8spd DA to 9spd everything else
 

I did search as well as looked at http://sheldonbrown.com/dura-ace.html and http://www.ctc.org.uk/DesktopDefault.aspx?TabID=3946 and cannot figure this out.

I am doing a quick budget test build using some 8 speed Dura Ace brifters (I had them laying around) using a late model (read 9 spd) Ultegra rear derailleur. I tried an 8 speed DA cassette that seemed to work but with some rubbing. I had another wheel with a 9 speed cassette and threw that on and it seems to index perfectly. I know the 8 spd DA has a shorter cable pull but I haven't been able to figure out how the pull equates to a 9 spd pull.

I am going out on a test ride tonight with the bike but I am wondering if anyone knows if I have a workable setup or am I destined to be stranded on the side of the road.

In general 8-spd DA isn't compatible with anything else. Save yourself the grief.

That's the correct behavior. 8 speed DA had shorter pull than other 8 speed, so when you use it with a non 8 speed DA derailleur, it pulls 9 speed amounts of cable. There are only 8 indents, so you lose the top or bottom gear.

If anyone cares, it worked without a glitch. The 8 speed Dura Ace seemed to pull the 9 speed flawlessly with one gear locked out.

The 8-speed Dura Ace brifter/cassette combination works with the 9-speed Dura Ace rear derailleur if you use the "alternate cable routing" described by Sheldon Brown or the Shimano Tech Doc. I know this also from personal experience because I've just installed a 9-speed Dura Ace rear derailleur on a bike with 8-speed Dura Ace brifters and 8-speed cassette. My first test ride was last night - a fast group ride.

-soma5