I would like to ask those who are knowledgeable about titanium cassettes the following question that I have never seen directly addressed.
Does a titanium cassette/cog wear faster than an identical steel cassette/cog? I was always of the opinion that titanium did wear faster by virtue of the fact that the smallest cogs on a titanium cassettes were almost always made of something other than titanium because there were not enough cog teeth on which to apply the pedal torque. The titanium was too soft? Can anyone explain and set me straight on this?
I’ve always purchased steel cassettes thinking they had the longest life. To me, this was more important than saving a few grams at almost twice the price. Was I wrong?
Thanks in advance for your past and present assistance.
Ti cassettes do wear faster than a steel cassette, but are still plenty durable for race wheels. For training, steel rules.
For real weight savings, I used to use alloy cassettes, but haven’t for a few years since I switched to 9 speed. TA and a few other companies make them. That said, alloy cassettes are really only to be used on special occasions, as they will wear out really fast. They also don’t help you go any faster, except perhaps up Alpe d’Huez.
I had earlier asked about a titanium straight block cassette for use on my time trial bike because Shimano does not make an 11-19. I have heard tell that it is possible to make one, but this probably requires tools I do not have. My wife and I average 8,000-10,000 miles per year and we use Dura Ace 9-speed cassettes that have titanium cogs on all but the two smallest cogs, on all of our wheelsets. To qualify this though, the cassette on my bike currently has about 15,000 miles on it and still shifts perfectly but we do keep our bikes pretty clean as well as replace the chains every 3000 miles or so.