8spd to 9spd advice

mr_eddy

I have a Pinnacle Lithium Hybrid 3 which I got about 2 months ago, its a great all rounder and suits my needs well however some very recent changes to my job mean that my commute is now a very hilly 30 miles round trip and I am now having to take more stuff to work (suit / laptop etc). I don't have a car and the train is not an option so it has to be a bike.

I have already fitted a decent set of guards and panniers to it so the extra luggage is catered for however I am keen to look at upgrading the drive train to maybe 3 x 9 instead of 3 x 8, not only will these give me a few more gear options but should future proof the bike for a few years to come.

Currently it has non series Shimano 3 x 8 trigger shifters, non series Shimano Front mech, non series Shimano 3 speed chainset and Alivio rear mech with Shimano Mechanical dicsc brakes.

With the above in mind how best to upgrade to 3 x 9 speed for under £200, I will need the lot so shifters / Chainset / Cassette / Mechs and chain. I was looking at Sram X5 or Alivio. I would like to consider Deore too but I think its out of my price range ?

ultimately I want a 3 x 9 setup that will be strong / reliable and capable of big commutes and long weekend tours fully loaded. Given them amount of stuff I have I don't really care about weight.

I will be upgrading brakes to Hydraulic discs too but the missus has already got me a unused Avid Juicy 3 160mm brake set from the forums for Chrimbo so that is sorted.

lc1981

The number of gears isn't what makes a difference to going up hills; it's the gear ratios. If you want it to be a bit easier climbing, you just need a smaller small chainring or a larger large sprocket.

simon_e

The Lithium runs a MTB triple and wide-range cassette, inserting an extra cog in the cassette will make zero difference in the real world. Are 24 gears really not enough?

As 8 speed components and shifters are current they are not to be discontinued for a long time. Non-series units work just fine, why not spend the money on a lighter laptop or an iPad

The Rookie

You certainly don't need more gears.....my commute includes a reasonable hill and I run 1x9 with a mid range (11-28T) cassette without issues and am carrying a total of 5Kg in my pannier, are you really getting into the lowest gear and unable to get up the hill or spinning out the highest gear down, if not, more gears won't help.

What cadence are you spinning at, concentrate on spinning at circa 90-100rpm at a constant effort and changing gear for up (and down) hills to keep your leg speed and effort the same by selecting the right gear rather than cranking up in too high a gear, you'll find it a lot less effort.

Initialised

24-34-42T x 11-32T is a decent range, your lowest gear is 0.75, most road bikes, even tourers wouldn't go much lower than 1 (e.g. 28x28). I got up Cairngorm, without having to stop, a couple of years ago on a 28-38-48 x 12-34 7-speed. I wasn't carrying a laptop, rack and panniers at the time but I don't think a cassette with 9 gears (across a similar range) would make it easier, it does however, smooth out the differences between ratios so once your happy riding 80-100RPM most of the time (get a Cadence sensor) making The Rookie's advice easier to follow as smaller gaps don't affect your rhythm as much as big gaps a close ratio rear cassette will also help. So consider changing to

8-Speed is a largely restricted to Budget sets these days so it makes sense to upgrade when something breaks but before committing make sure your rear hub can take a 9-Speed cassette.

The Rookie

If it can take an 8, it will take a 9, same freehub.....
New cassette, chain and shifter would be needed, if you wear something out then maybe, not yet.

supersonic

And a ten speed... If you must change, I'd go 10, not 9.

The Rookie

Indeed, though that may add a rear mech to the list as well, depending on the exact parts in use.

Daz555

You need different ratios, not more gears.

However if you feel you must upgrade then as suggested, you could go for 10 speed.

MichaelW

I have used 8 and 9 speed and I don't regard 9 speed as an upgrade.
If you want to upgrade, then the min level would be Shimano Deore, which is now 10spd.
Thinner chains, closer cogs do not make a better transmission for everyday use, they are for racing.

Your Pinnacle bike has a front chainset of 24-34-42 and rear cassette 11-32 which should be fine.
I would suggest you stick with 8 sped a long as possible and only upgrade when your shifters are worn out.

edscoble

8 speed won't disappear, no point in changing the entire set-up for that extra cog size with a triple, stick with 8 speed and suck it up.

nigglenoo

My touring bike has a 22-32-44T chainset and 11-32T 8 spd cassette, this was low geared enough to get it up a 1:4 (i.e. 25%) hill fully loaded with camping gear on a hot summer day on Exmoor this year.

I am used to using gear inches to indicate gearing, e.g my touring bikes lowest gear is ~19", the OP's Pinnacle goes down very near to this at ~20", which should be low enough on the steepest hill when lightly loaded. My other bikes are all geared to around 28" at the bottom end which is plenty low enough for my commute in Cornwall with a light load.

I do not see any point in an upgrade to 9 speed, 24 gears are plenty and 8 speed chains and cassettes last longer as well. As for 10 speed it is completely unsuitable for commuting IMO and would be a complete waste of money.

desweller

8 x 3 is a great setup for commuting. Stronger than 9 spd, much stronger than 10 spd. With a triple you've got all the range and options for narrow gaps between gears as the boys on compacts and 10 spd. Except your stuff is all much better value for money.

I would not be looking at upgrading unless you're having genuine trouble finding spares...

The Rookie

I guess he didn't really want his question answered then!

desweller

Always ask why, innit.

dav1

If you need the lot your best bet is probably to go and buy a full groupset on-line (provided you can fit it yourself when it arrives). Merlin and Ribble seem to be good places to buy them.

As stated in the thread though, 8 speed is fine for the most part so the worth of doing it is questionable for commuting/winter purposes.

What exactly do you hope to gain from the upgrade? The quality of the components on a 9/10 speed group will be higher, and its here you will get the biggest improvement. The extra gears are also nice if you are using your bike for racing or some pretty hard riding, but you can still keep up just as well on 8 speed.

I did an 8-9 speed upgrade on my old MTB a few years ago. I needed a whole new set of bits anyway as my entire drive train was badly worn so a new group set was needed. In this case the upgrade become worth while as the effective difference between buying new 8 speed bits or a new 9 speed group was quite small.