Bicycle Mechanics - 8 speed vs. 9 speed Compatibility?

ok, so will 8 speed chains, shifters work with a 9 speed setup?

my Derore LX cranks say IG chain only, which is 8 i think... ugh.. would that wwork on a 9 speed cog?

anybody shed some light on this subject?

You'll need a 9-speed chain with a 9-speed cassette. As a general rule, chain, cassette, and shifters need to match.

Al

yeah the 9 speed chain should work fine with your LX cranks, but 8 speed chain won't work with a 9 speed cassette.

8 speed shifters? with 9 speed cassette? no way even if you can get them to index properly which would be tricky since the spacing is different, you've only got 8 clicks, so you won't be able to use a cog at one end of the cassette.

In other words the crank should be fine, but you'll need 9 speed chain and shifters if you want to use a 9 speed cassette.

well, shifters to go with whatever speed. i was just wondering about the chain and cassette. and was wondering if my cranks that say IG only would take the HG 9 speed chain. i also have an Deore LX 8 speed front and rear derailers. will the rear only work with an 8? im assuming only an 8.

Shimano 8-speed derailleurs will work with 9-speed cassette and shifters. I think your IG chainrings will be OK on the 9-speed chain but can't guarantee that.

Al

They say you're not supposed to use a x-speed chain on a >x-speed setup but usually you can manage. On my beater I've been using a 6-speed chain with friction shifters on an 8-speed modern-day SRAM cassette with seriously no problems. I suppose if I'm actually destroying the chain without knowing it I'll just replace it the day it fails.

well, i made a 16 speed beater with a 8 on the back, with a normal chain, and it works but shifts like crap and skips sometimes, so i thought no. and shimanos web site:

http://bike.shimano.com/publish/content/cycle/sac/us/en/technical_service/compatibility_charts.html

the compatible charts dosent look to promising. i think i may just replace my Deore LX with some cheaper Deore 9 deraielrs etc.... it cant be that much different.

Can you help me to equate an ultegra triple 9 with 52/42/30-11/23 with an Ultegra double 10 11/23-50/34. I use the former on hills and the double on flat terrain. Should there be any real difference in ease of hill climbs just based on the different cranksets?
Beachguy