Having killed a shifter at the weekend and the rest of the drivetrain needing some love I'm thinking of replacing it with 10 speed.the only question is regarding chainrings.Hours of trawling forums hasn't come up with a definitve answer so...
Are 10 speed rings readily available at a reasonable price?
I run double & bash so looking at around 24/36
Don't think I'm fit enough for 1x10 yet but how would a 34t ring with 11/36cass compare with 24t ring with 11/36cass?
Can you run 9 speed rings with a 10 speed chain?
I ride mostly in the Peaks with odd forays to the Welsh trail centres
Any help & guidance appreciated - definative answers from experience even more so!
Dave
PS The bikes a Cove Hustler if that makes any difference
You're probably losing your two lowest gears, not much more.
9 Speed front rings are fine.
If you are going 2 x 10 then 26/38 with 11-36 gives you a big range. I was worried when I swapped to it but can spin up all them Peaks climbs same as I could with 22 32 on the old triple.
9spd rings are fine with 10spd.
And you'd be amazed how capable a 1x10 setup is. I'd tried 1x9 a couple of times in the past with an 11-32 cassette, just found it too limiting. Add one extra cog on and up the range to 11-36, and it makes what feels like a huge difference. I know it isn't, but it seems like it is. I run 32T up front with 11-36 cassette on my main bike, and it goes everywhere. I had a 36T on for a while in the summer, and that was just about ok whilst it was dry, glad I've switched back to the 32 for winter though.
Yes, 9 speed rings work just fine.
You'll typically lose a couple of gears at the top and bottom. I'm currently running a 32 with 11/36 cassette and very rarely need to get off and push, and only spin out on fast smooth roads. (Getting tempted to go for a 34 though.)
I put together a spreadsheet with all the sprocket sizes, chainring sizes and ratios of double and triple and various cassettes (yes I really am that anal!) Then thought about what gears I actually used and what I'd lose going to a single ring. Helped me decide on ring size when going to 1x10. Takes a little time but it's a fairly simple task and worth doing.
You're probably losing your two lowest gears, not much more.
With a full 27 or 30spd setup, you've only got about 15 discrete gear ratios anyway, you've got lots of ratios doubled up (or ratios that are very close to each other at least), so going to 1x10 isn't as big a jump as you might think...
With 32T ring and 11-36 cassette I effectively lose my lowest 2 gears (24 ring on 36 and 32 cogs) and my highest two gears (42 ring on 11 and 13)... My lowest at 32/36 is about equivalent to 24/28, which is 3rd down in granny on a 3x10 setup and my highest gear is 32/11, pretty much the same as 42/15, the 8th cog down on the big ring in a 3x10 setup. And I never used the easiest or the hardest 2 gears on my triple bike anyway, so with 1x10 I don't feel I'm missing anything.
Thanks for that guys,its a lot clearer than some of the forum speak I've been trawling through - now to find the most cost effective way of doing it!
Dave
Dont forget you have to buy an new rear mech - 9 speed ones are designed not to work on 10 speed casettes just to annoy you.