SHIMANO 105 CS-HG700 11-speed cassette, 11-34T One Size,Silver,ICSHG70011134

Product Information

Stiffness is right up there with the best. Shimano are persisting with a 24mm steel axle, where others have moved to 30mm aluminium axles, but it doesn't appear to make any meaningful difference to the performance of the crankset. This is a super-stiff unit: jump on the pedals and give it the beans and there's barely any movement of the rings at the front derailleur, so you hardly ever get any mech rub when things are set up properly.

There are new rear derailleurs on the market that are identifiable as being compatible because they have a ‘520% range’ graphic printed on the derailleur cage. SRAM Eagle AXS rear derailleurs are compatible with the new 10-52 cassettes. Part of Shimano’s forward-thinking R7100 series, this road cassette comes kitted out with durable steel cogs and an aluminium spider for maximum strength and reliability. This 12 speed model also features an 11-34T ratio, which makes it ideal for everything from sprinting on the flat to climbing steep inclines on your road bike. Its refined 12-step gear combination also ensures excellent efficiency, so none of your effort is wasted. You’ll experience faster, smoother shifts under maximum torque (pedalling force) and shifts so smooth you’ll barely notice them, whether you’re biking uphill, downhill or rolling on the flats. Compatible with both Shimano 11 and 12 speed freehub bodies, this cassette is a versatile choice of upgrade for conquering your next road journey. 12 Speed Cassette with Hyperglide TechnologyShimano usually updates each groupset every three years. The latest version of Shimano 105 is called R7000 (the disc brakes are R7020) and the most up to date Ultegra is R8000 (the disc brakes are R8020, the Di2 is R8050 and Di2 with hydraulic disc brakes is R8070). It's not really worth considering changing your gearing until you understand what it is you want to achieve. A lower gear by changing the cassette or chainset/chainrings might come at the expense of bigger gaps between gears or a lot of repeated gears, or lots of cross-chaining to achieve the right ratios. If you are still using a triple crankset, you may have sufficient overall range with a road cassette, but this is a fairly specialist application these days. Where it makes sense to spend money even on the commuter is for cables - a good set of cables can keep you shifting well much longer. Also don't skimp on brake pads (where I don't buy Shimano anyhow).

The new design is compatible with direct mount frames, although there aren't many of those in the road sector right now. we need to be clear what we mean when we write 'gears': do we mean cog and chainring teeth (11-12-13 &c and 52-39 &c)? Cog & chainring combinations (52x13)? 11sp vs 10sp? Gear sequence (1st to 22nd)? Gear relationship (higher/lower; highest/lowest)? Cog number on cassette (1-11)? Gear ratios (1:1, 2.74:1)? Gear inches (30–135")? Metres development (4.56)? 'Gain'? Speed at rpm? Or the whole system (derailleurs, chain, cassette, [internal hub] chainrings)?

PS MTB triple chainsets have the wrong chainline (typically 50mm) for a road bike (typically needing 43.5mm). The very latest versions of Shimano's Ultegra and 105 GS rear derailleurs will actually handle an 11-40 cassette, which opens up a range of possibilities for gravel bikes, touring bikes, and any other situation where you're not in a hurry. The crank is a lever, and as with all levers, the longer the lever from effort (your foot) to load (the bb axle), the less effort you need per unit of movement achieved. You will need a long-cage derailleur if you want to use an 11-34t cassette on a road bike. Simon Bromley / Immediate Media

The rear derailleur is completely new for 105, moving over to Shimano's Shadow technology that's come over to the road from the mountain bike groupsets. The mechanism is significantly more compact than the previous mech, meaning that the derailleur doesn't protrude so far outside the frame (33mm, as opposed to 45mm). This means it's better protected in the event of a crash. The new derailleur is available in two cage lengths; the shorter SS mech is for cassettes up to 11-30T, and the GS has a claimed maximum of 11-34T (although in reality it'll handle a lot more). The new design is compatible with direct mount frames, although there aren't many of those in the road sector right now. Once set up, we found 105 shifting to be precise and consistent across the whole cassette. It's crisp and light whether you're using the short cage or the medium cage rear derailleur. If a compact chainset isn't small enough, you can go lower still with a sub-compact like the FSA Energy. These typically have 46T and 30T chainrings for a roughly 10 percent drop in gears. The weight savings aren't spread evenly. If you were looking at getting some Ultegra bits You'd be hard pressed to justify upgrading from a 105 chain, for example, to net the 3g weight saving that gives. The biggest saving in absolute terms is the Dual Control levers (62g) and the biggest in terms of percentage is the cassette (17% lighter). The second is interesting in that the cassette is often a place where bike manufacturers spec down as it's not an obvious downgrade.Like rear derailleurs, front derailleurs have a maximum capacity. Here it relates to the difference in size between the large chainring and the small chainring. So, say you are using 50/34T chainrings: the difference is 16 teeth. You need to ensure you’re using a compatible rear derailleur if you’re using the 10-52 option, because the previous-generation Eagle mechanical rear derailleur’s cage is slightly too short. However shifters, lets call them briftors, are subject to damage more frequently than any other component on a bike, so why go with DA briftors when 105 works extremely well and gets better with the addition of DA9000 cables? The cost to replace DA briftors would make the average person's head spin, and with changes going on all the time, if you break one you'll probably end up replacing both because you more than likely won't be able to find a replacement that matches the unbroken one still on the bike. It’s important to note that this figure is only indicative of the range of gears you have on your cassette, and is not the same as working out how far you will travel with your chosen gear ratio.

If you are specifically using a Shimano HG freehub, you need to consider how wide the cassette you are buying is. Road wheels have slightly wider freehubs than MTB ones – by 1.85mm – and 11-speed Shimano HG road cassettes are slightly wider than 8- or 9-speed ones, again by 1.85mm. The Ultegra pedal is also available in a version with a 4mm longer axle for more clearance between the crank arm and your shoe. ConclusionYou may sometimes see brands refer to their cassettes as having a certain range in the form of a percentage.