Making A Custom Cassette: Shimano CS-HG400 + CS-HG50 9 Speed

Bike Forums > Bike Forums > Bicycle Mechanics > Making a custom cassette: Shimano CS-HG400 + CS-HG50 9 speed Username Remember Me? Password By logging into your account, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy, and to the use of cookies as described therein. Register Forgot Password? Register FAQ Calendar Today's Posts Search Vendor Directory Notices Bicycle Mechanics Broken bottom bracket? Tacoed wheel? If you're having problems with your bicycle, or just need help fixing a flat, drop in here for the latest on bicycle mechanics & bicycle maintenance. Search Forums Show Threads Show Posts Advanced Search Find All Liked Posts Go to Page... Making a custom cassette: Shimano CS-HG400 + CS-HG50 9 speed Reply Subscribe Thread Tools Search this Thread 09-10-15 | 01:08 PM #1 andrei_r Thread Starter Senior Member Joined: Jun 2015 Posts: 581 Likes: 9 From: Montreal, Canada/ Brasilia, Brazil (currently) Bikes: Giant FCR 3 with lots of mods, Brazilian made Caloi 100. Making a custom cassette: Shimano CS-HG400 + CS-HG50 9 speed Ok, so.... I just switched from a SRAM PG-850 8 speed 12-26 (12-13-15-17-19-21-23-26) to a CS-HG50 9 speed 12-27 (12-13-14-15-17-19-21-24-27). Did the change due to a broken rear shifter and found it was cheaper to upgrade to a 9-speed than to buy an obsolete 8-speed shifter. Really love the tighter spacing at the top. The 14T cog is very nice to have. It's currently paired with a compact road crank (50-34). I'm looking forward to get some lower gearing for some tougher climbs at a minimum cost. So I'm thinking of buying this HG400 11-32 or 11-34 cassette from Chain Reaction Cycles. This HG400 11-32 cassette has the following cogs: 11-12-14-16-18-21-24-28-32. I don't like the 2T jumps at the top end and I have no use for an 11T with my 50T big chainring, so I'm thinking of replacing the 11-12 cogs with 12-13 cogs from my current HG50 cassette which would result in a 12-13-14-16-18-21-24-28-32, which I think will be more pleasant to ride than my old PG-850 due to two 1T jumps rather than only one. Similarly, if I buy the HG400 11-34 (11-13-15-17-20-23-26-30-34), I would replace the 11T with the 12T from my current HG50 and it would result in a 12-13-15-17-20-23-26-30-34, which is similar to my old PG-850 at the top end and has a wider range at the bottom. Now I know from the Shimano tech sheets that the HG400 top 2 cogs come off separately, and HG50 also has its top 3 or 4 cogs come off separately, so it shouldn't be an issue. My HG50 12T cog comes with a built in spacer same as the 11T cog on the HG400. The 12T on the HG400 (in case of an 11-32) also has a built in spacer but I would be replacing it with a 13T and a separate spacer from the HG50, so I don't see any issues here. Where I have a doubt however, is by looking at some pictures of the HG400 cassette, I see that the lockring seems to be recessed into the 11T cog. On my HG50, the lockring sits on top of the 12T cog. Is there anything to do with gear spacing (both are 9-speed), or 130 vs 135mm rear hub or anything like that? Or is it purely cosmetic? I would be reusing the lockring from the HG50 so it would sit on top the 12T cog the same way it does now. On some other pictures, the lockring setup looks similar to the HG50. Other than that, I'm aware that the shift ramps might not align perfectly, but that is a risk I'm willing to take and might even take care of it, if necessary, by dremelling out the narrow spline and rotating the small cog(s) to match the original. Last question is regarding the choice between 11-32 vs 11-34. Would you prefer a 12-13-14-16-18-21-24-28-32 or a 12-13-15-17-20-23-26-30-34 (both paired with a 34-50 crank) and why? What difference would a 32 vs a 34 make at the low end? It's basically a half-gear difference and the tradeoff is single 1T and three 2T jumps vs two 1T and two 2T jumps at the higher end. Any other thoughts, comments and suggestions are welcome. Thanks to all who had the patience to read through all of this tinkerer nonsense . PS: I currently run a 105 RD-5600GS rear derailer, but I just bought an old XT rd from ebay that should be able to handle up to 34T with no problem. Reply 0 0 andrei_r View Public Profile Find More Posts by andrei_r View iTrader Profile 09-10-15 | 02:24 PM #2 nfmisso Nigel Joined: Mar 2011 Posts: 2,991 Likes: 7 From: San Jose, CA Bikes: 1980s and 1990s steel: CyclePro, Nishiki, Schwinn, SR, Trek........ Go for it. Only you know how low you need to go for the climbing and load you have. I build up a 14-32 8 speed from a 13-26 Shimano, a Miche Shimano 14T 1st position cog and a 32T from a 11-32 Shimano to work with 52-39 chain rings and 37-622 tires on one of my commuters. I have a 26<>32 jump at the bottom end, which for me is more than a fair cost to get the closer spacing in the cruising and top end gears. Given: 12-13-14-15-17-19-21-24-27 11-13-15-17-20-23-26-30-34 I'd build up this: 12-13-14-15-17-19-21-26-34 Nice close cruising gears, with not too big a spacing at the bottom for hill climbing. Too bad 22T cogs are so rare. Shimano cogs flavors are designed to work with their smaller neighbor, for example, they have two flavors of 13T cogs, one works best with a 12T neighbor, the other best with a 11T neighbor. I would try to modify cogs to align them better, you are likely just cause problems, because the alignment teeth transmit the torque from the chain to the freehub. You'll end up with cogs that slip back and forth. Some Shimano cassettes are screwed together some are rivets. If you have to cut the rivets, it is a good idea to wash the sprockets and spacers (dish soap and hot water) to get rid of any metal particles that WILL reduce your chain and sprocket life. Reply 0 0 nfmisso View Public Profile Find More Posts by nfmisso View iTrader Profile 09-11-15 | 06:41 AM #3 Kimmo Senior Member Joined: Dec 2009 Posts: 9,563 Likes: 733 From: Melbourne, Oz Bikes: https://weightweenies.starbike.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=152015&p=1404231 Quote: Originally Posted by andrei_r Other than that, I'm aware that the shift ramps might not align perfectly, but that is a risk I'm willing to take and might even take care of it, if necessary, by dremelling out the narrow spline and rotating the small cog(s) to match the original. I was gonna say you'll end up with a bad shift between the mismatched cogs, but the dremel and rotate idea is clever, particularly if it works. But I suspect it won't be totally sweet because each cog really needs to be between the cogs it was designed to sit between, for Hyperglide to actually glide. After messing around with cassette splicing back in the day, the only matches I'll contemplate are the few instances where both cassettes have the same three cogs at the splice point. If you want something unusual, you could look at other brands, or perhaps you might find some possibilities in Shimano's obscure 'junior' cassette range. Reply 0 0 Kimmo View Public Profile Visit Kimmo's homepage! Find More Posts by Kimmo View iTrader Profile 09-11-15 | 09:39 AM #4 apage4u Santana Couple Joined: Aug 2008 Posts: 136 Likes: 0 From: Mississippi I posted this on the Tandem Forum but received little feedback. I also like 1 tooth jumps on the first 4 of five cogs. Too bad they don't sell individual cogs anymore. [h=2]2X10 with an extended range cog?[/h]I am thinking of upgrading from 9 speed to 10 and from a triple chainring to double. So the question is how to keep the corncob cassette and still have a granny gear? I am thinking of using a 36 or 40 tooth extended range cog and staying with 53, 42 chainrings. Depending on cassette I would lose the 14 or 15 cog. 11-28T: 11,12,13,14,15,17,19,21,24,28 12-25T: 12,13,14,15,16,17,19,21,23,25 Reply 0 0 apage4u View Public Profile Find More Posts by apage4u View iTrader Profile 09-11-15 | 12:10 PM #5 Bill Kapaun Really Old Senior Member Joined: Feb 2007 Posts: 14,455 Likes: 1,713 From: Mid Willamette Valley, Orygun Bikes: 87 RockHopper,2008 Specialized Globe. Both upgraded to 9 speeds. 2019 Giant Explore E+3 I've mixed & matched cogs on many occasions. if you're talking about 1 or 2T jumps, you really won't notice any mis matching. It'll still shift better than a 4T jump on matched cogs. Reply 0 0 Bill Kapaun View Public Profile Find More Posts by Bill Kapaun View iTrader Profile 09-11-15 | 07:32 PM #6 Retro Grouch Senior Member Joined: Feb 2004 Posts: 30,225 Likes: 649 From: St Peters, Missouri Bikes: Catrike 559 I own some others but they don't get ridden very much. What's the downside? If it was my bike, I'd try it in a flash. If you like it - great. If you decide for any reason that you don't like it you can always go back to your old cassette for 90% of your riding and reserve the new cassette judt for hilly rides. In addition, you will have learned something new about how cassette cogs match. __________________ My greatest fear is all of my kids standing around my coffin and talking about "how sensible" dad was. Reply 0 0 Retro Grouch View Public Profile Find More Posts by Retro Grouch View iTrader Profile Reply Subscribe Related Topics Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post Is it possible to get a 13-32 8/9 speed cassette? Randybb Bicycle Mechanics 11 01-26-18 09:18 PM Creating a Custom 9 speed Cassette embankmentlb Bicycle Mechanics 16 10-29-14 06:29 PM Creating a custom 9 speed cassette. embankmentlb Classic & Vintage 2 10-28-14 01:18 PM Cog Confusion... PapaToad Bicycle Mechanics 11 03-17-12 03:40 PM Replacing Shimano HG-70 13t cog with 11t cog. Do cassette subtypes matter? daveizdum Bicycle Mechanics 7 10-29-10 01:38 AM Back to Subforum Bicycle Mechanics View Next Unread A question on bike frame design Posting Rules You may not post new threads You may not post replies You may not post attachments You may not edit your posts BB code is On Smilies are On [IMG] code is On HTML code is OffTrackbacks are Off Pingbacks are Off Refbacks are Off Forum Rules Thread Tools Show Printable Version Search this Thread Advanced Search Thread Tools Show Printable Version Email this Page Advanced Search Reply Closed Thread Share

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Reddit

• First
• Prev
• 1 / 1
• Next
• Last

1

Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2025 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.