8 sp vs 9 sp compatibility?

[plojaa]

Can 8 spd hubs accept 9 sp cassettes? I know a set of crossmax enduro's I bought can but not sure if XT hubs can...in particular older ones.

I've upgraded my HT across the board this year and thought I'd might finally replace my old 8 sp xray's w/ some 9 speed shifters....everything else is up to date and will work w/ 9 speeds.

[smdubovsky]

AFAIK, 8 and 9 sp cassettes are the same width = are interchangeable on the hub. Going from 7sp -> 8 or 9 requires a new hub.

[CountZero]

Both 8 and 9 -speed cassettes run on hubs with standard 135mm spacing.

[plojaa]

So all one needs to upgrade is 9 sp cassette and 9 sp shifters....at least thats all I need...my rear d and front d are current and work w/ 8 sp fine...

Thanks

[smdubovsky]

Yup. Well... and a 9sp chain.

[plojaa]

Yup. Well... and a 9sp chain.

Of course - that too....hard to transfer power from cranks to rear wheel w/o it. :rolleyes:

[bcaverly]

One thing to consider - 9-speed is a narrower, and therefore weaker chain. It also means much tighter tolerances on shifting and adjustments - (9 gears in the same space as 8). I still run 8-speed on my hardtail and frankly I never miss the extra bit of choice in gear ratio. (I am admittedly slow and don't race so you might miss the difference.) What I do enjoy is flawless shifting all the time regardless of how wet or dry conditions are. I almost never need to adjust anything in the drive train on that bike whereas I'm always having to tweak the drive train on the FS, 9 speed to avoid ghost shifting and keep the shifting smooth and precise. When the 9 speed shifting is dialed in it's great but it definitely requires more attention.

your mileage may vary....

[starcitymtb]

So all one needs to upgrade is 9 sp cassette and 9 sp shifters....at least thats all I need...my rear d and front d are current and work w/ 8 sp fine...

Thanks

Funny, last night I changed my bike over to a 9 speed cassette and shifters from an 8 speed. I just realized that my full suspension Kona would serve me better by having a better ratio of gearing for the tranny.

It took me all of 1.5 hours to switch out the shifters, switch cassettes, set the new chain and cables. It is very easy. The hub will not pose you any problems as mentioned earlier. FWIW, I am running a SRAM 970 11-34 cassette with the SRAM 951 power glide chain with power link. Good luck! :)

Oh yeah, be sure your derailleur runs 9 speed. I am using the Shimano Deore 9 on mine. It worked fine on 8 but is designed for 9 speeds.

[allencb]

Oh yeah, be sure your derailleur runs 9 speed. I am using the Shimano Deore 9 on mine. It worked fine on 8 but is designed for 9 speeds.

It's not the number of gears, but the range of motion. Since an 8spd is the same width as a 9spd, the range of motion is the same. Plus, most derailleurs have enough extra range to go the next step or two higher. I've run 5spd derailleurs on 7spd systems, 6spd on 8spd, etc (I'm cheap and like to recycle old parts).

BTW, I'm going to be at your old haunts this weekend. I've had enough mountain biking for the week (60 miles in the dirt) and instead will be hitting the parkway with my road bike while wifey and MIL enjoy Old Salem Days.

Chris

[starcitymtb]

It's not the number of gears, but the range of motion. Since an 8spd is the same width as a 9spd, the range of motion is the same. Plus, most derailleurs have enough extra range to go the next step or two higher. I've run 5spd derailleurs on 7spd systems, 6spd on 8spd, etc (I'm cheap and like to recycle old parts).

BTW, I'm going to be at your old haunts this weekend. I've had enough mountain biking for the week (60 miles in the dirt) and instead will be hitting the parkway with my road bike while wifey and MIL enjoy Old Salem Days.

Chris

Right! I guess that is what limits are for right?!

Where are you thinking about picking up the parkway? I usually ride from the house (my old house or my parents house) up Mill Mountain to Fishburn Parkway. Some decent climbs in there. But then I come down on the singletrack trails on the mountain. I've kept going on up to Roanoke Mountain. That is a fun climb just getting to the bottom much less to the top.

If you didn't already know, they are finishing up the Greenway from Wiley Drive to the Water Treatment Plant in Vinton. You could pick up the Fishburn Parkway to the Star from Walnut Ave.

There is another greenway that goes out to Valley View Mall from Downtown but haven't been on it yet. Don't really know where to pick it up.

I hope you have a good time back home. Let me know how the ride goes!

[allencb]

I haven't decided yet. It's been a long time since I've ridden the parkway. I was thinking about picking up the parkway from where it intersects Rt220, parking at the first parking area I find, and just ride from there.

The Roanoke Mtn climb is a good one. A friend and I used to tackle it frequently. I haven't ridden any of the greenways yet.

Chris

[starcitymtb]

I haven't decided yet. It's been a long time since I've ridden the parkway. I was thinking about picking up the parkway from where it intersects Rt220, parking at the first parking area I find, and just ride from there.

The Roanoke Mtn climb is a good one. A friend and I used to tackle it frequently. I haven't ridden any of the greenways yet.

Chris

If you head north on the parkway from 220, I always see Horse Trailers on the right side of the road. It isn't a designated parking area but they get on the trail there across the southbound lanes of the parkway. That trail is actually a multi-use trail now and winds back around yellow mountain road.

The next parking area would be where Fishburn Parkway and the Blue Ridge Parkway intersect. It actually is close to the entrance of Roanoke Mountain. If you turn left like you are going to head back towards Mill Mountain (Going North of Course on the Parkway) there is a pull off immediately on the right. From there you can head North towards Bedford. From there it is about a 40 mile ride or so to the peaks. Sometimes I'll just turn around at the Route 24 exit ramp in Vinton and head back.

As you already know, the weather this time of year on the Parkway is fantastic. Have a great ride and bring a little home back up here to NOVA! Later.

[starcitymtb]

So all one needs to upgrade is 9 sp cassette and 9 sp shifters....at least thats all I need...my rear d and front d are current and work w/ 8 sp fine...

Thanks

Snaab,

FWIW, I got everything up and going in the stand. The bike shifted great and thought I was ready to go. Well it turns out that when the chain went under load, my crank had been worn so much that it was 'sucking up' the chain causing the rear derailleur to stutter forward. I noticed when I tried to go up a hill. You may also have to change (at the very least) the rings on your crank if the rings are worn.

I especially think that the problem was intensified by going from a wider 8 speed chain to a narrower 9 speed chain. They just were oil and water when it came down to it. Hope your exchange is less eventful but if not, this is something to look out for. :)

[plojaa]

I especially think that the problem was intensified by going from a wider 8 speed chain to a narrower 9 speed chain. They just were oil and water when it came down to it. Hope your exchange is less eventful but if not, this is something to look out for. :)

Thanks for heads up. The crank.rings/chain/casette are new as of this spring...but has about 6-8 races under it as well as associated training. and 1 or two the races were pretty muddy....(mt snow nats for one if anyone was aware of the mud this year)....so will keep that in mind when i move things to 9 sp. Likely next spring when I have time and need to get the bike overhauled for the new season...

Thanks

[allencb]

If you head north on the parkway from 220, I always see Horse Trailers on the right side of the road. It isn't a designated parking area but they get on the trail there across the southbound lanes of the parkway. That trail is actually a multi-use trail now and winds back around yellow mountain road.

The next parking area would be where Fishburn Parkway and the Blue Ridge Parkway intersect. It actually is close to the entrance of Roanoke Mountain. If you turn left like you are going to head back towards Mill Mountain (Going North of Course on the Parkway) there is a pull off immediately on the right. From there you can head North towards Bedford. From there it is about a 40 mile ride or so to the peaks. Sometimes I'll just turn around at the Route 24 exit ramp in Vinton and head back.

As you already know, the weather this time of year on the Parkway is fantastic. Have a great ride and bring a little home back up here to NOVA! Later.

I parked at the Buck Mtn Overlook and went North to Explore Park. On the way back, I climbed to the top of Mill Mtn, noodled around up there a bit, ate a snack, then came back down. When I got back to the Buck Mtn Overlook, I had 26miles, so I decided to go a few miles further south to round out an even 30 miles. The weather was perfect, but those mountains were longer and steeper than I remember. ;)

The next morning, after breakfast, I left from the In-Laws' house, went down Garst Mill Rd, picked up Rt11 (crossing Wasena Bridge) to Salem Ave, rode into and around downtown Roanoke, then backtracked till I got to Grandin Court, where I detoured to Towers Mall, then up the road to the community college (name escapes me), down Overland Rd to Brambleton to 419 back to my inlaws' house for a total of 18 miles. Holy run-on sentence Batman! :eek:

Chris

[starcitymtb]

I parked at the Buck Mtn Overlook and went North to Explore Park. On the way back, I climbed to the top of Mill Mtn, noodled around up there a bit, ate a snack, then came back down. When I got back to the Buck Mtn Overlook, I had 26miles, so I decided to go a few miles further south to round out an even 30 miles. The weather was perfect, but those mountains were longer and steeper than I remember. ;)

The next morning, after breakfast, I left from the In-Laws' house, went down Garst Mill Rd, picked up Rt11 (crossing Wasena Bridge) to Salem Ave, rode into and around downtown Roanoke, then backtracked till I got to Grandin Court, where I detoured to Towers Mall, then up the road to the community college (name escapes me), down Overland Rd to Brambleton to 419 back to my inlaws' house for a total of 18 miles. Holy run-on sentence Batman! :eek:

Chris

Nice Chris! From the Buck Mountain Overlook (I get on at Cotton Hill Road) if you start heading South on the Parkway, that is what we call Seven Mile Climb. It is a series of long 6 to 10% climbs. Its brutal but a good spin. I use my mountain bike but I am sure its great on a Road Bike.

Looked like you had good weather for your rides. Its nice to ride into Downtown on Sunday with absolutely no traffic. Grandin Court has probably changed since you were last there. Too bad you didn't ride through Wasena Park on your way back from Grandin Road.

Oh yeah, the Community College is UCLA (University of ColoniaL Avenue). Just kidding, its Virginia Western Community College. Sounds like a nice ride. I'm jealous but I'll be home again soon. I hope!