One way of doing 2x9

jehosophat

Anyone else tried this?

Because I am stuck in the past on transmission kit - a past of standards I generally understand and kit available cheaply on Ebay - I thought I would have this go at 2x9 for my "trail" bike. I use XTRM950-3 chainsets and BB's on my bikes, usually 24/34/46 but I found one of the 26/36/48 and just removed the outer ring, and used some shorter bolts, for what I'm hoping will be as good a range of ratios with a 11-34 cassette as I could hope for. I'll miss the big ring sometimes, but I must only use it for a tiny % of my riding time on this bike:



Now the hope is to be able to leave the front mech where it is, and use the M952 triple shifter but just use the high adjust screw to stop it being able to shift into the big ring. We'll see... If I can do that, I will be happy, as one of XTR Octalink's benefits is being able to swap chainsets in literally seconds, and I have plenty of triples laying about that I could swap in for any trips where I felt the big ring was needed.

Chunkers1980

What's your point?

That is the way you do it on the cheap.

I find HTII easier to change cranks.

The Rookie

Normal (ish) way to do it, my first 2x9 just replaced the outer with a bash, now I have a 36T ring coming to use in place of the current 32T larger ring to give me some gears back....front mech may or may not work, you may have to raise or lower it a bit so the step in the cage is between the 2 rings....

Simon

jehosophat

Not much point really, just that this is a setup that lets you go 26/36 as standard without changing rings - most triples where you just remove the big ring will be (more) compromised in terms of gearing - that people may not have thought of.

How can anything be easier to change than Octalink, which in XTR form has captive bolts in the cranks? One allen key - old one off, new one on.

Older XTR gear may indeed be cheap now - but whenever I use modern XT/SLX I realise that - despite the eye watering costs compared to XTRM950-3 days - the build quality is nowhere near old XTR.

nicklouse

or you can fit a 4 bolt spider and go that way.

you dont have a sprare 175mm right arm do you?

jehosophat

Errm, it is probably fair to say I have been a little overzealous in buying XTRM950-3 spares sometimes, since all 3 bikes run on it and you can't get it new.

Of the chainsets/rings only, this is the stuff not currently on a bike, not including the 2x9 setup pictured above which is about to go on the Blur:



I was planning to Ebay at least one complete set at some stage, probably two as I'll put these nice looking ones on the hardtail and Superlight and flog the ones on there (which are cosmetically worn but fine). It is all 175mm.

I'm going M970 on the next bike, to date I have been 8 speed, so this 2x9 setup will be the first time I've even gone 9 speed! 8 speed cassettes and M952 BB's have become expensive and sometimes hard to find (obviously I have a few stashed) and frames often lack threaded BB's now, I'm only moving up as far as M970 as I like rapid rise mechs and they dropped it with 10 speed.