SROAD gravel cassettes - questionable quality

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saldegracia
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by saldegracia

This is just a consumer alert really :) I have in this forum praised my SROAD 11-42 cassette on several occasions. I thought it was great value for money given the shift quality and low weight. However, turns out they are not durable at all.

Pretty shortly after I installed it, I started getting creaking noises which I attributed to all sorts of components but the cassette never occurred to me...I think I must have de- and reassembled my bike at least twice until I started to think it could be the cassette. A few weeks ago the cassette actually failed completely, with some noticeable play between the smallest cog and the rest of the cassette, resulting in shifting issues. When I swapped it for a new Sunrace 11-42 all the creaking was gone...

The SROAD is made from one piece of steel still plus the smallest cog. It seems the inner structure that actually goes onto the freehub is made from aluminium and kind of riveted to the actual steel block. This bond seems to fail after a while, after some more online research I found I wasn't the only one with this kind of problem. Creaking sounds are common, and I have also seen several cases of disintegrated cassettes.

In short: don't buy this cassette, even though the weight/cost ratio is tempting :/
Canyon Aeroad, Votec VRC, Fuji Jari Carbon, Sensa Fermo SL, Principia R700, Cannondale Bad Boy Ultra, Ciöcc Singlespeed

by Weenie


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ultimobici
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by ultimobici

One cassette with an issue does not indicate that there is a major problem. It simply suggests you had a fautly one. If we applied the same logic to Shimano, Sram & Campag they would all be deemed not fit for purpose. I have 3 S-Road cassettes and have zero issues after almost 2 years of use in all manner of conditions.

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saldegracia
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by saldegracia

ultimobici wrote:
Mon Mar 06, 2023 11:21 am
One cassette with an issue does not indicate that there is a major problem. It simply suggests you had a fautly one. If we applied the same logic to Shimano, Sram & Campag they would all be deemed not fit for purpose. I have 3 S-Road cassettes and have zero issues after almost 2 years of use in all manner of conditions.
As I said, in my OP, there is quite lot of evidence around online, including in this forum, so I am not the only one with issues. If I revert the argument I could say, just because you have three good ones, that doesn't mean all the others are fine, too :) Besides, never ever in my (by now fairly long) cycling life have I experienced any issues with any cassette, you just tend to stick them onto the freehub and they do their job. It's a fairly simple component, so how it could all into pieces without any sort of impact is not quite clear to me...
Canyon Aeroad, Votec VRC, Fuji Jari Carbon, Sensa Fermo SL, Principia R700, Cannondale Bad Boy Ultra, Ciöcc Singlespeed

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ultimobici
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by ultimobici

saldegracia wrote:
Mon Mar 06, 2023 11:28 am
ultimobici wrote:
Mon Mar 06, 2023 11:21 am
One cassette with an issue does not indicate that there is a major problem. It simply suggests you had a fautly one. If we applied the same logic to Shimano, Sram & Campag they would all be deemed not fit for purpose. I have 3 S-Road cassettes and have zero issues after almost 2 years of use in all manner of conditions.
As I said, in my OP, there is quite lot of evidence around online, including in this forum, so I am not the only one with issues. If I revert the argument I could say, just because you have three good ones, that doesn't mean all the others are fine, too :) Besides, never ever in my (by now fairly long) cycling life have I experienced any issues with any cassette, you just tend to stick them onto the freehub and they do their job. It's a fairly simple component, so how it could all into pieces without any sort of impact is not quite clear to me...
Searching this forum I can find only one other person with a failure. There were issues with overly tight lockrings which I had on one cassette but not the other two.

In my previous job I dealt with warranty cassettes from all three main manufacturers. It wasn't that uncommon at all.

As for why. Are you sure that the cassette was properly torqued initially? If the cassette can move, even a tiny amount, it can cause problems.

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saldegracia
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by saldegracia

ultimobici wrote:
Mon Mar 06, 2023 11:37 am

Searching this forum I can find only one other person with a failure. There were issues with overly tight lockrings which I had on one cassette but not the other two.

In my previous job I dealt with warranty cassettes from all three main manufacturers. It wasn't that uncommon at all.

As for why. Are you sure that the cassette was properly torqued initially? If the cassette can move, even a tiny amount, it can cause problems.
I don't have a torque wrench with cassette tool, so I just torqued like any other cassette I've used: very tight. There was no movement at all with the spacer. Anyway, it's our of commission now, I might try and convert it into the clock or something, so it wasn't a total waste of money :D Of course it only properly broke just after the two years warranty period...but I am not sure what that is worth on Aliexpress anyway...
Canyon Aeroad, Votec VRC, Fuji Jari Carbon, Sensa Fermo SL, Principia R700, Cannondale Bad Boy Ultra, Ciöcc Singlespeed

mdeth1313
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by mdeth1313

ultimobici wrote:
Mon Mar 06, 2023 11:37 am
Searching this forum I can find only one other person with a failure. There were issues with overly tight lockrings which I had on one cassette but not the other two.

In my previous job I dealt with warranty cassettes from all three main manufacturers. It wasn't that uncommon at all.

As for why. Are you sure that the cassette was properly torqued initially? If the cassette can move, even a tiny amount, it can cause problems.
I've been using s-road cassettes for several years on 3-4 bikes. Mine are 11-32 and 11-34 cassettes. I've had one fail on the first ride- a loud bang and then knocking sound thereafter. Only thing that stopped the knocking sound was switching the cassette. I believe something in the inner structure went - I could never find it. Fortunately, it was right after I received it and I was able to get a refund thru aliexpress.

The others have lasted a lot longer - eventually they start to go, albeit slowly - they start with a slight clicking sound and it gradually gets louder as use continues. To me, life I was getting from them was worth the cost, especially when compared to a sram xg cassette. As the price has almost doubled, I'm looking into some of the other ones available on aliexpress.

I know - I'm only one (more person) and the 10-12 cassettes I've used is not statsistically significant. But it is consistent.
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saldegracia
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by saldegracia

mdeth1313 wrote:
Thu Mar 09, 2023 6:57 pm

I've been using s-road cassettes for several years on 3-4 bikes. Mine are 11-32 and 11-34 cassettes. I've had one fail on the first ride- a loud bang and then knocking sound thereafter. Only thing that stopped the knocking sound was switching the cassette. I believe something in the inner structure went - I could never find it. Fortunately, it was right after I received it and I was able to get a refund thru aliexpress.

The others have lasted a lot longer - eventually they start to go, albeit slowly - they start with a slight clicking sound and it gradually gets louder as use continues. To me, life I was getting from them was worth the cost, especially when compared to a sram xg cassette. As the price has almost doubled, I'm looking into some of the other ones available on aliexpress.

I know - I'm only one (more person) and the 10-12 cassettes I've used is not statsistically significant. But it is consistent.
These symptoms are pretty much in line with what I have experiencied. Mine started making noises after a few hundred km, it only took me a few thousand more (and the cassette to fail completely) for me to figure out it was the cassette ;)
Canyon Aeroad, Votec VRC, Fuji Jari Carbon, Sensa Fermo SL, Principia R700, Cannondale Bad Boy Ultra, Ciöcc Singlespeed

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