since spring 2003, i have had been riding a bike with chorus 10 and another with dura ace 9. I decided i really liked the ergo system much better, so have gone on ebay and gotten more chorus 10 stuff so both bikes will be the same set-up. I do need a conversion cassette now for the kysirium. is there a reason to go with one brand vs the other? both are at excel sports, but the american is 89, the wheels manufacturing is 129?
thanks,
jim

I've owned the Am. Classic and Mavic 10sp conversion cassettes and could not tell a difference. I've ridden (not as much as the others) the Wheels conversion and it's pretty much the same. I went with Am. Classic because of the price.
Russw19 has a lot of experience with the Am. Classic stuff.

since spring 2003, i have had been riding a bike with chorus 10 and another with dura ace 9. I decided i really liked the ergo system much better, so have gone on ebay and gotten more chorus 10 stuff so both bikes will be the same set-up. I do need a conversion cassette now for the kysirium. is there a reason to go with one brand vs the other? both are at excel sports, but the american is 89, the wheels manufacturing is 129?
thanks,
jim

Jim, I have used the American Classic cassettes quite a bit in the past. I just switched to a Campy freehub on my new 420's so I don't need to anymore, but they work very well and are downright cheap when you compare them to some of the Campy cassettes. Wheels sells two levels of cassettes, one based on the Ultegra cassette and one based on a Dura-Ace cassette. To be honest, the difference isn't that great. It's a couple grams and a lighter mounting spider, but there isn't a pretty big price difference for what you get. I would tell you to either go with the American Classic or the Ultegra based Wheels cassette.

In a thread on the General board, Lonefrontranger wrote a very nice post outlining the ins and outs of conversion cassettes and why they are an attractive option to people riding Campy 10 right now. It is in the Campy Cassette thread about why campy cassettes are so damned expensive.

But based on the prices you quoted above, I would tell you to get the American Classic. It shifts just fine in my opinon and the Wheels cassette isn't $40 better than it.

Russ

I might be wrong, but aren't the AmClassics aluminum, and therefore very prone to durability issues?

Baumer

I might be wrong, but aren't the AmClassics aluminum, and therefore very prone to durability issues?

Baumer

Yes. You are wrong, but not completely. American Classic does make aluminum cassettes, but they are not the ones in discussion here.

If your Ksyrium wheels are 2001 or newer, it might be just as smart to change the cassette body to a Campy compatible model.

The AC cassette is cheap at Alfred E. Bike.

http://aebike.com/site/page.cfm?PageID=30&Category=2501

Ital-tecno has pretty good prices on the campy cassettes.

http://www.ital-tecno.com/shopdisplayproducts.asp?id=23

If your Ksyrium wheels are 2001 or newer, it might be just as smart to change the cassette body to a Campy compatible model.

Agreed!

You can order the Campy compatible freehub for 50 bucks from just about any LBS.

I've used the AC 10 speed cassette and the shifting is nothing to write home about. I've heard the Wheels cassette is better but for similar bucks, I think you'd be better off with switching your Ks over to Campy.

Agreed!

You can order the Campy compatible freehub for 50 bucks from just about any LBS.

I've used the AC 10 speed cassette and the shifting is nothing to write home about. I've heard the Wheels cassette is better but for similar bucks, I think you'd be better off with switching your Ks over to Campy.

I recently went full Campy on a wheelset after using the AC conversion. Yeah, the Campy shifts a bit better, but for many recreational riders the cost of going full Campy is a tough pill to swallow.

I used a 12-25 he AC and the new Record cassette, and the only big diff I could find was when shifting to the 13 on the AC; felt like my Ergo "broke" for a bit. It just needed some nudging. But other than that, I think the AC is a great inexpensive alternative.

since spring 2003, i have had been riding a bike with chorus 10 and another with dura ace 9. I decided i really liked the ergo system much better, so have gone on ebay and gotten more chorus 10 stuff so both bikes will be the same set-up. I do need a conversion cassette now for the kysirium. is there a reason to go with one brand vs the other? both are at excel sports, but the american is 89, the wheels manufacturing is 129?
thanks,
jim

There's another alternative if money's tight: run the C10 Ergos and rear derailleur on your existing S9 wheelset. As long as you adjust your limit screws right, it'll work fine.

That said, the new freehub is a better option if money's NOT the limiting factor. It should just be a matter of unbolting the one you have and replacing it with the C10 version.

M

The difference is the AC is straight cogs. The Wheels Mfg is Ultegra cogs so they are ramped, pinned, etc.

Agreed!

You can order the Campy compatible freehub for 50 bucks from just about any LBS.

I've used the AC 10 speed cassette and the shifting is nothing to write home about. I've heard the Wheels cassette is better but for similar bucks, I think you'd be better off with switching your Ks over to Campy.

I'll third this recommendation. Get the Campy freehub for your Ksyriums. I tried the AC cassette last year (with a set of D/A hubs/Open Pro rims handbuilt by moi), and the shifting was pretty average. The space between the cogs is not perfectly consistent all the way across the cassette. On the 12-25, the 21 sits a little closer to the 23 and as a result it is always noisy. Also, my 19T cog broke two teeth after about 1000 km, very weird. No shifts under load, meticulously clean drivetrain, etc. I was climbing out of the saddle one day and heard a lound ping-bang. Thought I blew a DS spoke, but that wasn't the problem. When I got home and examined further, two teeth were sheared off.

All my wheels are Campy freehub now.