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Freehub & Cassette Compatibility Manual

There are two brands that dominate the freehub/cassette market - Shimano and Sram.As standards evolve, the number of compatibility issues rise. We have created this simple manual to explain the history and talk through the various formats available. If you have a Campagnolo cassette, you require a Campagnolo freehub, they are not compatible with Shimano or Sram.

If you have a cassette or freehub you wish to use and simply want to ensure your parts are compatible, you can skip to the chart at the bottom of this page.

Shimano

Shimano’s Hyperglide (HG) freehub design was introduced in the 1980s. It is distinguished by its 9 splines, with a keyed (wider) slot in order to align the cogs so they shift properly. There were several variations of these HG freehubs to be aware of.

Shimano HG “8-10” speed Mountain Freehub

shimano-8-9-10-11-speed-mountain-hyper-glide-freehub.jpeg

When 9 speed was introduced, they used narrower chains and had less spacing between cogs compared to 8 speed. The overall cassette width was exactly the same and you do not need to run spacers with either cassette. Shimano had a mind for 11 speed, so when they introduced 10 speed, they made the spacing much narrower than 9 speed. A Shimano 10 speed cassette is even narrower than a 9 speed so you need to run a 1mm spacer behind the cassette in this case. When 11 speed mountain cassettes came out, they would fit on the 8-10 speed freehubs without the use of a spacer. Road 11 speed, however, would not fit unless you were to remove one of the inner cogs.

Shimano HG 10 speed ONLY Freehub

shimano-10-speed-only-freehub-incompatible-with-other-speed.jpeg

There was a short period of time when some freehubs were made that were only compatible with 10 speed Shimano cassettes. With this setup, you don’t need a spacer. You cannot run 11 or 12 speed cassettes on these 10 speed only freehubs. Non-10 speed cassettes won’t likely fit as splines on the 10 speed freehubs were taller.

Shimano HG 11/12 Speed Road Freehub

shimano-hg-road-11-speed-freehub.jpeg

Since 11 speed mountain cassettes fit on 8-10 speed freehubs, this HG road freehub is intended for road 11 speed AND 12 speed cassettes. You can, however, run an 8, 9 or 11 speed mountain cassette on these with a 1.85mm spacer. If you want to run your Shimano 10 speed cassette, you can add a 1mm and 1.85mm spacer. A handful of hub manufacturers used the “road” 11 speed spacing and included a spacer as they assumed Shimano would be releasing 12 speed mountain cassettes and would require this wider freehub. However, when Shimano released their 12 speed it ended up using a completely different design (MicroSpline, explained later).

Mavic Shimano-style HG 8-11 Speed Mountain Freehub

mavic-shimano-style-8-9-10-11-speed-freehub.jpeg

Works with Shimano/Sram HG 11 speed cassettes without spacers. If you want to run your Shimano 10 speed cassette, you can add a 1mm and 1.75mm Mavic spacer. If you want to run an 8-10 speed Sram HG or Shimano 8/9 speed cassette, you can run a 1.75mm Mavic spacer.

Shimano MicroSpline (MS) 11/12 speed

shimano-micro-spline-11-12-speed-mountain-freehub.jpeg

When Shimano mountain cassettes grew to 12 speed, they introduced a long-awaited freehub revision - MicroSpline. The MS freehubs are characterized by being much shorter and having 23 splines (HG-type has 9 splines). The increase helps distribute forces thus allowing for lighter alloy freehubs to be used.

MS freehub splines and cassettes are mounted differently and can’t be combined with other standards. The largest cogs are mounted to an alloy spider, while the four smaller steel cogs slide onto the freehub body individually. The smallest cog is only 10t (11t was a standard). The spacing is the same between 11 and 12 speed MicroSpline cassettes, there is just 1 less sprocket with 11spd.

Shimano Hyperglide+ 12 Speed Road

mavic-shimano-style-8-9-10-11-speed-freehub.jpeg

In 2021, Shimano launched the all-new 12-speed Dura-Ace (R9200) and Ultegra (R8100) road groupsets for faster and smoother shifts. They applied the Hyperglide+ technology (first introduced in off-road cycling) to their road cassettes. The 12-speed cassette is designed to be backwards compatible with the existing 11-speed road freehub, while the 12 speed-specific freehub (available on Dura Ace hubs currently) can’t be used with the 11-speed parts.

shimano-8-9-10-11-speed-mountain-hyper-glide-freehub.jpeg

Shimano HG “8-10” Speed Mountain Freehub

When 9 speed was introduced, they used narrower chains and had less spacing between cogs compared to 8 speed. The overall cassette width was exactly the same and you do not need to run spacers with either cassette. Shimano had a mind for 11 speed, so when they introduced 10 speed, they made the spacing much narrower than 9 speed. A Shimano 10 speed cassette is even narrower than a 9 speed so you need to run a 1mm spacer behind the cassette in this case. When 11 speed mountain cassettes came out, they would fit on the 8-10 speed freehubs without the use of a spacer. Road 11 speed, however, would not fit unless you were to remove one of the inner cogs.

Shimano HG 10 Speed ONLY Freehub

There was a short period of time when some freehubs were made that were only compatible with 10 speed Shimano cassettes. With this setup, you don’t need a spacer. You cannot run 11 or 12 speed cassettes on these 10 speed only freehubs. Non-10 speed cassettes won’t likely fit as splines on the 10 speed freehubs were taller.

shimano-10-speed-only-freehub-incompatible-with-other-speed.jpeg
shimano-hg-road-11-speed-freehub.jpeg

Shimano HG 11/12 Speed Road Freehub

Since 11 speed mountain cassettes fit on 8-10 speed freehubs, this HG road freehub is intended for road 11 speed AND 12 speed cassettes. You can, however, run an 8, 9 or 11 speed mountain cassette on these with a 1.85mm spacer. If you want to run your Shimano 10 speed cassette, you can add a 1mm and 1.85mm spacer. A handful of hub manufacturers used the “road” 11 speed spacing and included a spacer as they assumed Shimano would be releasing 12 speed mountain cassettes and would require this wider freehub. However, when Shimano released their 12 speed it ended up using a completely different design (MicroSpline, explained later).

Mavic Shimano-style HG 8-11 Speed Mountain Freehub

Works with Shimano/Sram HG 11 speed cassettes without spacers. If you want to run your Shimano 10 speed cassette, you can add a 1mm and 1.75mm Mavic spacer. If you want to run an 8-10 speed Sram HG or Shimano 8/9 speed cassette, you can run a 1.75mm Mavic spacer.

mavic-shimano-style-8-9-10-11-speed-freehub.jpeg
shimano-micro-spline-11-12-speed-mountain-freehub.jpeg

Shimano MicroSpline (MS) 11/12 Speed

When Shimano mountain cassettes grew to 12 speed, they introduced a long-awaited freehub revision - MicroSpline. The MS freehubs are characterized by being much shorter and having 23 splines (HG-type has 9 splines). The increase helps distribute forces thus allowing for lighter alloy freehubs to be used.

MS freehub splines and cassettes are mounted differently and can’t be combined with other standards. The largest cogs are mounted to an alloy spider, while the four smaller steel cogs slide onto the freehub body individually. The smallest cog is only 10t (11t was a standard). The spacing is the same between 11 and 12 speed MicroSpline cassettes, there is just 1 less sprocket with 11spd.

Shimano Hyperglide+ 12 Speed Road

In 2021, Shimano launched the all-new 12-speed Dura-Ace (R9200) and Ultegra (R8100) road groupsets for faster and smoother shifts. They applied the Hyperglide+ technology (first introduced in off-road cycling) to their road cassettes. The 12-speed cassette is designed to be backwards compatible with the existing 11-speed road freehub, while the 12 speed-specific freehub (available on Dura Ace hubs currently) can’t be used with the 11-speed parts.

mavic-shimano-style-8-9-10-11-speed-freehub.jpeg

Sram

Shimano HG-Style

Sram HG-style cassettes are largely the same spacing as Shimano, with the 10 speed exception. The Sram 10 speed cassette is the same width as 8/9 speed, whereas with Shimano it’s 1mm narrower.

Compatibility and Spacer Chart :

XD 11 & 12 Speed

sram-xd-mountain-11-12-speed-freehub.jpeg

Sram XD driver is created to allow the smallest cog to be 10 teeth for high gear ratio. It’s lighter and more durable than HG freehubs because cassettes won’t gouge into the splines.

XD-R 11 & 12 Speed

sram-xdr-road-11-12-speed-freehub.jpeg

The road version (XD-R) is compatible with mountain cassettes if you add a 1.85mm spacer. There is no spacer required with a road XDR cassette. As it relates to the freehub, there is no compatibility difference between 11 and 12 speed Sram cassettes. SRAM RED eTap AXS and Force eTap AXS road cassettes use the XDR freehub.

Sram XX1, XX1 Eagle, X01, X01 Eagle, X1, GX, GX Eagle all use the XD freehub body. The Sram NX 12 speed cassette uses the Shimano HG freehub body, so you need to watch out for this one. A good way to check compatibility is to see how many teeth your Sram cassette has. If the smallest cog is 10T, it should use an XD-style freehub, but if it’s 11T then it likely uses a Shimano HG freehub.

Campagnolo

Campy 9 & 10 & 11 & 12 Speed

Campagnolo-8-9-10-11-spd-freehub.jpeg

Campagnolo freehubs are compatible only with Campagnolo cassettes. In late 2000, Campagnolo introduced the Ultra-Drive standard, for greater shifting smoothness. Its 9/10/11-speed freehubs are compatible with all the Ultra-Drive cassettes of either 9, 10, 11 or 12-speed (11t starting cog) with no spacers required.

N3W 13 Speed

Campagnolo-N3W-freehub.jpeg

Designed to work with their newer 12 or 13 speed cassettes, Campagnolo’s new freewheel body is a patented standard. Sharing the same grooved design as their classic body, the N3W is lighter and shortened by 4.4mm which allows it to handle the smaller 9t or 10t cogs.

Adding the AC21-N3W adapter will create the same length as the classic freehub body, making it backwards compatible with their 9, 10, 11 or 12 speed cassettes (model’s starting with an 11t cog).

sram-xd-mountain-11-12-speed-freehub.jpeg

XD 11 & 12 Speed

Sram XD driver is created to allow the smallest cog to be 10 teeth for high gear ratio. It’s lighter and more durable than HG freehubs because cassettes won’t gouge into the splines.

XD-R 11 & 12 Speed

The road version (XD-R) is compatible with mountain cassettes if you add a 1.85mm spacer. There is no spacer required with a road XDR cassette. As it relates to the freehub, there is no compatibility difference between 11 and 12 speed Sram cassettes. SRAM RED eTap AXS and Force eTap AXS road cassettes use the XDR freehub.

sram-xdr-road-11-12-speed-freehub.jpeg

Sram XX1, XX1 Eagle, X01, X01 Eagle, X1, GX, GX Eagle all use the XD freehub body. The Sram NX 12 speed cassette uses the Shimano HG freehub body, so you need to watch out for this one. A good way to check compatibility is to see how many teeth your Sram cassette has. If the smallest cog is 10T, it should use an XD-style freehub, but if it’s 11T then it likely uses a Shimano HG freehub.

Campagnolo

Campagnolo-8-9-10-11-spd-freehub.jpeg

Campy 9 & 10 & 11 & 12 Speed

Campagnolo freehubs are compatible only with Campagnolo cassettes. In late 2000, Campagnolo introduced the Ultra-Drive standard, for greater shifting smoothness. Its 9/10/11-speed freehubs are compatible with all the Ultra-Drive cassettes of either 9, 10, 11 or 12-speed (11t starting cog) with no spacers required.

N3W 13 Speed

Designed to work with their newer 12 or 13 speed cassettes, Campagnolo’s new freewheel body is a patented standard. Sharing the same grooved design as their classic body, the N3W is lighter and shortened by 4.4mm which allows it to handle the smaller 9t or 10t cogs.

Adding the AC21-N3W adapter will create the same length as the classic freehub body, making it backwards compatible with their 9, 10, 11 or 12 speed cassettes (model’s starting with an 11t cog).

Campagnolo-N3W-freehub.jpeg

Cassette Compatibility Chart

If you are unsure what freehubs will match your cassette, please contact us (sales@lightbicycle) and we’ll reach out to confirm your order.

COMMENTS

J

julien 2022/12/29

Hey I'm currently running an ultegra 6800 11spd groupset with old DT350 hubs. I'd like to upgrade to a 12-speed cassette. Will the hub be compatible? Thanks

LightBicycle 2022/12/29

Hi Julien, Do you like to upgrade from shimano 10S to shimano 11S? Thanks, Lightbicycle

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D

David 2022/06/06

Hello, I have a Shimano HG11 Road hub running an Ultegra HG-800 cassette. I want to convert this wheel to accommodate an eThirteen TRS+ 9-46 11-speed cassette on a SRAM Force 1x rear mech. Will I need to convert to a SRAM free hub, and if so, which one? Thank you!

LightBicycle 2022/06/08

Hi David, You would need an SRAM XD or XDR freehub body. Thanks, Lightbicycle

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C

Chris 2022/02/25

I removed an Ultegra 11-speed cassette and replaced with SRAM 11-speed (Red XG-1190) using the same hub (Shimano HG 11/12 Speed Road Freehub). My problem is that the back of the Ultegra cassette is slightly recessed (negative spacing, so to speak), whereas the SRAM cassette is completely flat. This difference causes the SRAM cassette to be flush with the front so that, when installed on bike, the cassette rubs slightly against the frame. Should I be using a different hub? THANK YOU!

LightBicycle 2022/02/26

Hi Chris, The XG-1190 should compatible with HG freehub without any problem. Here's a similar case as you, you can check it out. I hope it helps. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFm4B3mPV9g Thanks, Lightbicycle

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R

Roberto 2022/02/15

is a compatible freehub mounted onto SE monster quad 29" bike available?

LightBicycle 2022/02/18

Hi Roberto, Thanks for reaching out! There's no freehub on your 29er bike. Monster Quad bike is built with a fixed gear hub judging by the photos and video on their site. What's goal do you want to achieve? Maybe I can help if you can be more specific. Thanks, Lightbicycle

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S

Steve 2022/01/07

I currently have a Shimano road 11 speed free hub. Can I use a Campagnolo road 12 speed cassette?

LightBicycle 2022/01/08

Hi Steve, SHIMANO and Campagnolo don't share the same interface design. So you cannot use a campy cassette on a SHIMANO freehub body. You have to remove the shimano free hub and install a new campy free hub. Thanks, Lightbicycle

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J

Jorge 2021/12/28

I was trying to find the new 12 speed cassettes for the R8100 and R9200 in the compatibility chart but I don't think I see them. The Dura-Ace wheels have introduced a new freewheel to reduce weight but the Ultegra apparently use the same freewheel which seems to indicate the HG11 is compatible with the new 12 speed cassettes. You thoughts please? Thanks

LightBicycle 2021/12/28

Hi Jorge, Yes, the new 12-speed is compatible both 11s and 12s cassette. We haven't upgrade the chart yet. Thanks for your kind reminder. Thanks, Lightbicyle

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M

Manu 2021/11/23

Hi, Thanks a lot for your manual ! I have only one question, just to make sure I have correctly undertsood the manual and to avoid any mistakes when ordering. The rear hub of my wheel is a Shimano Deore XT FH-T780 for 8-10 speed cassettes. But I intend to upgrade to 11s MTB drivetrain. Would a shimano MTB 11s cassette (such as SLX M7000) fit on the FH-T780 freehub body ? Thanks in advance.

LightBicycle 2021/11/24

Hi Manu, I am sorry that an 8-10 speed mountain freehub is not compatible with an 11-speed road cassette. You can only upgrade to a 10-speed with a 1mm spacer. Thanks, Lightbicycle

F

Fabrizio 2021/12/19

Yes with a MTB cassette you can put an 11 speed, but not with a road cassette

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A

Al 2021/09/01

If I'm using two wheelset but same cassette, one with hg the other hg road, would I need to adjust the Rd each time I swap?

LightBicycle 2021/09/01

Hi Sir, Do you have a spacer on your HG freehub? If so, it would be very easy when you swap from one wheel to another. The cassette will fit just fine. But you will have to check the shifting before riding. Thanks, Lightbicycle

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P

P-l 2021/08/01

Hi I want to know wich freehub is compatible with a sram nx eagle 12 speed cassette i want to know which freehub is compatible with a sram nx eagle 12 speed cassette

LightBicycle 2021/08/02

Hello, Thanks for reaching out! SRAM NX 12S cassette is a special one that uses the SHIMANO spined system, which you can use 8/9/10 speed drive body. Here's the SRAM compatible sheet for your ref in case you need it. https://www.sram.com/globalassets/document-hierarchy/compatibility-map/mtb/gen0000000006274-rev-a-2021-e-mtb-components-compatibility-map.pdf Thanks, Lightbicycle

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R

Ray 2021/07/11

I needed to use my Shimano lock ring with my SRAM NX Eagle 12 speed cassette on my Shimano HG freehub body. The SRAM lock ring was too deep.

M

Marco 2021/07/13

That is an interesting observation. The bike I bought last year has a Shimano HG spindle with an SRAM 12 NX Eagle cassette. A very light play in the cassette causes some chain skipping. B-screw set correct, cable tension correct, hanger straight. So it should be perfect except for that slight cassette play. I might still have a Shimano lock ring in the “parts box”. I will see if that could solve the issue. I was thinking about a spacer, but we are talking a 0.5mm spacer that would be needed……. Do those even exist?

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A

Andy 2021/05/11

Can you advise if a Shimano Ultegra 11 speed cassette can be fitted directly on to a SRAM XDR frrehub ?

LightBicycle 2021/05/11

Hi Andy, You can see from the compatible chart that the XDR freehub can only mount with SRAM 11/12 speed road XDR cassette. If you want to use an SRAM XD cassette, you will need a 1.85mm spacer. So, you cannot use a Shimnaon cassette on. Thanks, Lightbicycle

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M

mark 2021/04/27

Hi - I have a 10spd Campy Voloce rear deraileur (with campy shifters, around 2013 era) - I have a shimano hub and I've been using a campy/shimano conversion cassette (12 - 28) for many years but its worn out and I cannot readily find a replacement. Do you have any recommendation on what I can use - prefer to replace cassette only and if that is to much I'd like to keep as much of current set up as possible. Easy question - can I use a shimano cassette? All help is appreciated.

LightBicycle 2021/04/27

Hi Mark, I was able to find a compatibility chart for a 10-speed groupset and cassettes. I hope this is helpful. https://cdn-ctstaging.pressidium.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Compatibility-tables.001.png Thanks, Lightbicycle

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M

mark 2021/04/13

I have a 11 speed Shimano Ultegra groupset R8000 series, with a 11 speed Shimano HUB, i currently use a Shimano cassette which has a ratio of 11/34. My question - can i swap the existing cassettte and replace with a 11 speed Shimano MTB cassette with a 42/11 ratio. If required i will change the rear derallier for one compatible with the 42/11 MTB cassette. Thankyou Mark Gallacher

LightBicycle 2021/04/13

Hi Mark, You are using an 11 speed Shimano Ultegra groupset R8000 series now, which means your current freehub is Shimano road 11s. You could use a 1.85mm spacer if you want to change the cassette to 11 speed Shimano MTB cassette. Thanks, Lightbicycle

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H

Herb 2021/03/13

Hello how r u. I just wanted to know is a rs21 freehub body compatible with a rs10 rear hub i have wore out my freehub body on my rs10 rear wheel i have 11spd

LightBicycle 2021/03/13

Hi Herb, No matter what the hub manufacturer is, the freehub bodies are designed according to groupset companies' standards. We listed three majoir cassette brands on the market, Shimano, SRAM, and Campagnolo. Which 11-speed freehub standard that you have on your wheels? Thanks, Lightbicycle

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C

Craig 2021/03/01

Hi I have the 11 speed Shimano Deore FH-M615, Centerlock on my 2017 cube ltd pro. I require a new freehub as the bearing casing has worn. I'm struggling to find the right part and so would be grateful for any links or advice on where I can purchase a shimano 11 speed freehub thankyou.

LightBicycle 2021/03/01

Hi Craig, It is better that you check with your wheel/hub supplier. Thanks, Lightbicycle

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