Upgrade to 9speed?

Mike Iglesias said:

I've been thinking of upgrading it to 9 speed since it's going to need a
new cassette soon. For a new rear derailleur, cassette and chain, it looks
like it will cost around $120 for Shimano stuff, maybe less if I use
something else.

The derailleur is the same for 8- and 9-speed systems. It's the
shifter that must change.

Quoted message said:

The 42 tooth chainring needs to be replaced as well, and I
see some of the current cranks come with a 44 instead of a 42. Should I
stay with the 42 if I upgrade to 9 speed, or change to a 44 up front?

The top gear will be a few percent higher with a 44t ring. If you
ride often in your very top gear, than it might be a good idea to jump
up a size. However, changing the size interval between rings might
make the front derailleur work less cleanly. (2 teeth difference is
probably within spec, though.)

Quoted message said:

Or should I just not bother with the 9 speed upgrade on a bike this old,
replace what needs replacing, and keep riding it until it (or me) falls
apart?

If you use 8-speed parts, you won't need a new shifter, and all the
parts you do need will cost quite a bit less. I think it's a good
idea to stick with 8-speed if it has worked for you so far.

Chalo

Chalo said:

Mike Iglesias said:

I've been thinking of upgrading it to 9 speed since it's going to need a
new cassette soon. For a new rear derailleur, cassette and chain, it looks
like it will cost around $120 for Shimano stuff, maybe less if I use
something else.

The derailleur is the same for 8- and 9-speed systems. It's the
shifter that must change.

Quoted message said:

The 42 tooth chainring needs to be replaced as well, and I
see some of the current cranks come with a 44 instead of a 42. Should I
stay with the 42 if I upgrade to 9 speed, or change to a 44 up front?

The top gear will be a few percent higher with a 44t ring. If you
ride often in your very top gear, than it might be a good idea to jump
up a size. However, changing the size interval between rings might
make the front derailleur work less cleanly. (2 teeth difference is
probably within spec, though.)

Quoted message said:

Or should I just not bother with the 9 speed upgrade on a bike this old,
replace what needs replacing, and keep riding it until it (or me) falls
apart?

If you use 8-speed parts, you won't need a new shifter, and all the
parts you do need will cost quite a bit less. I think it's a good
idea to stick with 8-speed if it has worked for you so far.

Chalo

What he said!

Joseph

(Mike Iglesias) said:

I have a Specialized Stumpjumper I bought in the mid 90s that I use mostly
for riding to work (8 miles one way) March thru October. I did some
mountain biking when my son was younger, but he's 25 now, not in to biking,
and living in another state. I've been mountain biking maybe once or twice
in the last 5 years. The bike is pretty much stock except for consumables
(chain, cassettes, etc) and the shifters - I got tired of the Xrays it came
with and replaced them with SRAM Rocket 9 speed thumb shifters. It's
mostly Shimano Deore LX with a Deore XT 8 speed rear derailleur, 11x28
cassette, and Deore LX crank with 42-32-22 rings.

I've been thinking of upgrading it to 9 speed since it's going to need a
new cassette soon. For a new rear derailleur, cassette and chain, it looks
like it will cost around $120 for Shimano stuff, maybe less if I use
something else.

You don't need a new derailer, just the chain and cassette. (I think
Chalo missed the mention that you already have the 9-speed shifter.

Quoted message said:

The 42 tooth chainring needs to be replaced as well, and I
see some of the current cranks come with a 44 instead of a 42. Should I
stay with the 42 if I upgrade to 9 speed, or change to a 44 up front?

Since you're mainly riding it on the street, the bigger ring would be
a good idea.

Quoted message said:

Or should I just not bother with the 9 speed upgrade on a bike this old,
replace what needs replacing, and keep riding it until it (or me) falls
apart?

Sounds like it already needs a chain and cassette, no reason not to go
to 9-speed.

Quoted message said:

The bike is pretty much stock except for consumables

If you've still got knobby tires on it, I VERY strongly recommend
replacing them with slick. It will make a HUGE difference on
pavement, it will feel like a whole new, much better bike.

The age of the bike is not an issue, it's a basically solid bike and
should last for decades with reasonable care.

Sheldon "Oldy But Goody" Brown
+------------------------------------------------+
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Harris Cyclery, West Newton, Massachusetts
Phone 617-244-9772 FAX 617-244-1041
http://harriscyclery.com
Hard-to-find parts shipped Worldwide
http://captainbike.com
Useful articles about bicycles and cycling
http://sheldonbrown.com

In article <[email hidden]>,

Sheldon Brown said:

You don't need a new derailer, just the chain and cassette. (I think
Chalo missed the mention that you already have the 9-speed shifter.

I guess I didn't realize that the spacing on the 8 and 9 speed cassettes
were the same.

Quoted message said:

Since you're mainly riding it on the street, the bigger ring would be
a good idea.

Ok.

Quoted message said:

If you've still got knobby tires on it, I VERY strongly recommend
replacing them with slick. It will make a HUGE difference on
pavement, it will feel like a whole new, much better bike.

I did that a long time ago. Much, much, nicer ride on the street with
the slick tires.

Quoted message said:

The age of the bike is not an issue, it's a basically solid bike and
should last for decades with reasonable care.

Sheldon "Oldy But Goody" Brown

Thanks, from one "Oldy" to another!

--
Mike Iglesias Email: [email hidden]
University of California, Irvine phone: 949-824-6926
Network & Academic Computing Services FAX: 949-824-2069

(Mike Iglesias) said:

In article <[email hidden]>,

Sheldon Brown said:

You don't need a new derailer, just the chain and cassette. (I think
Chalo missed the mention that you already have the 9-speed shifter.

I guess I didn't realize that the spacing on the 8 and 9 speed cassettes
were the same.

They're not. Sometimes close enough to get away with, depending on
wear, but I wouldn't recommend it.

If the shifters really are 9-speed, and that wasn't a typo (Rockets
came in both 8 and 9), then get the 9-speed cassette and chain, and
you're good to go. If they're 8s, stick with 8.

In article <[email hidden]>,

Hank Wirtz said:

They're not. Sometimes close enough to get away with, depending on
wear, but I wouldn't recommend it.

If the shifters really are 9-speed, and that wasn't a typo (Rockets
came in both 8 and 9), then get the 9-speed cassette and chain, and
you're good to go. If they're 8s, stick with 8.

The box said they were 9 speed, the indicator goes from 1 to 9, and there's
enough clicks for 9 speed, but it works with the 8 speed setup on the bike.

I'm going to get a 9 speed cassette and chain and play with it this weekend.

--
Mike Iglesias Email: [email hidden]
University of California, Irvine phone: 949-824-6926
Network & Academic Computing Services FAX: 949-824-2069

In article <[email hidden]>,

Mike Iglesias said:

I'm going to get a 9 speed cassette and chain and play with it this weekend.

So far it shifts the 9 speed setup just fine. It was raining yesterday when
I did the work so I was only able to test it on the workstand. I'll give it
a spin around the block tomorrow after work to see if it's really working
correctly.

Thanks for the help everyone.

--
Mike Iglesias Email: [email hidden]
University of California, Irvine phone: 949-824-6926
Network & Academic Computing Services FAX: 949-824-2069