Drivetrain upgrade to 9-speed
 

I am in the process of upgrading my bike to 9-speed from 8-speed.
Right now I have the "final" shifters (deore but obviously not on the bike), front der (deore, designed for 9-speed chain, but is annowing bt functional in 8-speed setup ), and rear der (LX, works great).
My crank is shot (bent all to heck) anyhow, and I need a new chain (Also bent all to heck, at the same time as the crank...) and rear cassette.
I need to do this really on the cheap, so all product suggestions are needed and welcome.


Thanks,
Brad

SRAM 9-speed cassettes are pretty cheap. Bike Nashbar has a Shimano HG50 for $30 (listed as a 105, buts its 11-34T). They also have an XT crank for $79. Pricepoint has an LX crankset for $70. I've seen OE stuff for much cheaper occassionally (Deore or equiv). A SRAM PC-69 chain is $15 online.