.
I hope this has been of use to you. It’s all been a bit of fun for us here this week.
I have no interest here in stirring the pot, I’m just interested in engineering, especially when it’s put into reality. I especially want to thank Marc at XLC for his help. His technical knowledge is wonderful. He would rather I work on something like this rather than do any paid work for anyone.
I’m sure there are a few people I am going to offend here but I am just saying how I feel about this situation. I just have to fess up, I like Hope wheels and hubs and they are not going to replace the 10 speed bodies on a cassette anytime soon. I’m going to be in a comfortable place and say that Hope is not going to get into the market for this sort of market either. I’m not sure which is the smaller market, the 10 speed market or the 11 speed market.
This is a bit of fun. From some of the information received I’ve been able to find out how to make the 10 speed cassettes work on 11 speed bodies. It is not that complex once you get the information together.
Hope 11 speed cassettes work on 10 speed bodies if you use the right spacers, not the ones they are selling now. I have probably offended Hope’s own people here but it is time to get to the bottom of this.
Hope is not going to make any money here by making special 10 speed bodies, so they’re going to tell you to use the 10 speed bodies on the hubs they’ve made 11 speed.
I have not seen any X01 rear Hope hubs and I know Scott has the X01 10 speed but I have not been able to look at it yet. Scott, if you are reading this please take a photo of the 11 speed body in the hub and post it to me, [email protected]
I can tell you now that the 11 speed body in the X01 10 speed hub is not the same as a Shimano 11 speed body. I think I have identified why Hope and Shimano are not going to embrace the 10 speed bodies and if you want a system that works for all 10, 9, 8, 7 and 6 speed cassettes then Hope has the right idea of starting with the old 10 speed bodies and 11 speed bodies.
Yes, you can use the 10 speed bodies on the 11 speed hubs if you use the correct spacers, the ones Hope calls 9/10, 10/11. They will work together and yes you can use a 10 speed cassette on the 11 speed body and yes you can use an 11 speed sprocket on the 10 speed body if it was designed to be an 11 speed body on that cassette.
I am getting more and more information from Hope, they are giving me all the engineering details on the 11 speed bodies they have and this is as much as I need to get to the bottom of this.
I want to thank you all for your information on this subject and I really mean that, this is the way to do it right. Let all the people who own these parts know what they are going to be able to do with them in the future.
