I am in the process of putting together an old frame/beater bike with a variety of components…my main question is can I use Ultegra 9 speed STI with a shimano 105 8 speed front and back derailer/crankset/cassette?
Thanks
I’ll take a shot at this and say …probably…maybe…probably not! I run a combination of 8 speed barends shifters with anything from 7, 8 or 9 speed, cassettes, der and cranks. The most important part is the “clicks” on the shifter. Your shifter must match the cassette, not necessarily the rear der. The der only needs to be adjusted for the inside and outside limits. The Shifter is what puts the chain in a particular spot on the casette using he rear der. So I beleive that if your shifter is a 9 speed then so does your cassette. These are really the only 2 parts that NEED to match. I’ve enever tried to run a 9 speed shifter with an 8 speed cassette. It may work, since the spacing is not all that different, but it may be a bit hard to adjust and keep adjusted correctly.
Sorry…didn’t really help much did it! : (
Would it be possible to use 8 speed derailers/cranks with a 9 speed STI and 9 speed cassette?
That should not be a problem!!! It’ll work!
Very likely, yes. You’ll have a"ghost click" at the end of the range, but you can tune your derailleur to stop at the last cog so the last click won’t do anything.
I used an 8spd Sachs 5000 Ergo lever on 7spd Shimano rear der for years.