Will a SRAM XD cassette fit an HG freehub?
By Crankworthy · Published · Updated
No. A SRAM XD cassette will not fit a Shimano HG freehub, and no adapter exists that makes it fit. XD is a different driver body, so you either swap the freehub body on your hub or use a cassette made for HG.
Why
HG (Shimano Hyperglide) and XD (SRAM) are two different freehub bodies — the splined part of the rear hub that the cassette slides onto. An HG cassette sits on splines and is held by a lockring. An XD cassette threads directly onto the driver instead, with no lockring at all. The two are not interchangeable in either direction.
The reason is physical, not a licensing quirk. An HG body has a minimum diameter that puts a hard floor on the smallest cog: 11 teeth. SRAM designed XD specifically so the cassette could reach down to a 10-tooth cog, which does not physically clear an HG body. That is why no adapter can exist — there is no room for one.
The same applies to Shimano Micro Spline, the driver Shimano uses for its own 12-speed groupsets and which also allows a 10T cog. A Micro Spline cassette will not fit an HG freehub either, and an XD cassette will not fit a Micro Spline driver.
One thing that does not change the answer: XDR. It is the road variant of XD and is 1.85 mm longer. An XD cassette fits an XDR driver with a spacer, but neither fits HG.
How to tell which freehub you have
- HG (Shimano Hyperglide)
- The cassette is held on by a splined lockring you can see in the centre, and the smallest cog has 11 teeth or more. This is what the large majority of wheels use.
- SRAM XD / XDR
- No lockring — the cassette body threads on as one piece — and the smallest cog has 10 teeth. Common on SRAM Eagle drivetrains.
- Shimano Micro Spline
- Shimano 12-speed, also a 10-tooth smallest cog, with finer splines than HG. Found on Deore/SLX/XT/XTR 12-speed wheels.
If you want an XD cassette anyway
- Swap the freehub body
- Many hubs take a replaceable driver body, and an XD version is sold separately — DT Swiss, Hope, Industry Nine, Novatec and others. You keep the wheel, and it is usually a 10-minute job with basic tools. Check your hub model before buying.
- Replace the rear wheel
- Budget and entry-level hubs often have no serviceable driver body. If yours is one of them, an XD cassette means a new rear wheel, which changes the economics of the upgrade considerably.
- Use a 12-speed HG cassette instead
- You can run 12-speed on an HG freehub with no hub work at all. The trade-off is the smallest cog: 11T instead of 10T, so slightly less top-end gear. For most riders that is a fair swap against a wheel or driver purchase.
12-speed cassettes that fit an HG freehub
These mount on a standard HG freehub with no driver swap and no new wheel. Prices are the best currently tracked across our retailers.
- SRAM PG-1210 NX Eagle (11-50T)12-speed 11-50T, fits standard HG freehub (no XD driver needed)$79.50Amazon
- SunRace CSMZ903 (11-51T)12-speed 11-51T, HG spline (no XD needed), Shimano/SRAM compatible
Prices were last checked when the catalog was built and can change at any time. Retailer links are affiliate links; we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.