Hi,
I'm looking to upgrade my 8 old Alivio speed setup to 9 speed but a bit at a time as funds are very limited at the min.
I'm going to need a cassette, chain, front and rear mechs and shifters as I already have a chainset that i can use.
Are there any 8 speed compatibe bits that i can use l bolt on straight away without having to collect all of the kit before i fit it to the bike? Deore XT or LX stuff probably.
Any help greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Phil
mechs will be fine - no need for new ones if you stick with shimano for new shifters
you need new rear (right) shifter, new cassette & new chain. I think all the rest can stay
Thanks Scardeypants - so i'd just have to mess around with the limit screws on the front mech?
not even sure you'll have to do that - spacing isn't much different I think, if at all (the old chainset would prob work fine anyway ubless it's badly worn & thenew chain "upsets" it)
if you want an upgrade just get either an 8 speed XT or SRAM (shimano compatible)shifter and stay 8 speed - it's cheaper and works
9sp chain is slightly narrower than 8sp, so you might suffer from chain-suck (chain stick to chain-ring, coming up and jamming in the front mech) if you don't change to 9sp chainset.
As Scaredypants says, front and rear mechs should be fine
I changed from 8 to 9. Used same mechs, back & front, same chainrings. New rear shifter & new chain, new cassette. All works a treat, no problems at all.
how long have been riding that for the new shimano stuff is good kit and you deserve a change. perhaps save a bit and buy a whole groupset or if you don't mind going second hand there are some bargains to be had, basically new kit for small money. If you don't mind me asking how much tops have you got to spend, I'm off the bike after using my head as a brake so am happy to have a look for deals.
I don't mind going 2nd hand at all - in fact that's how i've bought all of my bits for the bike so far.
Tails i've only been riding since about May but bought my Orange Gringo 2nd hand, albeit the bike had had very little use since new. I've definitely been bitten by the bug but can't afford to upgrade the whole bike at the minute.
Probably got about £60-70 tops when i get paid next week but may be tempted to stick with 8 speed XT it if i can find some good stuff
Thanks
Why would you want to "upgrade" to 9 speed?
Yes BOS i see you point - i just thought 8 speed stuff was harder to get but if i can still get my hands on some bettr 8 speed gear.
Phil - What are you trying to achieve by upgrading?
weight loss, durability or functionality?
when "upgrading" bear in mind there's no functional difference in cassettes, only weight loss, and very little in mechs, higher end shifters and new cables will make more difference. second hand mechs no matter how nice looking condition wise will almost always have some degree of slop in either the main mounting pivot (shimano) or the parallel linkage.
Also unless you ride roads a lot or are a complete XC beast I think going to a better shifter and a double 22/36 would be the best use of your money in terms of durability functionality and weight loss, you shouldn't ever need bigger than a 36T ring off-road and from changing to a double ring set-up you'll be saving you the cost of an outer ring every time the whole lot wears out. medium cage road (r)mechs work well with this set up and are generally lighter and cheaper and just as durable (many DH/Jump/4X riders bikes use road mechs). and Deore 36T (and 22T)rings are unbeatable value (and last)
with chains the higher end you go you are paying for the look (coating) more than anything else too.
Hi GW - never thought of it that way. I do tend to use cycle routes and towpaths quite a bit but very rarely use the high end gear combo anyway so that setup may suit my needs well.
It's always nice to save a bit of weight too - would i just sub my 32t ring for a 36t one and fit a bashguard?
I assume i could carry on using my existing mechs for now until i'm ready to swap for something better?
Why do people perpetuate the myth that 9spd chainrings are thinner than 8 spd?
They're Not.
The sprockets are the same thickness too, its just the chain plates are thinner and the cassette spacers are narrower.
Many people happily use 9spd chains on singlespeed set-ups too.
The sprockets are the same thickness too, its just the chain plates are thinner and the cassette spacers are narrower.
well I never...-just popped my head in the spares box and learnt something new today. I have an 8 speed bike too: presumably this means I can use one of my pile of sram 9 speeds to replace the chain on that too?
yeah, for a nice cheap bash try http://www.bbgbashguard.com in the states.. cheap, light and reliable, you shouldn't really ever need a bashguard on a 36T ring on a hardtail so I actually run a 32T bash outside mt 36T ring, it doesn't actually overlap the chainring enough to hit if I did ground it but it covers the chain just enough to stop the chain ever dropping over the outside on the roughest terrain.
Ps. remember to shorten your chain
Cheers GW - Thanks for the advice. can't believe how much less one of these is compared to a E-Thirteen jobby. Even when you take shipping into account.
also about 250g lighter 
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