Originally Posted by
CEBEP
(...) another option would be
CS-RK3 which is direct drive at 2nd gear and will provide - %25 and + %33.3 to the cassette gear. It costs about $130 and is accessible to me. However it seems like it will accept max 9 speed cassette (11-34t) which means derailleur will also have to be changed. It will also add 1.15kg of weight. The question is which cassette does it accept, will it accept Shimano cassettes? As they are the most widely available in Istanbul.
S-A says 8- and 9-speed and 11-34t. But there's no physical hard limit at that point. The hub physically accepts cassettes compatible with the shimano HG, which most cassettes are, and is available all the way up to 12-speed. The 34t max is likely to limit torque on the hub. But this is a limit set with large wheels in mind. Smaller wheels means less torque, so you can go as much bigger as your wheel is smaller, to put it that way. I'm sure your existing cassette and derailer will be fine. (As long as the cassette boss doesn't break, as mine did.)