haha, thanks zecanon... just wasn't sure because I know the 9 speed chains are thinner than the 8 speed ones. Does anyone have recomendations as to whether I should just get a new square taper crankset, or should I get a new bb, say an isis or octalink, and then match the crankset to that? I would think one of the later two would have more strength than the square taper? Oh, and zecanon, my chainrings will come off, but only in one piece (all 3) and the 4-bolt pattern wont fit any of the chainrings I looked at. Also, I cannot for the life of me get the bolts to come out of the backing-thread thingy since there is no set of slots for a chainring-bolt tool to slip into.