After five years of sterling service my rear X9 shifter has bitten the dust.

I’ve three options, firstly I could source a replacement nine speed X9 shifter, or I could upgrade to either a Shimano or SRAM ten speed shifter and mech.

So great and good of STW, are there any recommendations?

Captain Obvious here, but for 10 speed you’ll also need cassette and chain so all in won’t be cheap.

I had planned to go for a ten speed cassette and chain much later on, so as to spread the cost of the upgrade.

Forgive my f-wittery, but would a nine speed cassette not work with a ten speed mech and shifter?

X0

Get XT 9sp, I tried 10sp for a few months but wasn’t convinced by it at all and have gone back to an XT/SLX 9sp mix.

I have a rear X9 shifter in my spares box if you’re interested? Email me if you are. I will double check that it’s still there.

Surely a 9spd cassette and 10spd shifter won’t work at all?

1000000000% XT

I’ve always been a firm supporter of the SRAM 9spd stuff, I just like the way the shifters feel & work, the later ones with the metal thumb levers were great.

However, the SRAM 10spd stuff is a bit of a step backwards IMO 🙁

I’ve been running X9 10spd for a year or so, and i’m completely non plussed by it. The levers are very cheap & ‘plasticy’. There is a whole lot of play in the lower up shifter & it all just feels a bit cheap.

Having said that however, it does work, and without fault. Mine has been abused something rotton, my rear mech looks wrecked, and has had a mad Frenchman smash it off my mech hanger at the Mega, and into the wheel, yet it survived, and still keeps shifting as expected.

If only the shifters were a bit better, I looked at the X0’s as an option to upgrade, but they were just the same 🙁

I’m a full 10spd convert though. 1×10 is great if you’ve got the legs & lungs for it.

X7

@Huw

Thank you very much indeed, I may well be interested.

PM on way…

@ the nine speed cassette questions

I figured that I could adjust the upper limit screw and simply “blank off” the top ratio so that I could use the nine speed cassette…

…has anyone ever used a nine speed cassette with a ten speed mech and shifter?

Think XT has the edge when it’s set up right and the cables and indexing are spot on but in terms of fit-and-forget, X9 with full outers requires zero maintenance which is just as well because the shifter cables are a PITA to replace.

That won’t work ^ The distance between the sprockets is smaller on a 10 speed block, so the distance the mech is moving for a shift is less than it would be on a 9 speed. You might get some gears but it would never work properly.

Just as a general point, it is incontrovertible that well set up a Shimano drivetrain works better than well set up SRAM drivetrain at the same price point.

I only allow kit that works the best on my bikes.

as said, I think XT is better when the cables are al lubed and clean but Sram is more robust if you don’t really touch your bike.

I’ve stayed with 9spd XT personally, with an XTR shifter. I may be tempted into 10spd when parts need replacing.

Any deals around at the moment for a full XT 2×10 gearing and cranks?

XTR, or XTR/XT mix. Only mildly more expensive than X9 and much classier.

I don’t want to do XTR because of the cost. For XTR money, I could afford to do shifters, mech, chain, cassette and possibly cranks as well.

I am trying the avenue of locating a secondhand or spare X9 rear shifter, but failing that it’s going to be the most economic solution without trading down to X7 / SLX.

The new 3×9 or 2×10 X7 shifters work just as well as the 2009/10 X9 shifters if anything they are designed better as you dont have to open them to replace cables. I rrplaced the x9 on mine as the top cap kept coming undone even with loc tight and there is truly no diffirence. Just get x7 till you save for full 10 speed.

A 10 speed mech wont work with 9 speed anything as they are diffirent pull ratios