9 sp shifters, 8 sp cassette?

Mattbot2

Hello,

Next year, I intend to upgrade my Aspire 2.0 to discs.

Now, I have a dilemma.

At current, I have Alivio shifters / levers, all in one unit. Obviously when I get my Juicy 3's / 5's they have their own levers. Most of the decent shifters are 9 sp, whereas my cassette is only 8sp. Will I be forced to buy a new cassette & chain? Or is there some cool way I can get a 9sp shifter, to use just 8 gears?

Cheers,

Matt

Andy B

You can't use a 9spd shifter with a 8spd cassette as both 8 & 9spd cassette's are the same width, but with different gaps between the cogs

Mattbot2

Damn. So i'm going to be in for new chain and cassette aswell then?

Can I use SRAM shifters with Shimano dérailleurs?

BorisSpencer

Mattbot2 wrote:

Can I use SRAM shifters with Shimano dérailleurs?

No, but a bit of yes. The left hand shifter/front mech is fine, but on the right/back it's like with like. Except you can use the 'named' SRAM shifters with Shimano mechs.

Andy B

Mattbot2 wrote:

Damn. So I'm going to be in for new chain and cassette as well then?

For 9spd, yes.

I'd recommend a Shimano cassette & Sram (or KMC) chain

Can I use SRAM shifters with Shimano dérailleurs?

X0, X9, X7,X5... Sram rear mech only, can't use them with Shimano rear mech's

Attack & Rocket are the only ones you can use these with Shimano rear mech's

Mattbot2

Looks like I'm in for some 9sp deore shifters then.

-liam-

Mattbot2 wrote:

Damn. So i'm going to be in for new chain and cassette aswell then?

Can I use SRAM shifters with Shimano dérailleurs?

You will need a new deraileur as well. You probably have the acera mech which is 8 speed only. Get a cheap deore mech. Only 15 quid or so off fleabay. Also, you will end up needing a new chainset as the 8 speed chainset is a little wider and will end up stretching the chain.

I did exactly the same conversion from 8 speed to nine speed. I fitted a Sram PG-950 cassette and a SRAM PC971 chain. I went for the sram chain on the basis it comes with a powerlink, making it easy to change/remove/fix. Cost me about 35 quid. for both. Also fitted a Deore Rapidrise mech (Rapidrise is one advantage of a nine speed drivechain imo) which cost me 20 quid although I have since changed that for an xt rapidrise mech(just cos it was a bargain) and sold the deore on fleabay for more than I paid for the xt mech haha!

Have also fitted a deore Hollowtech2 chainset and BB - Brand new and cost me 30 quid on ebay.

Oh, and I paid 15 quid for some 9 speed deore shifters.

supersonic

The 8 speed mech will work fine with 9 speed ;-)

xtreem

Why are you complicating things by your self, Mattbot2?

New brakes, then appeared that you'll need new shifters, then new cassete, new chain, new derailleur.
And at the end no money for brakes.

Keep it simple, as BorisSpencer and Andy_B said, buy Attack or Rocket shifters, and that's it.

Or I say, buy Sram 8sp shifters and Sram rear derailleur. For example X7.

Mattbot2

There's already a Deore rear mech on there. Came with the bike. (surprising for £220) So it might be worth the shift to 9 sp anyway.