e*thirteen TRS Race 11 Speed Cassette Review

e*thirteen’s TRS Race and TRS Plus 11-speed cassette systems offer a wide 9-46 tooth range that installs on an existing XD driver body and works with SRAM and Shimano shifting. The lightweight 9-46 setup, which has a 9-10-12-14-17-20-24-28-33-39-46 tooth count, provides a massive 511% gear range. The TRS Race version we tested weighed in at a respectable 304 grams.

Here are some statistics comparing some of the various drivetrain systems:

Brand/Model	Speeds	Weight	Gear Range	Tooth Count	Price
e*thirteen TRS Race	11	303g	511%	9-46	$349
e*thirteen TRS Plus	11	339g	511%	9-46	$249
SRAM XX1 Eagle	12	352g	500%	10-50	$428
SRAM X01 Eagle	12	360g	500%	10-50	$367
Shimano XT	11	441g	418%	9-46	$98
Wolf Tooth 49t GC	11	~500g	445%	11-49	$125
OneUp Shark	11	~500g	500%	10-50	$200
SRAM Various 11s	11	xxxg	420%	10-46	$xxx

The unique two-piece assemblies three largest cogs are machined from a single piece of EXA+ aluminum alloy, while the eight smaller cogs are made from heat-treated cromoly steel for increased durability, and both are sold separately as replacement parts (alloy 33-46t $124, steel 9-28t $195). The system requires a few more steps, tools and some additional time for installation and removal compared to SRAM or Shimano. The aluminum cogset slides onto the XD driver body and a lock ring threads it securely in place and then the steel cluster meshes together with the aluminum ones and a chain whip locks them together.

Installation

Installing their TRS Race and TRS Plus cassette system is a bit more involved than Shimano or SRAM, taking about four steps and 5 minutes. Grab the large 3-ring 33-46t aluminum cogset and slide it onto the XD driver body splines. Next, install the black cassette lockring and turn it by hand clockwise until it’s snug and then drop on the silver lockring tool.

Using an e*thirteen bottom bracket tool or a large 36mm wrench, tighten the lockring to 25N*m or snug it + 45 degrees. Note – instead of the lockring they now use a pinch clamp design to hold the large 3-ring aluminum cogset in place. 

Decently grease the tangs of the steel sprocket assembly and the inner diameter of the 9-14t cluster. Install the steel sprocket assembly onto the aluminum piece by lining up the key on the steel cog with the open padlock icon on the aluminum cogs, then sliding the steel assembly over the XD driver body. Using a chain whip or pair of cassette pliers, turn the steel sprocket assembly clockwise to lock it in place, making sure that the key on the steel sprocket assembly lines up with the closed padlock icon on the aluminum cogs.

Removal

Removing the system requires two chain whips or cassette pliers. Put one chain whip on each half of the cassette and orient the chain whip on the aluminum cluster of the cassette to turn the cassette clockwise, then orient the second chain whip on the steel cluster to turn it counter-clockwise. Turn the chain whips until the arrow on the steel sprocket assembly reaches the open padlock icon and remove the steel cluster. With the chain whip on the aluminum cluster, orient it to pull the sprocket clockwise, place the silver lockring tool on the top of the cluster and using an e*thirteen bottom bracket tool or a large 36mm wrench loosen the cassette lockring until the aluminum cassette comes off.

Impressions

One of the great things about the TRS Race cassette is getting a massive 511% gear range without having to do anything except drop the cassette onto the hubs XD driver. Although there are other systems available to increase the gear range on your drivetrain, they tend to cost more money and require a lot more replacement parts. With the SRAM Eagle, you’ll need a cassette, chain, shifter, and derailleur. The excellent Wolf Tooth Components 49T/WolfCage and OneUp Components Shark 50T/Cage require some specific parts, cassettes, and derailleurs to work with their systems though they do interface to existing drivetrains. Along with the 511% gear range and the drop-in ability of the e*thirteen system, another highlight is the tiny 9-tooth cog, which provides some high-speed flying capabilities on the trails while still being able to run a small chainring up front. You won’t run out of gear when cranking down on the pedals out in the flats or doing downhill.

The larger cogs are made from aluminum for weight savings, and the smaller ones are steel for durability, and they’re available separately, so when the alloy climbing gears wear out, you don’t need to buy an entire cassette.

The overall shifting performance of the TRS Race cassette was decently consistent though not on par with either the SRAM or Shimano cassettes. Downshifts were always a bit more clunky, and shifting wasn’t as nearly smooth, especially in the smaller cogs. Oddly the two largest cogs shifted very smoothly, both up and down, which was a welcome surprise and was better than competitors shifting in that zone. The ramping on the cogs made upshifts slightly slower, and on some occasions, it felt like the entire cog body system shuddered when it clunked down into a gear. The gaps between the gears (9-10-12-14-17-20-24-28-33-39-46) were nicely thought out, and I found it worked well on any of my local terrain, without any noticeable flat spots and dead zones while pedaling.

I paired the 9-46t cassette with a 30-tooth chainring on my All Mountain Ibis Mojo HD3, which was about perfect for my riding style and cadence. Due to the uber small 9-tooth cog, you’ll likely not be able to use a 28-tooth chainring since the chain will scrape and bounce on your chainstay.

Over the eight months of heavy use, the large 3-ring 33-46t aluminum cogset is showing lot’s of wear now, but it still shifts and pedals fine, but it is likely time for a replacement at the cost of $125. The steel set hasn’t shown any signs of wear and tear as yet, so I can see that portion lasting a very long time. It did wear faster than my 49T Wolf Tooth and Shimano 46T sprockets that I have tested previously, but nothing too outrageous and it was within the acceptable range for alloy cogs.

Bottom Line

The lightweight e*thirteen TRS Race cassette with its 9-46t cog sweep offers a 511% gear range and provides a drop-in installation on an XD driver and works with both SRAM and Shimano shifting systems. It was reliable, though it shifted somewhat slower and did it in a clunkier manner, and it wasn’t nearly as smooth as the comparable SRAM and Shimano cassettes. It did offer a much smoother and crisper shifting in the two largest cogs, which I liked since I spend a lot of time in those gears. The wear on the three largest alloy cogs was acceptable, and with their two-piece design, it offers an easy replacement option for those high-torque cogs.

For further information refer to bythehive.com