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Right then, last year or so i ended up doing a review of a one up 42 tooth big ring. Since then I have carried on running it on my stache and have transferred it across to a new cassette once the original had worn out. The one thing that had always bothered me was that it was a bit of a bodge, a thin metal cog to make up the 42T ring that means only torque is transferred through a very small contact patch and the lower level of smoothness when changing between gears (once you have removed the 17T ring). There had to be another way with out the cost of 11 speed.

Step forward praxis cassette, its a 10 speed, wide ratio 40-11 set up (11-13-15-17-19-21-24-28-34-40)

Praxis works 10 Speed Wide Cassette Features:

"Praxis Works Aftermarket 11-40T "Wide-Range" 10sp MTB Cassette
For SRAM/Shimano Mid or Long cage RD only.
Smaller cogs Steel and upper cogs machined 7075-T6 Aluminum Hard Anodized
Designed with goal of proper, no sacrifice, no compromise ‘Wide-Range’ 10sp MTB cassette for consumers. Shifting integrity was priority.
Praxis works did NOT want to be just another 'Expander/Adaptor' that many riders are resorting to. We wanted a full proper cassette.
Weight is 322g. Works on any 10sp MTB wheel with no 'rigging' or 'adaptors.' It's as simple as installing and adjusting your RD."

So far so good, installation is the same as any other cassette (though the b screw had to still be adjusted). A new chain was fitted to the correct size and i was off. At the moment i have only done two rides so won't say to much about it but it is far better than just a big ring conversion.

Nice write up Matt - what are you running on the front - 32t?

Na, i'm a big boy 34T *cough* overal *cough*, Have been running the standard cassettle with 32T and 34T round as well before finally deciding on the 34T overal

Nice review mate.
i got one last month when i converted my spicy to 1x10 and with a 34t up front it works perfect for me.
defo worth the extra cash over a standard expander ring, nice and smooth shifting and looks the part aswell.

Yep been happy with mine since i purchased it a few months back, smooth shifting and nice and light, only issue i had was i didnt like the matt finish.

Nice review mate, I will be interested to know how it wears.

Right then, thought I would add some more food for thought as I have been running it for almost two months now. This has included ring localy at thorndon and danbury, Surrey hills and cannock for further afield and Spain for a whole other country

The two things that I was surprised by when it first come out, they were the largest cog size (40T instead of 42T, praxis says that a 42T puts too much stress on the mech and the gaps between the ring sizes would be uneven/too large for a smooth shift) and 34T second largest gear (so a 6 tooth difference between the cogs either side when a standard cassette normal has 4 teeth max (11-13-15-17-19-21-24-28-32-36)). Even with an expander ring conversion there is only one 6 tooth cag (when used a 42T, 4 tooth gap either side when using a 40T expander ring).

I had been ring my spitfire for over 6 months with a 1x10 normal set up before the change. I would defiantly say that the lager 40T does help a lot for long continues climbs compared to a standard cassette, so much so I doubt I would go back. I would also say I did not notice not having a 42T as much as I thought I would (there is a small difference between 40T and 42T on the climbs but I actually found the 40T to be the perfect efficiency/spin away ring size.

As for the 6 tooth difference between 40T/34T/28T, I would say I really did notice it, shifting is a lot more slower than before leading to a lot more planning needed when changing the gears when the gradient changed quickly (like in a bomb hole), I would say I had the same problem with the one up expander ring that I reviewed. I would of preferred a smooth 4 tooth difference with a larger last cog (e.g 12-14-16-18-21-24-28-32-36-40 (same as a 11 sram cassette but without the small 10T if that makes sense). As for the lower end of the cassettle, there were no problems with it when shifting on flatter or downhill trails. As for wear and tear, I have not noticed anything to worry about.

This leads back to one of the original questions of "is this wide ratio 10 speed cassette better than an 11 speed setup?" Short answer is no, it does not have the fall range of a 11 speed set up but it is not far off. Next question is "is it better than a expander ring?", yes it is, its not a borge and ther is no funny missing a gear (when you remove the 17T. I would take this set up over a 2x10 set up any day of the week though (lighter, less to go wrong and I have found it more efficient in climbing that using a granny gear) and for the time being (before 11 speed becomes cheap) I would happy recommend it.

Would something like this be a better option? The range seems just as wide but without large steps between the bigger cogs.

http://www.bikegoo.co.uk/bike-parts-c8/ ... AnSB8P8HAQ

11-13-15-18-21-24-28-32-36-40 (or a second option of 36-42)

Praxis range is

11-13-15-17-19-21-24-28-34-40

That's a good alternative

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Not many intervals between 15 and 21. I don't really know how that would feel?
I'm thinking of putting one on the Fatboy, but with the 36-42 option, with a 30 or 28 up front.

Is it only single ring up front?

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No, it's a double. Toying with converting it to 1x

That's really good, I have seen it before on a bike review (Marin nail trail 9.6) but even the magazine had not heard of it either. It's a little bit more heavy at 380g V 320g but you can't argue with the price

Do you think the high gear ratio spread is an issue?

Sunrace (less spread)
11-13-15-18-21-24-28-32-36-42

Praxis
11-13-15-17-19-21-24-28-34-40

Or do you think this is offset by the better lower gear ratio spread?

Sunrace (more spread)
11-13-15-18-21-24-28-32-36-42

Praxis
11-13-15-17-19-21-24-28-34-40

Praxis has two 6 cog jumps, wheras Sunrace only has one