Convert your Shimano cassette to 10- 50T

There’s a bit of a cassette arms race going on at the moment, a few weeks ago Shimano announced an 11-46T cassette but that’s already been trumped by OneUp components that has today launched a 10-50T adapter for Shimano cassettes.

The OneUp Shark adds new sprockets and a derailleur cage to expand the range of a standard 11-42T cassette by almost a third. It will also means the Shark is the widest range cassette available on the market.

OnUp shark cage

The kit comes in two parts. First is the 50T sprocket and the derailluer cage. The sprocket is made of Aluminim and is compatible with Shimano XT M8000 11-42 cassettes and a standard freehub. The cage adds 50 per cent more off seat and is compatible with Shadow+ 11 speed rear derailluers. This costs $125 (£85).


Watch Remy Metailler shred on OneUp components


The second part is the 10-12 speed cluster that slots on the bottom of your cassette. This was developed in conjunction with Hope to allow you to fit a 10 speed sprocket on a standard freehub body. It is currently only available for Hope, Stans and DT Swiss hubs but OneUp is hoping to offer it for more freehubs soon. The cluster costs $45 (£31).

OneUp shark on bike

With both bits of the OneUp Shark kit added, your progression will be 10-12-15-18-21-24-28-32-37-42-50. This is a 500 per cent gear range that OneUp reckons matches a typical 2×10 set up.

The only question is, do you need it? There is an argument that a rider should just get fitter, rather than extending their cassette, but we think it’s always good to see progression in drivetrain technology, even if it isn’t for you.