E*Thirteen TRS+ 11 Speed 9-46T Cassette: Customer Review

If you're looking to increase your gear range outside of the typical SRAM and Shimano options, the E*Thirteen TRS+ 11 speed 9-46T cassette is a great alternative. In this review, our customer switches from a SRAM 10-42T cassette to the E*thirteen and has been loving it so far. Check it out!

Installation

First of all, I am by no means anything beyond an entry-level bike mechanic. So if I can install this cassette, you can too.

You will need to read the instructions that come with the cassette and pay attention to all the grease points. I almost missed 2 grease points where the pins from the steel group of rings connect to the aluminum group.

Next, you need to know that you have to push the aluminum group towards the center of the wheel while tightening the pinch bolt to 4NM of torque. After that, make sure you push the steel portion of the cassette down onto the aluminum portion until you feel it click (or pop in my case) into place. If you don't get this to occur (which I didn't at first) you will almost lose your mind trying to engage the steel portion on the aluminum portion with the chain whip.

Now for the chain install. I used a new (don't try to use a used chain, trust me) SRAM PCX1 chain. I followed the Park Tool Chain Installation guide video that you can easily find on Youtube or ParkTool's website. It basically has you removing the pivot bolt of the rear shock (so you can bypass the shock) and move the rear triangle of the bike up (and tying it up) to give the maximum stretch position of the chain. Then you have the chain on the largest cog on the cassette and pull the chain to meet up with the other end on the front sprocket at the 5 o'clock position then add 2 rivets. I did this then re-attached the rear shock and found out that on the smallest cog in the rear cassette, I had too much chain slack and I needed to remove 1 additional link from the chain. You don't really realize the spread of this cassette until you see what it does to your chain tension from smallest cog to largest cog. It's pretty amazing.

Performance

First off, I am coming from the original (and only 7 months of wear) SRAM cassette which shifted very well and I had no complaints. It was the 10-42T cassette. So know that when I compare the E*Thirteen cassette to my old one, the old one was reliable and had great shifts.

The E*Thirteen TRS+ cassette to me looks great. I really like how it looks with the PCX1 chain too. Some complaints of the previous versions of the E*Thirteen was that the cassette made noise when used. I've only had this for about 1 month so far with about 10rides on it but I can say it is as quiet as a mouse. No creaks or noises.

Next, some complained that the chain would jump while in the 46 cog to the 39 cog during backpedaling. I've never had this happen to me and that is why I purchased the PCX1 chain because I had read about other chains doing this (from KMC).

Final Thoughts

And finally, how does it shift? Really good. It is not as perfect as the shifts of the original SRAM cassette but it is almost as good. If you have a worn cassette you'll probably think the E*Thirteen shifts better. I tried some shifts under a light load and they all shifted well. The range of this cassette is absolutely incredible. I am already spoiled with the granny gear and the high gear is awesome. Some reviews complained about the 9 cog not being smooth but to me, I can't tell any difference in smoothness from the SRAM 10cog. This thing rocks and I have already posted some of my best times (as reported by Strava app) on my favorite trails. The uphill climb got faster as well as the downhill times. This cassette is great and I can't imagine going back to the original 10-42 ever.

I've included some pictures and a video for you to check out the looks and shift quality. Hope this helps!