PES57

I don't think I've seen a discussion on this before.

I've noticed that the upper end component groups are going to a 10 speed cassette, with the narrower chains and configuration for the derailleurs. Is this going to be durable enough for touring or would it be best to stick with a 9 speed setup? It looks like you can still get 9 speed components at the Deore level from Shimano, SRAM also has them up to the X.7 level, I think. I saw that Novara has a 10 speed set up for the Randonee and Co-Motion is showing it on its touring bikes, but the others I have seen have 9 speed, at least for this year.

Any comments/recommendations? Thanks.

Cyclebum

A 10 sp should require more frequent chain replacement to preserve the cogs. No big deal. Of course, thinner cogs would mean they wear out faster. That's a big deal.

Touring specific bikes are notorious for coming with too high gear ratios for loaded touring. Maybe the 10 sp setups will deliver the needed 20/18 gear inches for long 6% grades.

ClemY

Most of my bikes are older bikes that I have converted up over the years. They are now 9 spds. I now have the ratio steps and overall range that makes me happy. I see no reason to go to a 10 spd cluster. When I started in this business 10 spd. ment a 5x2.

JimPz

At 'Bikerumor.com' there was just an article based on testing done on 9by) Shimano chains, that at least, with their chains, 10 speed chains actually wear longer..
In my experience, I seem to change them on roughly the same schedule, not scientific, but I don't go thru any more chains than I used to.
I ride MTB & road. My personal recommendation is chain wear should not play a major decision in 8-9-10-11 spd choice.
Depending on your preference, I would base it on cost, ergonomics & on a complete/existing bike, what is already on it & the cost/benefit to change.

"When I started in this business 10 spd. ment a 5x2" LOL, me too!

JimPz

Cyclebum

Do you ascribe to the notion that excessive chain stretch contributes to tooth wear on the cluster, thus making it important to monitor chain stretch closely?

I do keep a close eye on chain stretch, but not sure how much stretch really has to do with cluster life.

fietsbob

10 spd chain, in the shop is a chain priced 2X the 8 speed ..

amazon deals for less?, need you to have some place to ship to and you have to stay there.
the motel room for a week will cost more.


my derailleur rig is 7 by 3 50,40,24 the range is 13-34. just in 5 wider spaced ratios.. in between.

I dont race pace tours to knock out centurys, daily for 2 weeks. some do ..

I prefer plodding along for 10 weeks.

Tourist in MSN

If you are building up from scratch, pick the setup that you think will give you the best gear ratios for the money.

I built up my first touring bike almost 10 years ago, at the time 9 speed was displacing 8 speed. I looked at the difference in cogs between an 8 and 9 speed cassette in the 11/32 range. Only significant difference was that the 26 tooth cog on the 8 speed was replaced by 24 and 28 tooth cogs in the 9 speed cassette. I decided to go with the 8 speed because the additional gearing was not worth the money to me. At that time I had heard that 8 speed shifting cable stayed in adjustment better than 9 but I have no experience with a 9 so I can not verify that. I also do not know if an 8 speed chain lasts longer, but I get plenty of life out of my 8 speed chains. I was happy enough with that decision that when I built up another touring bike about three years ago, I used exact same gearing on the new bike.

I do my touring in civilization. If you were concerned about buying components in parts of the globe where 10 speed components are not available, that could also be a factor. But where I tour I can buy anything that I can buy at home.

Doug64

+1

The only advantage I can see for a 10 speed setup is the potential to have smaller jumps in gearing between cogs. Having evolved from a 2X5, to an 3x8, and finally a 3x9; I don't really feel the need to "tighten up" the jumps between gears. I run a 44/32/22 crankset which keeps the ratios closer than a crankset with larger tooth differences between chainrings. Every once in a while I can't seem to find that sweet spot, but it is not often enough to make me think about gearing changes.

bradtx

PES57, I wouldn't worry about using a 10S cassette on a tour. On the other hand I wouldn't consider one unless there's some GI value(s) that you'd like to have.

Brad

Carbonfiberboy 

It's just like any other standards-based modernization in industry. Sure you can still find used 9 speed brifters on ebay, but if you're buying new, don't buy an XP computer, buy a Win7 or 8 machine. 10 speed is just as reliable as 9 speed. New tandems come with 10 speed. Some teams are pretty strong. If you can put a continuous 700 watts through your drivetrain, you would be about in the same ballpark. Somehow I don't think you'll be putting out a third of that, touring. Your bike will also weigh less than half what a tandem weighs. So don't worry about it. Buy as high up the drivetrain scale as you can afford. If it works on a tandem, it's overkill for touring.

fietsbob

Touring is not about being shoulder to shoulder in a tight pack moving at 20 mph, like road racing..

so if i spin a geat too fast, i just slow down a bit so it feels right,,
a name traditionall used , of just staying 'on top if a gear'..

not bogged down in a bit too high , or unable to keep up with one too low..

part of why I feel some of the tech that has moved in from the race bike kit , is unneeded , touring.

but gear heads need the latest kit , and the industry feeds that .., it feeds them ..



in general the derailleur stuff is parked since I got the R'off hub..

different approach .. no new and improved AD campaign every year.

, fwiw, their races , MTB 24hr endurace events , not on international TV ..



last year for tandems , a 36 hole hubshell, option added to the 32 hole shell,
made from the beginning..

a few tandems on trekks in the Andes cracked out some spoke holes.
conservative upgrade; now 36 hole for 3 cross lacing, is available..

ClemY

I am old enough to remember when Phil Wood came out with 48 spoke hubs for tandems. They were a godsend. I was always breaking spokes on my tandem with 36 or 40 spokes. The problem was, back in the day Super Champion rims were the best, but they were a bit soft and shallow in depth, so they flexed more than was desirable. That flex caused spokes to break. 48 spokes controlled the situation. Now with deeper, stiffer rims, that is no longer necessary. Rims like the Velocity Dyad are stiff enough for me even at my weight (I am a Clyde), but I still prefer to go with 40 spokes, even on a single bike.

martianone

My commuter is a 1x9 setup (Shim/xt), my road bike is a 1x10 setup (SRAM/x.9) - 1xN set ups are a little harder on a chain, presumed I was going replace the 1x10 chain more often. Think I get a little more distance on a chain with the 1x10. I'd take the great SHIM's chain wear claim with a grain of salt, but there might be some truth to it.

terrymorse 

Yes, absolutely.

Chain "stretch" has everything to do with cassette cog life. When the links of a chain get longer, the cogs wear in a new tooth profile to match the new chain length. When you finally replace the worn chain, it's too late. The cog that has worn a new tooth profile to match the worn chain's geometry no longer fits the shorter chain, and the new chain will skip under load. The only fix at that point is to replace the cassette cogs.

For me, chains and rear tires wear at about the same rate. I always check the chain length when replacing a tire, and I replace the chain when the wear is near 1%.

A badly worn cassette cog:

sstorkel

I find that 10-speed chains are more readily available in my area than 8- or 9-speed chains. Nobody seems to have 8-speed chains in stock anymore. The majority of new bikes seem to come equipped with 10-speed drive-trains, so that's what the stores around here seem to stock. Depending on the shop, there are usually 3-6 different choices for 10-speed chains versus 1-2 for 9-speed.

Like JimPz, I don't see a whole lot of difference in durability between 9- and 10-speed chains.