IRD goes all in with steel for their new 11-speed Elite 11-42t and 11-40 wide-rang cassettes, for 11 and 10 speeds. © IRD
Interloc Racing Design (IRD) has a history of releasing niche, problem-solving products, including one of the earliest front derailleurs designed for compact chainrings, and Campagnolo-compatible cassettes for Shimano wheels. Now the company is gearing up to offer single chainring riders a larger range of gears out back with new Elite wide-range cassettes.
IRD is releasing 11-42 and 11-40 all-steel wide range 11-speed and 10-speed cassettes. The cassettes fill a need for people wanting one-stop shopping for a wide range without resorting to use an XD driver, such as the one we saw on the Connor Wood Bicycles Axehandle CX bike at NAHBS 2015. If you don’t need a 10 tooth cog, the IRD Elite cassettes will fit on your existing wheelsets. (Picking a long cage clutch-based rear derailleur to work with your shifters will be your next challenge, but Gevenalle and Chris Connor have come up with creative solutions for Shimano and SRAM, respectively.)
For the 11-speed 11-42t cassette, weight is close to 470g with a price tag around $220. photo: Interloc
There are alternatives to IRD’s cassette. As we mentioned above, for XD drivers, SRAM has their XG 10-42 cassettes, while Shimano offers an 11-40 cassette, and there are options like the 42t Wolf Tooth Giant Cog and General Lee’s three alloy replacement cogs to modify an 11-36 cassette.
Buying the Wolf Tooth cogs and a Shimano 11-36 cassette might be cheaper and lighter, but the Interloc Elite 11-42 cassette might be a more convenient option, and the cogs are all designed to work together and shift together.
While we could possibly see this on the muddy courses of cyclocross, our best bet is that this new cassette will be popular for single chainring riders who need to find the extra range of gearing for hilly gravel events or to make hills more enjoyable despite offseason form.
The full details of the gearing options for the wide-range Interloc Elite cassettes are as follows:
11-speed:
11-12-13-15-17-19-21-25-30-36-42T
11-12-13-15-17-19-21-25-29-34-40T
10-speed:
11-13-15-17-19-21-25-30-36-42T
11-13-15-17-19-21-25-29-34-40T
The cassette should be arriving in the next few weeks. Stay tuned as we’ll put one to the test in an extensive review. For the 11-speed, the 11-42t weight is about 470g, and the MSRP is around $220.
More info:
interlocracing.com
Another option for those in need of some big range on their single chainring cyclocross or gravel bikes. photo: Interloc
