MTB question about road chain & cassette

Bengdogg
Bengdogg Posts: 383
edited January 2013 in MTB workshop & tech
I have posted this in the road workshop but some of you who may be able to help may be pure mtbers and never venture to that side :twisted:

Ok so I have a ten speed mtb http://www.trekbikes.com/uk/en/bikes/mo ... elite_uk/#

and the chain is just over 0.75% my choices are buy a new chain and cassette it is currently on a long mech running an 11-36 and uses some kind of HGX shimano mtb chain.

But! I have a Tiagra 12-28 cassette and chain kicking about with just few miles on 10 speed also. Will these work on the mtb. I have read that shimano chain are road and mtb specific but I don't think that's true as I know DH often use road cassettes. I know there may be issues with a long mech on smaller cassettes being a bit bouncy but I dont see the point in swapping for a medium cage for it. The front chainrings and chainset are oem XT equivelent from what I can tell and it's a triple.

I think this will be fine and I clean my chain with pride so I don't think even mud shedding will be an issue??

Any thoughts???

Thanks
You just gotta peddle

Comments

  • cooldad
    cooldad Posts: 32,599
    It will work.
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  • njee20
    njee20 Posts: 9,613
    They are different - road cassettes are 1mm narrower than MTB ones, and the chains are profiled slightly differently. That said... it makes no real world difference. I'm running an Ultegra chain on my MTB (with XT cassette), because it's what I had around, and it shifts no differently to the KMC with my other set of wheels (with XTR cassette).

    The mud shedding and what not is no different at all - only SRAM have different construction on their road/MTB cassettes. You will be limiting your ratios very significantly though, I personally found a close ratio block like that a real pain on the MTB. Consider an XT 11-36 which can be had from Germany for not too much, and will work fine with your Tiagra chain.
  • Bengdogg
    Bengdogg Posts: 383
    Thanks for the replies. I think you may be right about limited ratios. What I will probably do is get an XT cassette as suggested and use the tiagra chain. The bike that I am pinching the chain off can be treated to an ultegra chain then
    You just gotta peddle

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