Originally Posted by
HillRider
Me too. I expect by the time someone realizes they will need new shifters/brifters, a new cassette and a new chain anyway, they decide a replacement freehub body is cheap enough that they might as well go to the full 9-speed set-up.
The only reason I can see for doing the 8 of 9 trick would be to use an exotic older wheel like a disk that didn't take a standard freehub body and replacements aren't available.
I've done it with DT shifters as a test.
my 7sp 600 ultegra DT shifters didn't have the cable pull range to use the entire 9sp cassette on a 9/10 wheel so I popped the cassette on a 7sp wheel for the lower gear the 9sp cassette had.
I've since ditched it entirely and have proper 9/10sp wheel and STI levers for it.