The 36-tooth large cog on this cassette opens up climbing options that standard road gearing doesn't provide. Paired with a compact crankset, you get bail-out ratios approaching what gravel and adventure riders need for loaded touring or steep backcountry grades. The CS-HG710 sits alongside the 11-34T CS-R7101 in Shimano's 105 lineup, giving you a choice between tighter ratios for racing or this wider 327% range for varied terrain.

Gear steps run 11-12-13-14-15-17-19-21-24-28-32-36, which Shimano structured with specific intentions. The first eight cogs maintain single-tooth jumps through the range you'll use most on flat and rolling terrain, keeping cadence changes minimal when you're holding pace. The final four cogs spread wider to cover climbing duties without adding excessive weight or complexity. The 4-tooth jump from 32 to 36 sounds large, but when you're grinding up a steep pitch, the priority shifts from perfect cadence matching to simply having enough gear to keep moving.

Freehub compatibility works in your favor here. The CS-HG710 mounts on standard Shimano 11-speed HG freehub bodies as well as the newer 12-speed HG L2 freehubs. That means you can run this cassette on existing wheels without swapping freehub bodies, which simplifies upgrades to 12-speed 105 systems. The cassette uses standard HG tooth profiling rather than the Hyperglide+ found on Dura-Ace and Ultegra cassettes, but shifting remains crisp and predictable with properly adjusted derailleurs.... Read More