e*thirteen TRS Plus 12-Speed Gen2 Cassette
(discontinued)

Vital Rating:
Discontinued
Related:
Where To Buy
Free shipping on orders over $50 (continental U.S. only).
International shipping available. Some exclusions apply.
Free shipping on orders over $50 (continental U.S. only).
International shipping available. Some exclusions apply.
First Ride: E*thirteen TRS Plus 9-50t Cassette
556% of gear range at competitive weight and pricing, e*thirteen's latest cassette has a lot going for it.
Rating:
Vital Review
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USbrand e*thirteen has been making replacement cassettes for a while now, going through several iterations of their design based around a split cassette body. Originally a three-piece construction, they’ve now settled on two pieces but still with the same goal of providing more range at less weight and at competitive prices. We’ve had one out on the trails for about one month by now, check out the details and see the cassette in action in our video review below.

Strengths

Weaknesses

  • Huge gear range
  • Competitive weight
  • Competitive price
  • Sensitive to chain drop while backpedaling in lower gears
  • Slightly “clunkier” shifting than original SRAM or Shimano cassettes
  • Can be difficult to set up with Shimano derailleur

E*thirteen TRS + Cassette Highlights

  • 9-50T: 556% gear range (tested)
  • 9-46T: 511% gear range
  • 9-50T: 9, 11, 13, 15, 17, 20, 23, 27, 31, 36, 42, 50
  • 9-46T: 9, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 21, 24, 28, 33, 39, 46
  • 2 alloy cogs, steel cluster
  • XD driver compatible
  • Weight: 390 grams (verified)
  • MSRP: $279 USD

Video Review

We reviewed the e*thirteen TRS + 9-50t cassette in Vital MTB's Gear Show. Jump to 5:40 to go directly to the review, or watch the whole thing to check out a bunch of other interesting stuff at the same time:

Jumping into the 12-speed game, the latest TRS Plus cassette offers a whopping 556% gear range, made possible by a 9t cog at the small end of the cassette. SRAM’s Eagle cassettes and Shimano’s new 12-speed cassettes all stop at 10, which is what allows e*thirteen to gain the upper hand in the range war. E*thirteen’s new 9-50t cassette weighs in at 390 grams, which is 35 grams more than SRAM X01 Eagle but 60 grams less than GX Eagle. Price-wise, the e*thirteen cassette lands at $279 which is right in between MSRP for the GX and X01 cassettes (note that you can also opt for the 9-46t version from e*thirteen, which is lighter that X01 Eagle and still offers 11% more gear range).

Installing the e*thirteen cassette is fairly straight forward. You start with the two large alloy cogs, which need to be pressed down onto the hub driver and then secured with an allen bolt. Be careful not to over-torque this one, as it can snap the lock ring if you do. You then slide the cluster of steel cogs onto the driver, and lock it into the two larger cogs with the help of a chain-whip. In the final step, which is new for this version of the cassette, you lock the two parts together with a small bolt. With very minor adjustments, the new cassette should play nice with a SRAM Eagle derailleur, and you can also make it work with a Shimano derailleur although it requires a bit more effort and fine-tuning to get it to run smoothly.

In terms of shifting quality, the new e*thirteen cassette performs well. It is not quite as smooth as X01 Eagle, it can produce a few more clicks and clacks when shifting between gears, but it gets the job done. It is also a little bit more sensitive to chain drop when backpedaling in easier gears. On the trail, the massive range of the new cassette means you should never find yourself lacking gears no matter how steep the climb. To take full advantage of the smaller, 9t cog, you could also drop a size off your chainring which would really turn your granny gear into an unstoppable torque machine. For us, we can really get by with a bit less, so the 9-46 version is probably what we would opt for, dropping weight and gaining clearance in exchange for a little less range on the climbing side. Whichever way you go though, you’re certainly getting a good product that brings something extra to the drivetrain table.

More information at: https://www.ethirteen.com.


About The Reviewer

Johan Hjord - Age: 46 // Years Riding MTB: 14 // Weight: 190-pounds (87-kg) // Height: 6'0" (1.84m)

Johan loves bikes, which strangely doesn’t make him any better at riding them. After many years spent practicing falling off cliffs with his snowboard, he took up mountain biking in 2005. Ever since, he’s mostly been riding bikes with too much suspension travel to cover up his many flaws as a rider. His 200-pound body weight coupled with unique skill for poor line choice and clumsy landings make him an expert on durability - if parts survive Johan, they’re pretty much okay for anybody. Johan rides flat pedals with a riding style that he describes as "none" (when in actuality he rips!). Having found most trail features to be not to his liking, Johan uses much of his spare time building his own. Johan’s other accomplishments include surviving this far and helping keep the Vital Media Machine’s stoke dial firmly on 11.

Video by Johan Hjord

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Specifications

Product
e*thirteen TRS Plus 12-Speed Gen2 Cassette
Riding Type
Cross Country
Enduro / All-Mountain
Freeride / Bike Park
Trail
Material
2 aluminum cogs, 10 steel cogs
Speeds
12-Speed
Tooth Options
9-50 tooth: 9,11,13,15,17,20,23,27,31,36,42,50
9-46 tooth: 9,10,12,14,16,18,21,24,28,33,39,46
Driver Type
SRAM XD
Weight
9-50 tooth (verified): 0 lb 13.8 oz (390 g)
9-46 tooth: 0 lb 11.9 oz (336 g)
Miscellaneous
• Compatibility: SRAM Eagle and Shimano XTR, XT, SLX 12-speed drivetrains
• Freehub Mount: Mounts to an XD Driver with a 3mm pinch bolt, and standard cassette spline tool. Removes simply with a chainwhip and cassette tool
• Range: 556% (9-50 tooth), 511% (9-46 tooth)
• Warranty: 5 years
Price
$229.00
More Info
What do you think?
Where To Buy
Free shipping on orders over $50 (continental U.S. only).
International shipping available. Some exclusions apply.
Free shipping on orders over $50 (continental U.S. only).
International shipping available. Some exclusions apply.
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