Bicycle Mechanics - 10 speed STI + 9 speed cassette + Shiftmate #2 question

Hello,

I am currently building a new commuting bike. I only have the frame for now and thinking about all the other components to buy and assemble.

It should have a 9 speed (11-34) cassette with a XT derailleur and shifters with brake and derailleurs cables running under the bar strap. That lead me to these two shifters: campagnolo ergopower 9 speed veloce which should work just fine with a shiftmate #3 or a shimano ultegra 7700 which is 10 speed but can work with a 9 speed cassette with a shiftmate #2.

I have all my setup build with shimano parts so I would prefer to continue that way with the shimano ultegra but which is 10 speed..

I wonder how it is going to do then. Has anyone already tried this? A 10 speed STI with a 9 speed cassette + shiftmate. Will it just stop working at the end of the cassette... Will the derailleur not suffer from this..

Should I better buy the 9 speed campy veloce?

thank you

Are you asking if the extra click of the shifter will present a problem? No, you set the derailleur limit screws to lock that last position out. I suggest you make the shifter choice based on which shifter feels best to you.

hello steev,
thank you for your response, you wrote in 10 words what I did try to explain in three paragraphs...
would you prefer the ergopower or the ultegra? I am living far away from the rest of the world (reunion island) so I cannot see and compare which one feels best to me, but i'd go for the ultegra without any comparison.

The question may be moot. Unless you already have the Shiftmate you need, new ones are unavailable. Jtek is out of business due to it's owners illness.

Unless you want 9 speed for some other reason, you might as well skip the Shiftmate and use an IRD cassette to get your 11-34.

Well I already have a shimano 11-34 cassette, but I didn't knew about the IRD one, thank you for this. Maybe that would be the best option: sell the shimano 11-34 and get the IRD.
I know where the ****mates are still available so it will not be a problem. I read about the owner's illness on his website. I hope he will quickly recover and be able to continue his business with his son.

Shimano 10 speed shifters work fine with 9 speed cassettes in an all-Shimano drivetrain when you use the alternate cable routing to the derailleur. A shiftmate isn't necessary for this application.

I know where the ****mates are still available so it will not be a problem.
Where?

hello Hill rider,
I just wait until I make my final choice and may order mine and then I will let you know where.

$170 for an IRD 11-34 cassette.... that is an expensive option.

hello Hill rider,
I just wait until I make my final choice and may order mine and then I will let you know where.

Maybe we should wait until you make your final choice before offering any further advice. ;)
Or maybe you should buy one now, then if you don't use it, you can offer to sell it to HillRider as a show of appreciation for his contributions to the site.

Maybe we should wait until you make your final choice before offering any further advice. ;)
Or maybe you should buy one now, then if you don't use it, you can offer to sell it to HillRider as a show of appreciation for his contributions to the site.

too late, I have all the advises I needed.... ;)

I will let you know tomorrow, but it's pricey and in europe.

you can get them at cycles berthoud in France bt they are expensive.

Are you asking if the extra click of the shifter will present a problem? No, you set the derailleur limit screws to lock that last position out. I suggest you make the shifter choice based on which shifter feels best to you.
Correct. The extra click would be toward a non-existant 10th cog in the largest position and the low limit screw keeps you from shiffting there.

I'm using Campy 10-speed Ergo shifters with a Shimano 9-speed cassette and rear derailleur on one bike with the appropriate Shiftmate and it works extremely well.

I bought a Shiftmate a few weeks back from the SJScycles website (UK). My plan is to fit a Deore 11-34 cassette to my Shimano Ultegra 10 speed triple. I also bought a wider 9 speed Shimano chain and 9 speed chainrings 30 and 42. I might / might not put the new chainrings on. I have all the parts but have not done the work yet.

All,

I recently bought a Trek Valencia (great bike!) to commute to work on. However, after about 2 months I missed my drop bars to much. I purchased a set of Shimano 8 speed STI shifters (the level down from tiagra). The 8 speed rear deraileur works like a champ, however I am having some issues with the front. (Disc brakes pull issues for another thread, easy answer, get road pull type discs).

First question: Do MTB 3 ring chain rings have a different spacing than a Road 3 ring? I can't quite get the deraileur to cleanly run. If I cross chain any more than three gears the chain rubs annoyingly. I think this might be due in part to the fact that the MTB Front DR pulls from the top, while a road pulls from the bottom. I have a Ultagra Front DR I would like to put on it, but I would need some sort of converter/switch for the cable pull. I don't have the option of running the shifter cable along the down tube, it must come from the top. Would a narrower 10 speed chain work better? Any ideas.

First question: Do MTB 3 ring chain rings have a different spacing than a Road 3 ring? I can't quite get the deraileur to cleanly run. If I cross chain any more than three gears the chain rubs annoyingly. I think this might be due in part to the fact that the MTB Front DR pulls from the top, while a road pulls from the bottom. I have a Ultagra Front DR I would like to put on it, but I would need some sort of converter/switch for the cable pull. I don't have the option of running the shifter cable along the down tube, it must come from the top. Would a narrower 10 speed chain work better? Any ideas.
The chainring spacing isn't really the issue, the MTB front derailleur is. Shimano MTB and road front derailleurs (and shifters) have different pull ratios and don't work well as a mix-and-match items.

Some posters report using road shifters with MTB front derailleurs with good results but most (including me) have not been able to get them to work acceptably together. My cheap fall-back was to use a barend shifter for the front.

I believe there is an adapter pulley that will let you use a top tube cable run with a bottom pull front derailleur. Cyclocross bikes often use this cconfiguration but I don't know who sells it. I'm sure another poster will have the source.

hello Hill rider,
I just wait until I make my final choice and may order mine and then I will let you know where.
I appreciate the info you did send to me. I assume there is an adequate near-term supplyof Shiftmates but the future is uncertain. I hope some other manufacturer picks up this product as iit is too useful to disappear.

Jtek has resumed selling some parts direct to consumers from their website:

http://jtekengineering.com/

Jtek has resumed selling some parts direct to consumers from their website:

http://jtekengineering.com/
Yes, I know, but I presume they just selling off current inventory and, when these are gone, that's the end.

I believe there is an adapter pulley that will let you use a top tube cable run with a bottom pull front derailleur. Cyclocross bikes often use this cconfiguration but I don't know who sells it. I'm sure another poster will have the source.

http://www.universalcycles.com/shopping/product_details.php?id=31009

http://www.universalcycles.com/images//products/medium/31009.jpg