Find myself constantly battling with this idea. I have a decent set of cranks and rings (double and bash) – xtr shifters, and a reasonably new Xt rear mech

I need a new chain and sprocket which will probably cost £30 (11-34)SLX.

Thinking of getting rid of front mech and shifter so can claw back some funds from shifter

If I went the whole hog to 10sp prob looking at £160 odd by shopping around

I guess at what point do I start to think about 10spd or should I just convert my current 2×9 to 1×9??

Kwack

Don’t. Wait for stuff to wear out and jump to 11. Not be long before it gets to XT level.

When you want to ….

If you have the cash and want to do it, why not?

Otherwise just wait til something breaks – or until you want it enough

Clutch mech is usually the decider.

Yeah once you’ve tried a clutch mechs there’s no going back to rattly chain loss

I have 10 speed and 1×9 with clutch using a sram mech. I never miss the extra gear from the 10 speed and the 9×1 works great. 11 gears at the back would just be silly.

So I could use a SRAM clutch mech with my 9sp shimano gear?

Literally just made the jump this week.

Went from XT 2×10 (36, 26) to sram XO1. The catalyst for me was trying out my friends XO1 while my bike was being fixed. My OH has XX1 and I thought I was no way fit enough for it yet but the difference was startling. I ran the gear ratios between my XT set up and the XO1 set up. There is too much overlap in the two ten set up, which is amply covered by the one eleven set up making it easier to find the right gear every time.

I would go 1xSomething when you decide what gears you actually want. I had this whole dilemma a while back. I was running 2×9 with an 11-32t cassette, and only really using the granny ring for ratios which were available with a 32t chainring and an 11-36t cassette – which means that the lowest ratios on the sram 11sp stuff would be lower than I needed, which makes it a little pointless.

I went 1×10 with the 32t raceface +/- ring, 11-36t xt cassette and zee clutch mech. It works brilliantly and I rode glentress/innerleithen for 4 days a couple of weeks ago and the 32-36t was fine, so no need for 1×11.

Sram 9 speed shifter works with a shimano 10 speed mech. One needs a spacer for the mech cable to get it working best.

Don’t. Wait for stuff to wear out and jump to 11. Not be long before it gets to XT level.

+1 (depending on hub compatibility).

Both my MTBs are 2×9, I see little point investing to change to jump on last years band wagon. Mind you I’m probably not the sort of person the marketing men have in mind, constantly changing standards doesnt drive me to spend, it deters me. I’ll ride my 9spd, 1 1/8th straight steerered, 26″, 135mm dropout etc etc until it completely dies and the dust has settled.

Yeah, you may as well hang on until the discounters get hold of 11sp Shimano now.

Or go s/h 10sp as others upgrade to 11sp. You could do it with decent stuff for much less than £160.

Ribble do a complete 10 speed Shimano double groupset for £145…. Takes it to £190 I think if you want brakes, can’t go wrong at that price.

I have 9 speed on one MTB, 10 on another and 11 speed on the road bike.
It doesn’t matter what you have as long as the ratios are right for you, the lowest 9 speed ratio on my 9 speed is low enough… As is the top gear, no need to change until it breaks as far as I’m concerned.

Blindfolded I couldn’t tell you which bike in on from just the gears.

Cheers guys…I have been just using the 36t front for ages now so have taken off the granny ring..mech and shifter

I managed red route at dalby just using the 36t and 11-32 on back so I might switch to a 34t narrow wide to try out as I have some pretty steep hills where I am…will stick with 9 speed for now…all good advice…

Probably stick up the front xtr shifter in next couple of weeks if anyone interested

Cheers
Kwack