Bicycle Mechanics - Quality 7 speed cassettes

Can anyone recommend me a high quality 7 speed cassette. I have been carousing ebay and online retailers so I have an idea of whats out there. I recently purchased a sram 7 speed but was disappointed to find out the spacers are plastic. SunRace makes some that seem nice. And the shimano HG cassettes all seem to be branded acera. So Im skeptical as well.

I know 7 speed road parts are all ancient, but any input is appreciated.

Spacers are likely to be plastic on most new cassettes you find. It doesn't affect the longevity or performance of the cassette. You'll find it easier to source quality 8 speed cassettes and remove the largest sprocket. The Sunrace cassettes are some of the worse I've seen in terms of longevity.

- Joel

Weren't the spacers always some kind of plastic?

Despite being finished in a cheap black paint, the HG50s seem to be as good as the earlier HG70 cassettes. 7-speed cassettes are easy enough to find that it is *not* easier to buy 8-speed cassettes and hack them into fitting on 7-speed hubs.

Difference between Acera and upper levels is merely weight... the performance will be the same as it will with a SRAM 7 speed cassette. The spacer is under virtually no load so making it out a plastic / resin poses no problem.

Ill think Ill order a HG cassette. I was concerned the plastic might degrade over time but I wont worry about it. Thanks amigos.

I saw some discussions with people saying they prefered Sram cassettes and KMC chains with Shimano cranksets and derailleurs. (Actually I think manufacturers like Giant were putting exactly that on their bikes lol.)

the HG50 8-speed 13-26 that I put on my hybrid is gold. I haven't bought a 7-speed in awhile. It shifts just great with the Alivio setup I have.

Plastic spacers are just spacers .. you might find aluminum ones as after market parts ,

if the good enough for most every one else fails to meet your personal standards..

The steel in the Cogs in cassettes are all the same.. only the finish plating changes,
appearance .

higher end uses lighter metals, Ti & Al . the race day is all the durability required then.


but 7 speed is 90's you use what you can get.