Would 10 speed STI work on 9 speed drivetrain and crank (octalink)? Its a road bike.
If not, in the interest of saving cash, what is the bare minimum needed to convert shimano 9 spd to 10 spd for STI? I know I’ll need the STI, but do I need the crankset and brakes too? Or is there any way I can just buy the STI levers, chain, keep everything else 9 speed, and have an extra click on the rear?
Guess there is always Microshift (which I have on my commuter) and is not bad. Please let me know. Thx.
The minimum to convert 9 spd to 10 spd is 10 spd shifters and a 10 spd cassette. You mayalso need a new FD, but it can depend on the bike / setup.
Your 9 spd crank and rear derailleur will work just fine w/ 10 spd stuff.
I upgraded my CAAD9 with 9-speed Shimano Tiagra to 10-speed 105. I ended up replacing:
I didn’t update the brakes (still used the crappy tektro calipers until I replaced the front one a while later) nor the cranks.
Would 10 speed STI work on 9 speed drivetrain and crank (octalink)? Its a road bike.
If not, in the interest of saving cash, what is the bare minimum needed to convert shimano 9 spd to 10 spd for STI? I know I’ll need the STI, but do I need the crankset and brakes too? Or is there any way I can just buy the STI levers, chain, keep everything else 9 speed, and have an extra click on the rear?
Guess there is always Microshift (which I have on my commuter) and is not bad. Please let me know. Thx.
Are you asking because your nine speed shifter crapped out? I’ve had to replace a nine speed shifter recently. I found one on ebay, but it was hard to find one for a decent price. They were expensive. Next time I’ll just move up to ten speed.
you said, " is there any way I can just buy the STI levers, chain, keep everything else 9 speed, and have an extra click on the rear?" Are you trying to stick with your nine speed cassette? If so, that won’t work. Ten speed and nine speed cassettes are approximately the same overall thickness (actually need a thin spacer on back of ten speed cassette). So you can see that the clicks won’t index correctly except in biggest and smallest gear.
good chance if you buy 10 spd brifter, all you will need is new 10 spd chain and cassette.
You don’t need a 10 spd chain…I have even used an 8 spd chain on a 10 spd bike.
You don’t need a 10 spd chain…I have even used an 8 spd chain on a 10 spd bike.
Good to know. I suspected that was true and didn’t really believe what they said when 10 speed came out. They said that the spacing between the links was the same, but that outside spacing was narrower. Maybe slightly narrower, but not enough that an 8 speed chain won’t work huh?
Went to bike shop recently and said, I’d like cheapest chain you have, either 8, 9, or ten speed. The kid in the shop area had a hard time selling it without knowing what I was going to use it on. Finally, I said 8 speed and I had to tell him that 9 or 10 would work on that.
However, if the OP is going to put on a new cassette, and if it were me, I’d go ahead and put on a new chain. You could measure the existing chain for wear, but me, if I’m putting on a new shifter, cables, etc., then I usually figure it is a good time to replace a wear item like chain, unless it is relatively new.
For OP, when you go to new shifter, you’ll want to replace cable and housing.
You don’t need a 10 spd chain…I have even used an 8 spd chain on a 10 spd bike.
Really??
I’m not doubting, just amazed. I didn’t think that was possible.
This is useful info for me. Ideally I’d just like to buy the 10 spd sti, and keep everything else 9 spd. The bike shops around here all tell me to update everything (cranks, brakes, etc) to 10 or else it won’t work. I couldn’t believe that so its good to know I won’t have to.
You don’t need a 10 spd chain…I have even used an 8 spd chain on a 10 spd bike.
Really??
I’m not doubting, just amazed. I didn’t think that was possible.
Yup…I’ve made more than a few Frankenbikes over the years, both professionally and personally. Lots of stuff works that supposedly won’t.
My first “TT” bike is below…and the one that I noted above. 8 spd chain, 9 spd bar end shifters, 10 spd wheels and an 8 spd crank. Worked flawlessly. (9 spd bar end shifters had a “ghost click” that allowed me to run the 10 spd wheels).
You would be surprised how much stuff is compatible if you can set your shifter to friction.
I know I’ll need the STI, but do I need the crankset and brakes too? Or is there any way I can just buy the STI levers, chain, keep everything else 9 speed, and have an extra click on the rear?
It sounds like you are cool with keeping 9 gears, you just need new levers.
Get Campy 11 shifters. It will work perfectly with Shimano 9. The Chorus ones are ~$250 from UK shops, are light, look and work great. I’ve had this setup for 4 (?) years now.
Campy 11 is great suggestion. For, OP, probikekit.com is a UK vendor that I’ve had success with. The campy chorus 11 levers are $270 there.
With this option, you’ll have two clicks you don’t need, but all you need for swap is the shifters and new cables and housings ($25-50 depending on brand). You could reuse your bar tape, but probably ought replace that ($15). So you keep your existing chain, cranks, brakes, cassette, and derailleurs.
But you can find new or used Shimano 10 spd shifters for $200 or less on ebay (example). Or get all from big vendor Nashbar: Shimano 105 10spd Shifter $190, cassette $40, chain $20, and cable set $9.00. You can look up the bar wrap. So for less than $270 you’ve upgraded to 10 speed and fixed your problem too. (I’m a luddite of sorts, but 10 speed is nicer than 9 speed).
You’ll need a bike shop or friend to do this for you. Some cities have bike co-ops that might be more willing to install parts you bought. But find a new place. The person telling you that you need ten speed brakes ought to be working in car sales or repair. Note that they won’t really be lying if they tell you that a new ten speed crank and new front derailleur will make the bike shift better — the new stuff tends to work a little better. However, I’d bet that your old stuff (crank, derailleurs) will work just fine and if you try them for a while, and then upgrade, you won’t notice any difference.
OP, if you are happy to keep the bike 9-speed, check the new Sora STI levers. They’re really good, and have a proper downshift paddle rather than the thumb button of old.
My first “TT” bike is below…and the one that I noted above. 8 spd chain, 9 spd bar end shifters, 10 spd wheels and an 8 spd crank. Worked flawlessly. (9 spd bar end shifters had a “ghost click” that allowed me to run the 10 spd wheels).
Wow. I think some people have different definitions of “flawless”.
The 9spd shifters pull ~10% more cable than 10spd. That isn’t even close. It’s cool if you got it to work ok, but it isn’t going to shift nearly as well as a system that is matched, and will be very finicky needing precise adjustment.
My first “TT” bike is below…and the one that I noted above. 8 spd chain, 9 spd bar end shifters, 10 spd wheels and an 8 spd crank. Worked flawlessly. (9 spd bar end shifters had a “ghost click” that allowed me to run the 10 spd wheels).
Wow. I think some people have different definitions of “flawless”.
The 9spd shifters pull ~10% more cable than 10spd. That isn’t even close. It’s cool if you got it to work ok, but it isn’t going to shift nearly as well as a system that is matched, and will be very finicky needing precise adjustment.
Again, there are technical specs and there are real-world results. I never missed a shift the whole year I ran that system and it was not just “ok”, it was great. In fact, I’d guarantee that if you had ridden the bike, you never would have known that it had 9 spd shifters instead of 10 spd.
Oh, and the RD was an old RX100 8 spd, too.
It’s possible that the derailleur compensated for the cable pull… I don’t know anything about the RX100, but I thought all their indexed derailleurs were the same except for DA 8.
It isn’t rocket science. If your shifter pulls 10% more cable than intended, the derailleur is going to move 10% more than intended. That’s a big error IMO. Even if you set it perfect in the center, you will be off by ~1.9mm at the ends.
Again, there are technical specs and there are real-world results.