One of the quirks of the CS-HG700 is that it's the rare 11-speed road cassette that fits a 10-speed freehub body without machining, which makes it the go-to answer when a customer wants to convert older wheels or repurpose an MTB wheelset for gravel duty. Shimano designed the cassette to mount on 10-speed native road freehubs and ships it with a 1.85mm spacer for use on 11-speed spaced freehub bodies, so the same cassette covers both hub standards depending on what's in your parts bin.

The 11-34T range is the widest option in Shimano's 105-tier 11-speed lineup, with cogs stepping 11-13-15-17-19-21-23-25-27-30-34T. That 34-tooth climbing cog opens up steep terrain when paired with a compact 50/34 crankset, and the spacing keeps the middle-cog jumps manageable through rolling terrain. If you're building a gravel bike, a touring rig, or just want a bail-out gear on a road bike that sees mountain passes, this is where the range comes from.

Running the 11-34T spread requires a medium-cage (GS) rear derailleur to handle the chain wrap. The RD-R7000-GS, RD-R8000-GS, and GRX RD-RX810 all clear the 34-tooth cog cleanly, but a short-cage derailleur will not — verify your cage length before ordering. The cassette uses an aluminum spider arm with nickel-plated steel cogs and Hyperglide tooth profiling trickled down from the Dura-Ace and Ultegra tiers.