Anyone tried a 9spd chain on 11spd chainrings

BG2000

i.e. new 11spd Campag chainset with older Shimano 9spd gears/chain.

I've been running a 10spd Campag chainset with 9spd Shimano just fine now for years, so what is the difference with 11spd chainrings.

mrushton

Chain is thinner to allow it to fit the gap. An extra cog has been squeezed in where 10 used to go so everything gets thinner by about 0.5mm. Try a 9 speed and see what happens but the chain width may be jsu a shade too thick

Monty Dog

The space between the sprockets is 0.5mm narrower and the 9 speed chain is 6.6mm wide whereas the 11 speed is 5.5mm. The space the chain has to run in is 7.3mm meaning you have less than half as much 'wiggle' room for the chain - whilst it will work, it does mean your indexing needs to be spot-on otherwise it will be noisy.

BG2000

Thanks guys, but I'm not talking about the rear. I'll be leaving that as 9speed for now.

I'm just wanting to know about the front.

Has anyone ever fitted an 11 speed chainset onto a bike where the rest of the drivetrain is 9 speed ? I'm concerned about the chain being a bit 'floppy' on the chainrings, which could increase the likelihood of the chain dropping off when changing from one ring to the other.

keef66

I'd have thought that shifting would be OK; the teeth on the chainring have a bigger hole to aim for.

mz__jo

Shouldn't make any difference running over the chainrings unless the chainrings are actually closer together (in which case you may find that the chain rubs on the big ring one cog sooner than it would with an 11sp chain, the sideplates being thicker than on 9sp chain)

BG2000

Thanks again.
Well, I'll find out soon, once the new chainset arrives. I've ordered a 10 speed chain as well which will hopefully be OK with my 9spd cassette (this configuration has been known to work) but if I get any problems with it binding on the cassette I'll resort to the 9spd chain. Ahhh, the fun of upgrading bits on bikes - why can't I just leave them alone... :?

BG2000

mz__jo wrote:

Shouldn't make any difference running over the chainrings unless the chainrings are actually closer together (in which case you may find that the chain rubs on the big ring one cog sooner than it would with an 11sp chain, the sideplates being thicker than on 9sp chain)

I admit that I sort of didn't believe you, but you're spot on, as I did in fact find the 9spd chain catching the big ring when on the small front chainring with any of the 3 smallest rear sprockets.

And when I changed to a 10 speed chain, this was no longer the case. I measured the 9 speed chain (PC-950) at 6.5mm wide and the 10 speed chain (PC-1050) at 5.8mm. You wouldn't think such a small amount makes any difference.

I'm also pleased to say that the 10 speed chain is running fine with a 9 speed SRAM cassette.

Front changing is better than with the previous FSA chainset, but then you'd expect Campag's top of the range chainrings to change well. The only issue is that the FD could do with being a milimeter more outwards, but it would then be very close to the inside of the crank arm. This is where an 11 speed FD would help.

mz__jo

BG2000 wrote:

mz__jo wrote:

Shouldn't make any difference running over the chainrings unless the chainrings are actually closer together (in which case you may find that the chain rubs on the big ring one cog sooner than it would with an 11sp chain, the sideplates being thicker than on 9sp chain)

I admit that I sort of didn't believe you, but you're spot on, as I did in fact find the 9spd chain catching the big ring when on the small front chainring with any of the 3 smallest rear sprockets.

And when I changed to a 10 speed chain, this was no longer the case. I measured the 9 speed chain (PC-950) at 6.5mm wide and the 10 speed chain (PC-1050) at 5.8mm. You wouldn't think such a small amount makes any difference.

I'm also pleased to say that the 10 speed chain is running fine with a 9 speed SRAM cassette.

Front changing is better than with the previous FSA chainset, but then you'd expect Campag's top of the range chainrings to change well. The only issue is that the FD could do with being a milimeter more outwards, but it would then be very close to the inside of the crank arm. This is where an 11 speed FD would help
.

Thanks, nice to know that I get things right ocasionally. I have the same problem running an 8sp set-up with a chainset that is probably 9sp but I can live with it. For any others reading, the bigger the difference between the rings, the bigger the problem. Worth bearing in mind for those running compact set-ups with 34T inner rings.

John.T

The main difference between the various chainsets is that as you move from 8sp to 11sp the rings get closer together and increase the chance of the chain rubbing on the inside of the outer one. The teeth do get thinner but not by much.

BG2000

One issue I have found, with this being a Campag 11 speed chainset is how little clearance there is between the FD and the inside of the RHS crank arm.

I'm pretty sure this is due to the amazingly low Q factor, which is obviously a good thing overall, but means the FD needs to be spot on, with the 'H' limit screw preventing any extra outward movement than needed (only just enough to warrant an upshift in my case). On most other chainsets I've owned, limiting the FD this much would lead to the chain scraping on it when pushing hard in the highest gears. Fortunately, this chainset is so incredibly stiff, there's hardly any flex, and the chainrings pretty much stay in line with the FD at all times.

But this shows that I probably do need an 11 speed FD which I guess has a narrower cage. But I still don't think there would be much clearance between FD and crank arm.

I'm curious to know, if anyone out there reading this could tell me, what is the width both outside the plates and inside for Campag 11 speed FDs ?

John.T

I don't think you can use a Campag front mech. It will not work with your shifter. You could try a little careful bending of the front of the inner plate on the mech. Just ease it in a little so it pushes the chain sooner. It worked for me with 9sp mech on 10sp.