Lighter, cheaper, better?

Garbaruk Cassete ffor SRAM T-Type Review

SRAM’s T-Type Transmission drivetrains are currently considered the gold standard in the mountain biking world. However, perfection comes at a price: anyone looking for a replacement for a worn XX or XO cassette will have to dig deep into their pockets. The Polish lightweight specialist Garbaruk is now bringing the first real alternative to the market. We checked whether the €299 cassette can keep up with the original.

Garbaruk T-Type Cassette Review — Garbaruk is the only manufacturer offering a compatible alternative to Sram's original T-Type cassettes. The Polish options are not only more affordable but also lighter than the top cassettes from Sram's XX, XO, or XX-SL Transmission drivetrains.

Garbaruk is no longer an unknown name in the scene, renowned for its extreme lightweight construction and precise CNC machining from Poland. The new T-Type cassette is no exception. The first 11 cogs are intricately machined from a single block of steel, while the largest 52-tooth cog is made of aluminum and attached with small Torx screws.
The trick: The aluminum cog can be individually replaced in case of wear or for a color mix.

The craftsmanship is absolutely top-notch – no burrs, no residues. Particularly important for transmission users: Since the system offers hardly any adjustment options, the tolerances must be exact. Garbaruk delivers precision to the millimeter here, and the installation on the XD freehub was absolutely seamless in the test.

Garbaruk T-Type Cassette Weight — Lighter than anything else. With the Garbaruk alternative, weight weenies save 8 grams compared to the original Sram XX SL cassette.

Sram GX Transmission cassette weight — The SRAM GX transmission cassette is even 100 grams heavier.

Performance: Speed vs. Smoothness

On the trail, the Garbaruk cassette shows its own character. While SRAM uses an extremely complex “mapping” (a special narrow-wide tooth profile similar to what is also known from chainrings) that practically guides the chain to the next level on the original cassette, this mapping is absent on Garbaruk.

The result:

Shifting is lightning-fast, feeling even a tad quicker than the original.
The gear shift is less "smooth" as a result. Under load, the cassette responds to the shift with a metallic clunk, as known from Shimano systems.
The extremely smooth, almost imperceptible engagement of the SRAM philosophy is replaced here with direct, mechanical feedback.

Sram Transmission Cassette Test — Especially on the second-largest cog of the original Sram cassette, the "dimples" for the narrow-wide mapping are clearly visible. Garbaruk does not offer these "dimples."

Garbaruk Sram 12-Speed Cassette Review — We put the cassette through about 5000 vertical meters on an EMTB before we allowed ourselves to draw an initial conclusion.

Garbaruk Sram 12-speed cassette durability — The cassette was mounted on a Santa Cruz Heckler SL, which we tested for EMTB-TEST.com.

Durability in (E-)MTB Use

We put the cassette through an initial short test with around 5,000 meters of vertical elevation on an e-MTB (higher loads!) before writing this first report. The cassette remains with us for a long-term test, and we will update this article once we have clocked the first 2000 km. The initial impression of durability is as follows:

Steel cog:: Completely unfazed, no visible wear or burr formation.
Aluminum sprocket (52T):: Here, the first slight signs of wear on the anodized layer are visible. This is absolutely within the normal range and is comparable to the performance of Shimano cassettes, although SRAM seems to have a slight edge here.

Garbaruk Sram 12-speed cassette wear — The steel cogs show no signs of wear after an initial short test phase.

Garbaruk T-Type 12-speed cassette wear — The big 52-tooth aluminum sprocket shows minor wear after a first test run over 5,000 meters of elevation gain, similar to what is seen with Shimano cassettes.

Pro

Value for Money
Weight 338 g (lighter than XX SL)
Customization with Colors
Precision: Perfect fit for the T-Type system.

Contra

Soundscape: Shifting under load is audible.
no Narrow Wide Mapping

Conclusion on the Garbaruk T-Type Cassette

Sram Transmission XX SL Altenriative — Those who have a Sram XX, XO, or XX-SL T-Type drivetrain and need a new cassette now have an affordable, serious alternative to the expensive original replacement parts.

The Garbaruk 12-speed cassette is the first serious alternative for all SRAM Transmission (T-Type) riders. It is not only lighter than SRAM’s top model but also saves a significant amount of money. If you can handle a somewhat “snappier” and more direct shifting feel and don’t rely on the maximum smoothness of the SRAM mapping, you’re getting a fine piece of engineering from Europe here. Especially for racers who pay attention to every gram or e-bikers looking for a cost-effective replacement solution, the Garbaruk is a hot tip. If weight doesn’t matter to you, a GY Transmission cassette also provides an adequate replacement at a good price.

We keep the cassette in continuous use on an e-MTB and a bio-bike to provide you with an update on long-term durability throughout the season. Further tests on the test of the mechanical Sram transmission and the electronic Sram T-Type shifts are also in our pipeline. Here, the general advantages of a Sram Transmission shift are explained by us in video form:

Youtube Video

About the author

Ludwig Döhl

... has spent more than 100,000 kilometers in the saddle of over 1000 different mountain bikes. The essence of many hours on the trail: Mountain bikes are awesome when they match your personal preferences! With this realization, he founded bike-test.com to assist cyclists in finding their very own dream bike.