JimiJams

Hey everyone, I've been mountain biking off and on for the past 12 years now and I think it might be time for a new cassette. It's never been changed but I've never been an avid rider. Anyway when looking around for new cassettes it seems there's an abundance of 9 speeds but not so many 8s. I checked Shimano's website and they don't even seem to make 8s. So am I being forced to upgrade to a 9 speed system or can I just buy a 9 speed, the appropriate spacers, not use one of the cogs and call it a day?

Thanks a lot, Andrew

Torchy McFlux

Don't know where you've been looking, but Shimano 8s are still widely available and being manufactured, as far as I know. XTRs are rare, but XTs, LXs, and HG50/40/30s are abundant.

laura*

[QUOTE=JimiJams;9081314]I checked Shimano's website and they don't even seem to make 8s.

They certainly do still make 8 speed stuff. Check the Alivio (and below) groups. And even if a current group no longer uses a part, Shimano does still make legacy replacement parts.

Nope. Just go buy an 8 speed cassette from any of a number of sources.

JonathanGennick 

Here is one from SRAM: https://www.speedgoat.com/product.asp...t=28&brand=240

And one from SHimano: https://www.speedgoat.com/product.asp...t=28&brand=226

You're probably right that 9-speed are more numerous, but 8-speed cassettes are still out there.

Is your bike 12 years old? Does it possibly use a freewheel rather than a cassette and freehub?

operator

8 speed cassettes are more common than ******bags on the street. Just because higher end road shops don't typically stock such "old technology" doesn't mean it isn't widely available.

mzeffex 

^ It's probably a cassette. I have a 7 speed cassette.

Garthr

Shimano has cut back on the number of 8 speed cassettes, that's not an illusion, they're doing to 8 what they did to 7. You didn't specify what cogset you needed though. Sram and IRD makes them too. IRD makes the XTR's 12-32 8 speed, if you need that.

You have many options. Save your used 8 speed cassette for the spacers. If you can't find the ratio you want , make your own. You can either buy single cogs by Shimano or Miche, or buy a 9 speed cassette that has the cogs you need, take it apart, reassemble it with your 8 speed spacers from your old cassette.

cmcanulty

I got my 8 speeds here good selection good prices good tech help
https://www.biketoolsetc.com/index.cg...s&sc=Cassettes

mikejavo

If you're in Canada, check out Mountain Equipment Co-op, I just picked up a few Sun Race 8 Speed cassettes for under $10.

Panthers007

I'd go for a SRAM if I were in your shoes. And Speedgoat is a good shop. I run a Miche 12 - 25 8spd. on my Puch - Campagnolo free-hub. And I have a Campy Record in the same configuration in reserve - eBay - cheap. 8spd Shimano/SRAM cassettes are in abundance, whereas the Campy-compatibles are a bit harder to find.

Little Darwin

Not only can you find 8 speed cassettes, but for mountain bikes, you can still find new bikes sold with 8 speed cassettes, so there will be plenty of replacement parts available for many years.

LAWMAN

you can find that kind of stuff on ebay all day long, new & used.

hernick

Hey, you can even find new bikes sold with 7-speed cassettes and freewheels...

You can still get a few 5 and 6-speed freewheels, a good selection of 7-speed freewheels, a few 8-speed freewheels....

As for cassettes, there's quite a bit of choice in 7-speed, the Shimano HG30/50/70 series, not every shop carries a good range, but Shimano still makes them - just as they still build a lot of 7-speed drivetrains and shifters.

There's just a huge selection in 8-speed cassettes. Plenty of bikes come with 8-speed drivetrains, and Shimano has a huge selection of brand-new 8-speed cassettes and drivetrain components...

So, if Shimano and others still make 6 speed freewheels, I seriously doubt they're going to stop making 8-speed cassettes anytime soon.

JimiJams

Hey guys thanks for all the quick replies. Like I said this cassette has never been changed and I've never done anything to this bike so in the past few days I've been trying to figure out what I need to know to replace this thing. I actually did find 8 speed cassettes online but the 9s seemed way more common. Also I checked shimano's website under xtr xt and lx and all three of those only come in 9 speed now, for cassettes. So to me it just seems like the industry's kind of pushing the consumers into 9 speeds. Maybe I should've checked alivio on the site too but I wasn't sure if that was a step down from xtr, xt and lx.

Ever since SRAM came out with those gripshifts their name just got tarnished for me. I hated those things and that was my only experince with sram but I know they're up there with shimano so I'd give them a shot now too.

I hope it's a cassette too, but I can't find any lettering on it to verify.

Al1943

Converting to 9-speed would require 9-speed shifters, chain, and cassette.

JimiJams

my shifter says 8 speed on it but it looks like there's an extra space for the red "gear indicator" to go to. I don't know if that means it could be used as a 9 as well. I think I'll stick with 8 speeds though.