9 or 10 speed?

heavymental
heavymental Posts: 2,094
edited October 2007 in Workshop
Is 10 speed the new thing nowadays then? I'm building up a bike and was wondering if I could be better off looking at 9 speed stuff as I'd be able to get some bargains 2nd hand. Is that the case or has 10 speed been around long enough now for it to be everywhere?

Comments

  • Smokin Joe
    Smokin Joe Posts: 2,706
    I'd go for ten. Some of the nine speed stuff now seems to be higher in price than ten speed, particularly when it comes to cassettes. Retailers obviously don't hold as much in stock and don't feel the need to discount it. I have recently upgraded my best bike to ten speed, I needed a new chain & cassette anyway and Wiggle were offering 20% discount during August so I went the whole hog.

    I find that the ten speed operates more smoothly than the nine, probably because of the narrower chain and the smaller amount of travel per shift.
  • maddog 2
    maddog 2 Posts: 8,114
    9spd has the benefit of speccing mtb cassettes for alpine/touring/fredwhitton type trips

    you can't get 10spd in anything more than 12-27

    Persoanlly, I don't see much in it. 10 has one more gear. Shifting quality is down to many factors. I run Ride-On sealed cables, shifting is light as a feather.

    As for price, most of the 10spd kit is compatible with 9spd anyway so you're looking at cassettes,chains and shifters. There'll be nothing in it frankly.
    Facts are meaningless, you can use facts to prove anything that's remotely true! - Homer
  • Smokin Joe
    Smokin Joe Posts: 2,706
    If we're talking Campag, you can get a 13-29 cassette.
  • heavymental
    heavymental Posts: 2,094
    Hmm....my current setup is a 11-28 that has done me well with a compact in the mountains. If I went Campag and 10 speed would I miss out on that option then? Dunno if I'd necessarily want a 13-29. Especially not once I got back from the hills. 11-28 is ok to use at home too.
  • acorn_user
    acorn_user Posts: 1,137
    Actually, you can get 10 speed cassettes with mtb/touring ranges. They are pricey though, and very obscure...

    Try Interloc Racing. Shimano also make one, but I believe that is exclusive to Santana Tandems...

    9 speed chains are cheaper and last longer. I would not worry about product support for 9 speed with Shimano. After all, I can still find 7 speed parts (well, apart from Uniglide..).
  • SteveR_100Milers
    SteveR_100Milers Posts: 5,987
    Why would you want a bigger sprocket tha 27 anyway? Use a compact 50/34 on the front and you can climb a vertical wall on that gear.
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  • heavymental
    heavymental Posts: 2,094
    Looking at the cassettes on Wiggle the Shimano options seem more sensible than the Campag options. I don't spose you can use a shimano cassette with a campag rear mech?
    The 8 speed 11-28 I run at the moment is good because it means theres a nice low gear for going up the cols but also a nice low for coming back down the other side. There doesn't seem to be an equivalent in Campag. Then again, I can only see 12-27 in Shimano for 10 speed.
  • maddog 2
    maddog 2 Posts: 8,114
    SteveR_100Milers wrote:
    Why would you want a bigger sprocket tha 27 anyway? Use a compact 50/34 on the front and you can climb a vertical wall on that gear.

    Carrying panniers...

    Touring off road....

    Hardknot Pass...
    Facts are meaningless, you can use facts to prove anything that's remotely true! - Homer

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