Originally Posted by
Art Odd
My groupset does have STI shifters that are nearly 25 years old and with over 30k miles, so, yes, that is my concern. Plenty of reports of short brake/shifter cable life for 10- and 11-speed systems reduced my interest in following either upgrade path, but the 12-speed R8150 group seems compatible with my frameset. Whether it makes financial sense to spend so much on such a niche groupset is another question, but it would still probably be less than a newer used bike. I just wondered how long Shimano will keep making such a beast.
If you're worried about the future, your 9-speed group is Shirley a better bet than 12 speed, which will probably be replaced by 13 speed next month and 14 speed the month after that. 9-speed was "it" for nearly ten years and supported for a long time after. It became sort of a "standard" for touring bikes and other bikes that weren't concerned with having the latest gee-wiz parts. There are (probably) literally millions of hubs and derailers that are compatible, since you can mix-and-match almost all of the 7/8/9/10 speed stuff.
Consider what you would gain from the new group. Would three more gears on the cassette make any difference to you?
I setup my MTB 1x11 as an experiment. It's nice and I like it, and I like never shifting the front. But it's not an earth-shattering difference, the setup is more finicky, and the shifter is not as crisp as my 25+ year old 8-speed MTB rapid-fire shifters.