Comments on: 9-Speeds, A Thing of the Past?

By: Moe

Moe — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 23:17:02 +0000

GR, Shimano the worst? I totally disagree! In my opinion, Campy is the worst, at least Shimano and SRAM share some compatibility.

By: Ghost Rider

Ghost Rider — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 15:46:47 +0000

Moe, are you serious? Shimano is the WORST offender out there! The highly specialized parts and the specialized tools that go with them (that don’t work on anything else) are enough to make even the most dedicated cyclist pull his/her own hair out!!!

By: Dial Tone

Dial Tone — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 02:23:05 +0000

Totally agree with you GR. Its the ‘cool’ factor that will drive most in getting one.

By: Moe

Moe — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 02:18:16 +0000

That’s why I stick to Shimano….

By: Ghost Rider

Ghost Rider — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 00:58:18 +0000

What’s the point? Well, that’s simple: to vacuum more money out of your wallet. Bike component manufacturers prey on us by developing all these “must have” choices and by telling us that the stuff we love is outdated and obsolete.

By: Tornadoes28

Tornadoes28 — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 22:18:37 +0000

9 speed bikes are said to have 27 speeds but we all know that in reality that is not true as you of course do not cross over the chain from small cogs to small ring and vice versa, big cogs to big ring. In reality, with 9 speed, the bike is really only a 20 or 21 speed bike.

A 2×10 would be considered a 20 speed. But can you use all gears for each ring? If not, is it really going to be an effective 17 or 18 speed bike?

If so, what’s the point?

By: Jeremy

Jeremy — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 20:47:45 +0000

ANOMALY!

By: RL

RL — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 19:52:30 +0000

I’ve got an 8speed drive train that is only a few months old sitting there waiting for me to to install. I had played with the idea of making a 1×8 since I still have the shifters that came with it.

By: Jeremy

Jeremy — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 19:41:24 +0000

I agree 8 speeds are still around but they’re an anomaly when seen on the trail and certainly do not come on new (non-mart) mountain bikes.

Chain concerns too! Add that to the list.

Thanks G.

By: Ghost Rider

Ghost Rider — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 19:32:50 +0000

It’ll be a while before 9 speed systems are a thing of the past…hell, in the mountain bike world, it’s still possible to track down 8-speed systems!

And as for durability, it’s more of a concern of premature chain wear rather than of cog wear. That chain is mighty skinny, but the 10-speed cogs are only a tiny bit thinner than the corresponding 9 speed cogs.