How to identify your freehub body
Quick answer
The fastest way is by your groupset: Shimano/SRAM 8–11-speed uses an HG body; SRAM Eagle MTB uses XD; SRAM AXS road/gravel uses XDR; Shimano 12-speed MTB uses Micro Spline; Campagnolo uses its own body (N3W on 13-speed Ekar). Visually, an HG body has splines and a separate lockring, while XD/XDR are smooth threaded drivers with no lockring.
Drivetrain → freehub body
Find your bike’s groupset to get the freehub body the cassette mounts on:
| Your drivetrain / groupset | Freehub body you need |
|---|---|
| Shimano 8/9/10/11-speed HyperGlide (MTB & most road) | Shimano/SRAM HG (HyperGlide) |
| Shimano 11-speed road body (1.85 mm longer) | Shimano HG 11-speed road |
| Shimano 12-speed MTB (XTR / XT / SLX / Deore) | Shimano Micro Spline |
| SRAM 11/12-speed MTB (Eagle: GX / X01 / XX1) | SRAM XD Driver Body |
| SRAM 12-speed road & gravel (Rival / Force / Red AXS) | SRAM XDR Driver Body |
| Campagnolo 9–12-speed | Campagnolo |
| Campagnolo Ekar 13-speed | Campagnolo N3W |
Telling them apart by eye
- Shimano/SRAM HG: stepped splines of different heights plus a threaded lockring that holds the cassette on.
- SRAM XD / XDR: a smooth threaded driver with no lockring; the cassette threads straight on. XDR is 1.85 mm longer than XD.
- Shimano Micro Spline: 23 fine, evenly spaced splines — narrower than HG — used by Shimano 12-speed MTB.
- Campagnolo: distinctive deep splines; N3W is a shorter spline used by 13-speed Ekar (an adapter fits older Campagnolo cassettes).
Frequently asked questions
Check your groupset first — it determines the body. If you’re unsure, look at the driver: a lockring and stepped splines means HG; a smooth threaded driver with no lockring means SRAM XD or XDR; fine even splines means Shimano Micro Spline.