Bicycle Mechanics - Will a 9sp XT cassette and RD work with 9sp Ultegra Road Brifters?

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chris1548
10-14-11, 04:44 PM
My wife has a 9 SP Ultegra Specialized road bike that she likes a lot. I would like to give her lower gears on the cassette so I'm thinking of swapping the Ultegra 11-27 cassette and rear derailleur for an XT 11-34 cassette paired with an XT M772 9sp rear derailleur. My question is whether the XT stuff will work with the Ultegra brifters she already has on the front? Thanks.

joejack951
10-14-11, 04:46 PM
Yes. You will probably need a new chain to go along with the larger cassette though.
chris1548
10-14-11, 05:18 PM
Thanks, guys. I thought so, but I thought I'd check. My situation is the same as yours, Camilo. My wife just won't (or can't) go up certain hills, and I'd like to make it doable for her. She was enthusiastic when I asked her about it. She wasn't quite as enthusiastic when I told her I thought that would make a great Christmas present along with a complete bike overhaul!

I'm going to order the XT RD and cassette and also a 9sp XTR chain I found.

Thanks again for the help.

joejack951
10-14-11, 05:57 PM
Not sure if you are settled on the XT components and XTR chain for any specific reasons but there's no need to spend that much money to achieve the gearing you desire. Deore or even Altus/Acera components will work at a slight weight penally over the XT stuff. KMC 9 speed chains (the cheap X9.73 version) have served me well for many thousands of miles and are easier to install than Shimano as they come with a removeable quick link versus Shimano's non-removeable pin. If you like the look/weight of the XT stuff, I'm the last person to try and talk you out of it but if money is a slight concern, I wanted you to know there are other options. For the chain, unless you wanted to stay with all Shimano goods, I see no reason why not to go with a KMC (or SRAM or Wipperman) chain that comes with a quick link. You won't regret the flexibility.
chris1548
10-14-11, 07:49 PM
I agree with you Joejack. Thanks for the tip.
cyclist2000
10-14-11, 08:08 PM
If you have a chain with a master link try to reuse the chain. I had an Ultegra RD, 50-39-30 crank and 12-27 cassette and switched to a XT RD , 50-39-26 chainrings and 11-32 cassette. I did not have to replace the chain (it was 10 speed) I actually had to remove a link for the new small-small combination, since there was too much chain slack.