Upgrading to 50t with Shimano XT

[Mufasa69]

Hi Guys

 

I would like to find out what I need to do/change to do the following:

 

I currently have a 1x11, 11-46 XT set-up and would like to upgrade my cassette to the Sunrace 11-50t. What would i need to change replace to make this happen?

 

Appreciate your assistance.

[Fitbull]

You will need the eagle derailleur, shifter, cassette and chain

 

Just did it on my wifes bike works a treat.

 

Buy yourself the SRAM eagle upgrade kit, should be the cheapest option of doing it. Then sell the eagle cassette in classifieds.

 

CWC currently have a special on the sunrace cassette.

[ALLMTB]

It will work with a Shimano derailleur as noted here, how well it works is another story:

 

https://factoryjackson.com/2017/04/19/sunrace-mx80-11-50-11-speed-cassette/

 

https://singletrackworld.com/2018/02/need-more-range-on-your-1x11-drivetrain-we-review-the-enormous-11-50t-mx80-cassette-from-sunrace/

[droo]

It'll work, but not perfectly - as with anything where you're pushing a component past its design spec.

[Mufasa69]

You will need the eagle derailleur, shifter, cassette and chain

 

Just did it on my wifes bike works a treat.

 

Buy yourself the SRAM eagle upgrade kit, should be the cheapest option of doing it. Then sell the eagle cassette in classifieds.

 

CWC currently have a special on the sunrace cassette.

I would like to keep my 1x11 for now and just upgrade the cassette.....well that is if i know that it will work.

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

You will need the eagle derailleur, shifter, cassette and chain

 

Just did it on my wifes bike works a treat.

 

Buy yourself the SRAM eagle upgrade kit, should be the cheapest option of doing it. Then sell the eagle cassette in classifieds.

 

CWC currently have a special on the sunrace cassette.

No. No, he won't. 

 

Which cage length is your M8000, Fitbull? The SLX m8000 med cage can take a 50t comfortably, and the m8000 SGS can as well. The GS cage has a max capacity of 39t, which means that with sufficient B Screw adjustment, you should be able to clear the 50 & 11t. 

 

I've also seen vids of the SGS cage comfortably clearing the 50t. 

 

[Wannabe]

It will work, you just might have a bit of a slow "downchange" from the 50 to the 42. If that's the case and it bothers you, you can fit a "goatlink" to drop the derailer a bit. This will sort it out. 

 

https://www.evobikes.co.za/media/catalog/product/cache/1/small_image/296x296/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/g/o/goatlink11.jpg

[brad890]

Do your homework first before changing to sunrace 50t cassette from a 46t shimano.

 

The sprocket ratios are different especialley the bottom 3rd of the cassette.

 

If you spend alot of time in the smallest 4/5 sprockets on your cassette, you might be served better changing the chainring on your cranks?

 

Sure someone here on hub will correct me if I'm wrong

[Two-Stroke]

Mufasa,

 

Which derailleur do you have?  If it's the medium cage model (XT RD-M8000-GS) then the published cassette limit is max 46T.

 

This is as per Shimano's spec here:  https://bike.shimano.com/en-EU/product/component/deorext-m8000/RD-M8000-GS.html

Scroll down the page a take a look at "Low sprocket_Max." spec.  It is 42T if you're running (2x11-speed) and it is 46T if you're running (1x11-speed).

 

I haven't personally set up and tested this derailleur in a 1x11 with cassette larger than 46T so this advice is speculative, but you can try running a 50T setup which might work but be prepared to have sub-par shifting and potentially some problems.

 

Best bet is to stick with 46T, or to replace your derailleur with one designed for larger ranges if you want to go bigger.

[Two-Stroke]

Forgot to add:

 

You'll have to play around with chain length too.  There no magic recipe for this because it'll be affected by you bike's chainstay length, suspension design etc.  Be careful about installing and testing the setup on a workstand, and then assuming that all works fine because it shift smoothly like it does in that video posted about. 

[Kom]

CWC currently have a special on the sunrace cassette.

The 11 speed sale only has 11-42t in stock for both cassettes.

 

I agree though that skipping the hack and going for a 1x12 SRAM GX upgrade path would be a far better route to take (and only around R2500 extra to the outlay for the sunrace anyway).

[Sparki 1]

Hi Guys

 

I would like to find out what I need to do/change to do the following:

 

I currently have a 1x11, 11-46 XT set-up and would like to upgrade my cassette to the Sunrace 11-50t. What would i need to change replace to make this happen?

 

Appreciate your assistance.

You will need the cassette and a new chain. I changed my cassette from 11-42 to 11-50 sunrace and the shifting is smooth & crisp up and down on a GS cage.

[Mufasa69]

Thanks. Got a lot of feedback and my answers.

I will rather stick to my current set-up and then upgrade to the Eagle at a later stage.. I was just a bit concerned going the GX Eagle route as I've heard a lot of riders complaining about the intermittend shifting issues...

[JohanDiv]

Hi Mufasa..did you ever do the upgrade?

 

Sounds like you have the same setup as I had. 1x11 XT 11-46T and a 30T on the front.(Came standard on my Scott Spark RC 900 Pro)

Nice to have that 46T granny for climbing, but I had a problem spinning out at around 35kmh.

 

I replaced it with the 11-50T Sunrace cassette, a new chain, and a 34T XT ring on the front.

 

That took my gear ratios from 0.65-2.73 to 0.68-3.09.

 

So I sacrificed a little bit of the granny gear(you barely notice it) and gained a lot of top speed on the other side! I rarely spin out now.

 

I agree with the other guys, the shifting is not perfect, just a bit slower than the standard XT setup, but not a problem..It's been a month and I'm already used to it. I didn't change derailleurs or cages or any of that. 

[Jewbacca]

You can always buy a roadlink from wolftooth or one from Rapide.

 

It extends the Hangar length and will eat up the 50tooth.

 

Just a thought.

 

https://www.rapide.co.za/product/rapide-derailleur-hanger-extender/

 

https://www.wolftoothcomponents.com/products/roadlink

[Jewbacca]

Also, 1x12 sunrace upgrade kit is only R2700 and the reviews are pretty good.