8 speed front mech with 9 speed chain?

neil_sheehan2000

Hi all. This might be a really stupid question but I was wondering if it was possible to use an 8 speed front mech that I've got lying around (and the shifter that goes with it) with a 9 speed chain? It's an old SRAM X-7 (or X-5) mech, andI'll be running a double up front, if that changes things at all. All the rest of the drivetrain is 9 speed stuff though (chain rings, rear mech, rear shifter, casette).

Now I know that 8 and 9 speed chains are different widths, so I wouldn't bother trying with a rear mech, but as a front mech is really quite a lot simpler I'm wondering if it's possible. My thinking is that as an 8 speed chain is wider, then that must mean that the mech moves further when you shift. As I'll only be using a double up front, it seems to me that some fiddling with the limiter screws might result in something that works.

Anyway, just thought I'd ask on here before I went to the effort of taking it off of one bike and installing it on another.

Cheers.

supersonic

It generally works fine. Changes can be a fraction slower, but if you look atsome 9 speed bikes they have 8 speed front mechs anyway!

neil_sheehan2000

Nice one, cheers 'Sonic!

The Rookie

We have 2 bikes in the family converted to 9 speed without changing the front mech, they can be a little harder to set up as the 'sweet spot' is smaller due to the extra clearance, one runs faultlessly, the other we are looking out for a new front mech for as it occasionally plays up with the chain dropping off the middle ring to the small and sometimes jamming in the cage as it does so, but probably only once every 5 times we go out so liveable with as it tends to do it at low speed with no real tension on the chain.

Simon