Mountain Biking - Converting 8 to 9 speed

Is it a worthwhile upgrade to convert my Trek 4900 from an 8 to 9 speed? If so, do I need to make any hardware changes besides the cassette, shifters, rear derailleur, and chain?

Currently I am doing a good amount of unpaved trail riding, mostly singletrack, lite on the technical stuff. Also, I weigh 215 if that means anything.

Oh, and was thinking of trying out some Crank Bros. Mallet C's.

Save your money and buy a good fork, thats what I would do.

mightypudge - Why do you want to make the 8 to 9 speed conversion? Its a reasonably big changeover for not such a great advantage.

I'd go with Troie :) Buy the forks..

Search the mtb forum for the conversion, there have been a few (at least 2) threads recently that will be of interest to you. I decided against it because of its cost and the fact that my frame is kinda old at this point, so when i buy a new frame or complete bike it will have 9spd.

spend the money on forks and pedals. 9 speed is not a necessity.

I recommend Marzocchi MXCPro's

The only problem with 8 speed is that you can't really get new, high-quality components in 8 speed. If you want anything better than Alivio you have to go 9 speed (either that or find old 8 speed stock which seems to be a bit overpriced). That would be my only reason for upgrading.

Originally posted by McGuillicuddy
The only problem with 8 speed is that you can't really get new, high-quality components in 8 speed. If you want anything better than Alivio you have to go 9 speed (either that or find old 8 speed stock which seems to be a bit overpriced). That would be my only reason for upgrading.

It's basically only the rear shifter that has to be 8spd - 9spd rear (and front mechs) work fine for 8spd as apparantly do chainsets, and whilst decent 8spd shifters from Shimano are getting harder to find you can still pick the up or use SRAM (Gripshift atleast - don't know about the new X7 X9's).

Originally posted by Aggressor
mightypudge - Why do you want to make the 8 to 9 speed conversion? Its a reasonably big changeover for not such a great advantage.This is what I wanted to know, whether it was a worthwhile upgrade or not.

The reasoning was because I was thinking of upgrading the shifters and drivetrain components to something a bit smoother.

Originally posted by mightypudge
This is what I wanted to know, whether it was a worthwhile upgrade or not.

The reasoning was because I was thinking of upgrading the shifters and drivetrain components to something a bit smoother.

If you're wanting to upgrade your components anyway, then it can make sense - but the difference in performance between component levels isn't that great. Personally I'd say a new fork or clipless pedals would be a better initial investment.

Smoother?

XTR Rear Derailleur
XTR Front Derailleur
XTR Shifters
Thicker Cables
New Housing

Smooth as a babys rear.

That will also smooth out your bank balance :)

I wouldnt go to 9speed stuff unless you break or wear out your 8speed stuff. I like the 8speed better, it seems more durable, and a little more forgiving to not being perfectly tuned. But if you have to replace components, as has already been stated, finding good 8speed stuff is difficult. So when stuff goes, your stuck making the change to 9 speed.

mightypudge, you can usually find 8 spd XT shifters on ebay, they are gorgeous!
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3621504504&category=42330

Or spend your money on a good fork, which will smooth out the ride.

I would suggest a new fork, that's what i did.
WOW does that Marz Z1 FR soak up everything I've thrown at it. I think i went from an old Manitou (63mm of travel i think) to 130mm!!! and it's insane, I thought the geometry was gunna be all messed up and i'd have to get a new frame but it's not at all. YOu didn't mention getting a new fork though someone was talking about it. >looks around<

I'm considering converting, simply because on the trails, I ride I go up and down the same 2 gears 90% of the time and their ratios are just spaced too far apart. On one, my cadence is too fast and the other I labor in... I need a closer ratio gearset.

In recent upgrades I have already changed to the SHIMANO XT M750 front and REAR DERAILLEURS, all I need now is chain shifters and Cassette... A buddy from work had said that I will also need to upgrade my crankset to one designed for 9spd with the gears closer together so it will shift correctly with the 9 speed shifters shorter throw....is this true?

The main reason I switched from 8 to 9 on my commuter bike is the fact that I was pimping out my trailbike and therefore had hand-me-down 9 speed parts that I could use. I pimped out two bikes for the price of one

A buddy from work had said that I will also need to upgrade my crankset to one designed for 9spd with the gears closer together so it will shift correctly with the 9 speed shifters shorter throw....is this true?
Actually that's crap. Your eight speed crankset will work just fine. I'd probably go for some fresh chainrings if I'd put a lot of miles on it however.