10 Speed crank on 9 speed drivetrain

h14turbo
h14turbo Posts: 329
edited December 2008 in Workshop
Hi

I want to get a new crankset for my Trek 1.5, but I was wondering if a crankset that is designed for a 10 speed system will work on my 9 speed system? Also, what would be a good first upgrade for my chainset?

Cheers

Comments

  • whyamihere
    whyamihere Posts: 7,716
    Yes, it will work.
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,321
    Maybe a cosmetic upgrade, but function-wise sounds like a downgrade
    left the forum March 2023
  • Myk-ee
    Myk-ee Posts: 276
    I put 10spd compact crankset onto an 8spd Campag setup and it worked fine.
    It's the vibe of the thing.
  • h14turbo
    h14turbo Posts: 329
    Why would it be a functional downgrade. The standart crankset on my 2008 Trek 1.5 is crap. I was thinking of Shimano compact crankset as an upgrade.
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,321
    h14turbo wrote:
    Why would it be a functional downgrade. The standart crankset on my 2008 Trek 1.5 is crap. I was thinking of Shimano compact crankset as an upgrade.

    What you mean crap? Does it not carry the chain while you pedal? Does it sqeak under load?
    Or is it just because the logo is not cool enough?
    You'll have little improvement by moving to a branded crankset, likely to be 10 grams lighter or so... if it's designed for ten speed chain you might end up with poorer shifting than you are experiencing now
    As for compact, I have moved to compact, but all in all you're better off with a 53x39. The compact is not as effective in shifting, due to the big jump in size between the two rings. The only benefit I see is that you can use a cassette with smaller sprockets, hence closer in size, something like 12-23 or even 12-21 if you live in a flattish area, effectively is like having a wider range of "usable gears". The latter offers you all the possible gear combinations in a ten speed system and close to that in a nine speed system
    left the forum March 2023
  • star_rover
    star_rover Posts: 318
    Don't blame you for wanting to switch to a compact.
    The Tiagra 4500 compact would be a good VFM buy. £36 from Ribble, plus £14 for the bottom bracket cups. And it's 9 speed.

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