Bicycle Mechanics - 8 to 9 speed

am currently riding sora 8 speed, but would like to upgrade to 105 or ultegra 9 speed.exactly what do i have to replace, thanks in advance for any help on this

Shifters,cassette, and chain

yep, that's what you need. i just upgraded my mountain bike from 8 to 9 speed. shifters, chain, cassette. what a difference. I love mega 9. well i say that now but i might hate it after i start having to maintain it. my 8 speed system was almost troublefree.


but then again i love my 105 stuff on my bike.

thanks guys, appreciate the help

and a Nine speed rear derrailleur, and there's a lot of Bike shope who will offer to sell you this 4 items, which will be much cheaper if you buy it piece by piece, try visiting www.coloradocyclist.com, or the www.excelsports.com, this are the guy you should see, mind you I am not getting paid to do the ad.

Originally posted by orguasch
and a Nine speed rear derrailleur, Applesauce.....! No need for a 9 speed rear deralier.

thanks pokey, that's what i thought!

No need for 9 speed derailleur. Shimano tells you that but remember they're in business to sell derailleurs. I'm actually running an older 8 speed short cage XTR derailleur on my 9 speed road bike, no problems.

what about if you want a 34T cassette?

Originally posted by Ritalin
what about if you want a 34T cassette? There are 6,7, and 8 speed RD that will shift a 34.

I recently did an upgrade to a Sora 8 speed training bike that may interest you. I had accumulated (through other upgrades to my other bikes) an Ultegra 53/39 crankset, bottom bracket and 12-25 cassette. I installed these parts in place of their Sora counterparts and since I didn't want to spend any more than necessary, I kept the Sora 8-speed shifters (which are actually pretty good). I eliminated the 14 cog out of the cassette, added an extra spacer and made it into an Ultegra 8 speed. I did buy a short arm 105 rear derailleur. The bike originally had triple chainrings so I had to adjust the front derailleur to operate correctly with just two rings, it can be done and the shift is smooth, just a tad slow. An 8 speed chain will work on this set up, the shifting is clunky though. I put on a 9 speed chain, adjusted the rear d. and went riding. Its a sweet upgrade and even if you bought new drive train stuff you could still save some bucks by keeping your Sora shifters. Cheaper than buying a new bike but I got a feeling that if you're thinking about an upgrade like this evidently the cycling bug has bit and based on my own expieirience I forsee a new bike(s) in your future.

Originally posted by pokey
Applesauce.....! No need for a 9 speed rear deralier.
that is if you have a very good bike mechanic, I would rather go for the whole nine yards...and if you are in to competitive cycling then you won't gamble on that...., you want your bike to work like a well oiled machine, right guys....and if your just riding around the neighborhood, then the set up you want on your bike would just be fine :D :D :D

Originally posted by orguasch
that is if you have a very good bike mechanic, I would rather go for the whole nine yards...and if you are in to competitive cycling then you won't gamble on that...., you want your bike to work like a well oiled machine, right guys....and if your just riding around the neighborhood, then the set up you want on your bike would just be fine :D :D :D Sorry,but that's just more applesauce.

Pokey is right. All of the new 8 speed derailleurs were built to be compatible with 9 speed compatibility. There is no limit problem with them at all because the range is the same. So as long as your shifters are 9 speed, your derailleur will be fine. Now.. the fac that it is Sora raises another issue. If you think you are becoming a stronger rider and getting more into it, then a new 9 speed derailleur would be more practical as it'll be lighter, better quality and have a much smoother feel to it. In any case, the chain, cassette, and shifters are a must in converting to 9 speed (bare minimum). Enjoy and keep riding!

From the Shimano tech manual "Some 8 speed derailleurs MAY have trouble with a 34T cog."
As my setup is on a road bike it's not a problem. Listen to Pokey and WorldIRC, they know what's up.