late

Hi,
my wife has a Bianchi Strada. The twisty shifters bother her wrists.
So I am going to switch to Shimano 8 or 9. I have a basically new 165 mm Sugino XD300
crank. I have a used XT rear der coming I just won on Ebay. I have both 8 and 9 speed shifters. The 8 speed shifters are low end, but NOS.

Here is where things get interesting... She is 5' 2" and her bike came with 165mm cranks. She has said she wouldn't mind longer cranks (she is a slow pedaller).
I have a 170mm Ultegra 9 speed with worn rings.

So... I can put the bike together as a 8 speed, and have it done for Xmas. Very tempting. But I can also buy a piece, and a piece there, and turn the bike into a 9 speed with an Ultegra crank. I have gotten confused, having ordered the 8 speed shifters; I found a great deal on NOS 9 speed shifters and snagged them (12 bucks and change after shipping).

Which way should I jump?

dbg

You didn't say anything about the rear cluster. I presume it has 8 gears. Unless existing stuff is worn out, I would just change the shifters to match what you have already on the bike. I can hardly notice the difference between 165 and 170. Plus when you jump from 8 to 9, things start to skinny up a little bit more. (I already miss sydney -- I don't think he'd let me get away with that last sentence)

late

Hi,
ooops, yeah, I got a new 8 speed rear cassette. It came with the shifters. Hmm, the cost of new rings and a 9 speed cassette does
add a bit to the cost of the project. Maybe this year I will do 8 speed, and buy a ring here and a ring there; and convert to 9 next year.

Al1943

You haven't said anything about gearing. How do the two possible crank sets compare in chainring sizes? What kind of gearing is your wife use to? I doubt that she will notice the difference in crank length. The 170's will add a bit of torque, the 165's should spin a bit better. Due mostly to availability 9-speed components are better in the long run but see no problem with running 8 now and 9 later.

Al

TallRider

You can use a crank designed for 8-speed systems, with a 9-speed rear cluster. Just fine. The only possible issue is a narrower chain getting stuck between chainrings (9-speed designated cranks have chainrings spaced slightly closer together, but not much). Anyway, stick with your current crank (the 165mm XT) and make the gearing decsion independent of the crank.
If the NOS 8-speed shifters work fine, I'd say don't upgrade unless your wife wants more gear options in the rear. 9-speed isn't a huge jump or anything...

late

Gearing? Hadn't thought of that. The new rear der is a 34T, so that would compensate, but I'll check.

Her current crank is a Bianchi 165mm. The Sugino XD300 is 165mm. The Ultegra is 170mm.

The brifters are...Shimano ST-EF 28-8
Shifter and V-brake levers. They are entry level
shifters, the only reference I could find was that they were specced on Specialized's cheapest shocked Mtn bike a few years ago.

Retro Grouch 

9-speed will give her smaller steps between gears especially considering that you're using a mountain bike cassette. I actually think that closer ration gears are bigger advantage if most of your riding is on the flats vs. hills. If you're talking about an STI road triple, I've found it necessary to use a 9-speed front derailleur.

8-speed means you won't have to buy a new cassette.

I wouldn't worry about replacing your chainrings. What you have now will work fine.

If it was my bike I'd 9-speed it but I'm not the one who's buying the parts.

TallRider

There's a fair bit that's still unclear here. It sounds like you're talking about a mountain bike ("twisty shifters" = grip shift, XT crank, 34T large cog), but then you mention an Ultegra crank and brifters (brake/shift levers, usually a term applied to road stuff - Shimano STI or Campy Ergopower). It sounds like the brifters are mountain stuff, so disregard that.

The NOS shifters should work fine, but I understand wanting to upgrade to something nicer. A rear derailler designed to work with 8-speed will work just fine with 9-speed shifters and cassette. In which case you'd just buy a new cassette, since you already have the shifters. You could still have it ready before Christmas.

Be sure her bike has v-brakes, not cantilevers; v-brakes levers don't work well with cantilever brakes, and vice versa. Diff amounts of cable pull.