Sram/Shimano Compatibility
 

My right brifter (ultegra) is on the way out, and I'm thinking of replacing it with sram rival when it goes. I know that I'll need a new rear derailler, but I have a couple of questions about other things:

1. Will I need a new front derailler, or do sram brifters work with any front mech?
2. I assume that this would force me to go to 10 speed. Is there no way that I can fiddle with the limit screws and make this work with my current 9-speed cluster? I don't want to go any further from 3/32" than I already have, if it can be avoided.

If you're getting a SRAM 10-speed brifter and rear derailler, you'd need a 10-speed rear cluster and chain as well. So unless you want to go 10-speed, you should just get some Shimano 9-speed brifters on eBay (or buy Tiagra new).

Yeah, it is SRAM or no SRAM, the only cross compatability is w/ the cassettes. Shimano and SRAM cass are interchangable.
And the move to 10 spd is fully commited too, Won't run well w/ 9 spd front der/cranks.

If you are going to move to 10 = $$, if you are trying to keep the cost down, take timcupery's advice, and track down a new 9 spd shifter.

wait wait, CRANKS? Why? I hate modern road bikes...

If you go with Shimano 10-speed all you'll need are the shifters, cassette, and chain.

Al

Chainrings are sized differently for 10spd w/ different ramping. Sorry man.

That's what the marketing people will tell you, but there are many people out there using their old cranks with a ten speed upgrade with no issues. Technically you should change them, in reality, it works OK not to.

Do you actually need new derailleurs as well? can't you just fiddle with the barrell adjusters with any derailleur as long as it'll pull the for the whole cassette?

Only if you stay with Shimano. SRAM shifters and derailleurs have different cable pulls and different geometries. Together they match a Shimano-spaced cassette but neither is cross-compatible with Shimano shifters or derailleurs.

J-tek has an adapter (#5) that allows SRAM 10-speed shifters to work with a Shimano derailleur and Shimano or SRAM 10-speed cassettes. There is no adapter to allow 9-speed cassettes with SRAM road shifters

So you need more than the cassette and shifter to match?

Within a brand the match is usually automatic. I.e. any 9 or 10-speed Shimano derailleur will work with any 9 or 10-speed Shimano shifter and cassette. If you are going across brands, you need special gadgets to make everything match one way or the other.