experience with a XTR M78x cassette

cycleclinic

Can't remember the exact code but the last XTR cassette before 11 speed. Now I race at thetford most years and this is the second time this has happened to me oddly enough only since I have been using an XTR cassette - what exactly. Well the first 4 cogs clog up so much the chain will not run on them thus restricting me to a rather spinny gear on what should be the really fast bits. The result in round 2, of the thetford winter series I missed out doing an 8th lap of the 4hr race by just over 1 minute 25 secs. Maybe the lack of a higher gear is not to blame but vanity means I am putting it down at least in part to this.

Does anyone using XTR cassettes suffer from the same problem or is this not cassette related. I suspect it is not cassette related but I don't want to buy another cassette for it to happen again in round 3 as that would be a waste.

The Rookie

An XTR cassette will start with M9, M7 is XT.

All cassettes can clog up between gears, its usually caused over an extended use by not cleaning between the sprockets (with a thin blade screwdriver) between rides, there is nothing much different between the XTR (or XT whichever you have) and any other cassette on the market as far as I can see.

supersonic

I remember people saying 9 speed clogged up more than 8. Then 10 speed was worse... now we have 11. Maybe it is because of this.

njee20

Never had or seen a problem myself except when conditions are truly horrific. No real difference in any cassettes in the smaller sprockets.

The Rookie

Some thick chain lubes (especially if applied continually without cleaning the chain etc first) can make it worse by collecting 'crud' to form a 'gunge'.

cycleclinic

typo I meant M985 not 78x.

Chain lube I use in rock n Roll blue. nothing sticks to the chain so that not it. I suspect it is the sand at thetford and the narrow spacing between the cogs.

Trying to work out what the best solution is really. as if you saw the cassette you would see it and the spaces between the cogs caked in sand/soil bound together. The granny ring is also completley useless as it is also caked. Good thing I didn't even need it as the course was flat. Make me wonder why I do not have a single speed bike for Thetford or go back to 8 speed as my old Marin with a 8 speed XT drivetrain never gets clogged up and that is mud bike that only gets ridden in the worst possible conditions.