Originally Posted by
tyrion
Why switch to 9 speed? He already has a 10 speed. What will he gain by replacing his RD, cassette, and chain?
It looks to me like there's little price or availability advantages to 9 speed at this point. I do understand 9 speed road and mountain drivetrains have more interoperability than 10+ speed stuff - but is that important?
Tyrion,
I had originally mentioned going to 9 speed. My current RD is only rated at a 32 tooth cassette when used with a triple in the front. It can run a 34 and some people get away with a 36 with a double from what I've seen in youtube videos. Whatever swap I do on the breezer will include a new rear cassette and RD just to easily run a 36 in the rear. I actually like this drivetrain a lot as is, just not for touring, so if I get new components for this Breezer I'll swap all of this 10 speed tiagra over to my Marin Nicasio that currently runs claris. It's actually perfect for that bike and how I use it. Work is 14 miles so I'm not yet up to commuting both ways. Some days my wife drops me off in the morning with a bike and I ride home. I think the Nicasio with this Tiagra 10 speed would be a beautiful fast commuter for that purpose. I hate Leaving the Sutra out on a bike rack all day. Also, my brother rides the Nicasio on rides with us when he visits from FL. That may include some light gravel, a road ride or whatever... I think 48/32 with an 11-34 casette and some 700X38 tires is about perfect for how that bike gets used. He's a marathon runner so I'd never want to loan him anything faster to ride anyway. :-)