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New to folder world with Thor Node 8 and Vector p8. I would like to change shifters to trigger type. eventually will upgrade RD to SRAM or Shimano type. best, cost effective way to get triggers, with upgradeability in mind. Budget is ~$ 150, but open to any suggestions.

krobinson103

Depends. With a flat bar the cheapest way is to get Shimano thumb/trigger shifters. 8-9 speed comes under your budget easily.

Violinfish

+1。
shimano shifters are compatible with the DAHON NEOS derailleur。so you just need to replace the original shifter , easily.

Retern

Oops! Forgot to mention flat bar is platform.
Can I use 10 speed trigger shifters on my current 8 speed bikes so I can reuse triggers later when I upgrade transmission? Any recommendations? No need high end just enough for metal or quality pieces so they don't break every year. Thank you for all the shared info.

mconlonx

No, the cassette spacing between the cogs is different between 8 and 10 speed systems. You would need to swap out your cassette as well, and 8 speed hubs/freehub bodies usually don't work with 10sp cassettes.

If trigger shifting is your goal, stick with 8sp shifters until you are ready and willing to upgrade the whole drivetrain: shifters, cassette, chain, freehub body/hub/wheel, and probably derailleur as well.

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I have stock dahon vector p8 Comp hubs and tern node d8 Formula hubs.
Anyone know for sure if they will work with 9/10 spd cassettes? Wow im new at this, but wow never imagined upgrade path is $$$

ThorUSA

they should work..but why ? You are running into all kinds of problems with 10 speeds like a short chainstay length, chain skipping , rolling of the front ..and and and ...
I would rather change the spread in the 8 speed cassette .... or change the front sprocket ...

the original reason for more gears came from racers who wanted minimal jumps from one gear to the other, in order to be at max output at every gear...
in the meantime it has morphed into a marketing deal ..who can have the most gears ..lol

Best and Thanks for getting the bikes from me
Thor

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Reasons-From my observation, lots of plastic stuff on 8 speed parts, and is getting scarce. I live in a hilly place-could use the range. I suspect the NEOS RD.

Is going 9 speed much safer than 10speed with regards to short chain.... etc?

Parts list:
Existing Comp hub and crankset 53T 110 BCD I think fsa tempo ck-200 170mm
Sram x7 trigger
Sram x9 RD Which size best? Med or Small cage
Cassette 11-36T ?
Chain ?
RD Hanger (Thor which one is for Vector P8? Can I use it for Tern node also?)
Shimano counterparts? I'm not race.ist

Double Front Rings setup better? Thor, which FD hanger to buy for Vector p8/compatible with Tern node? Ring size pls.

Please critic/recommend or bash if you like I am taking it all in. Thanks

Sangetsu

I converted my 8 speed Birdy using Shimano XT 10 speed components. The terrain where I live varies a lot, and I found the wide range of years would get me up and down the steepest hills. The conversion was bolt-on. The only issue is that the narrower 10 speed chain sometimes comes off the front ring and jams against the chain guard. A narrower chain guard would solve this problem. The XT system works smoothly, shifts up and down quickly, and can take hard knows without being knocked out of adjustment.

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I wish I had money for that bike you have. Its very expensive here in California. I only see Shimano Deodore/Shadow XT parts on amazon.com
Thank you for the info, sounds like you actually ride

krobinson103

Done 30000km on 9 speed deore (shifters have a lot of plastic but nothing mission critical) and 10,000km on 8 speed setups zero shifter issues. Even with the seven speed brake/shifter combos on cheaper mtbs. Its all about the bling...

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Awesome! Don't know about Korea, but lately everything here in USA seems to be made cheaper and cheaper (quality wise). Of course I like the bling too no use denying it.

invisiblehand

What do you suspect?

FWIW, I think you have two reasonable routes to take.

The first is keep the single chainring up front but go with an uber-wide cassette in the rear. THOR would have a better idea whether the NEOS can handle 34 or 36-tooth cogs. But if you take this route, you want a short cage MTB rear derailer.

The second is put on a front derailer setup and go with a double. FWIW, I'd stick with the 8-speed stuff -- it's cheaper and functionally fine -- and use the money for a front derailer and shifter. Again, I'm not up to speed on the NEOS derailer's chain capacity. So you may have to swap rear derailers. You can typically find used 39 and 42 tooth 130 BCD chainrings for doubles very cheap. Which I would pick would depend on the front derailer and whether the front derailer will be index or friction shifting.

BTW, I think the NEOS rear derailer has a different mount than a typical rear derailer. So if you switch, you might have to get a derailer hanger to use a standard rear derailer.

I'm partial to front derailer setups since it's second nature to me and keeps reasonably spaced gears while adding a wide gear range.

Note that if you switch rear derailers, due to the small wheels, you would generally stick to short cage derailers unless the chainring sizes between your front chainrings is really big or your rear cassette is really with with two "normal" front chainrings. That said, if you mostly ride on roads, I've never had an issue with a medium cage rear derailer on a 20" wheeled bike.

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I would like to keep RD short but I don't know its possible with 53T ring on there now. Neos RD will be replaced for sure at least for my Vector p8, My tern will keep Neos maybe switch it to Neos2 from Vector. Just waiting to find out which hangers will work.

Any recommendation to what RD? brand or model? Ever heard of Sram x9 type 2-supposed to limit chain slap if thats even an issue.

When you mentioned "39 and 42 tooth 130 BCD chainrings for doubles very cheap" is this for secondary ring in addition to my 53T ring or should I go 42T/39T on crankset.

Thanks again keep em coming....

ninox

Be careful what you wish for! I replace stuff it is broken and old or if I just want to romance my relationship with the bike. I spend a lot of time on my folding bike so this is OK logic for me. I agree with others that your 8 speed if working fine needs no change - trigger shifters by shimano work very well. I use tiagra.
I ran into problems changing gearing on my Birdy although it all works fine now. I wanted less gap between gears due to using a larger chainring so I changed from capreo 9 speed to ultegra 10 speed. But this mean new standard free hub, cassette, derailleur, shifter and more than $150 in cost. However, on my 40km/day commute with hills it was worth it as the gaps are smaller between gears and the shifting is nice. (cable - I needed a new gear cable too...) Good luck.

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glad it worked out for you. Sounds like I wished at the right place cause this forum is dope! Stock works ok for now. I shop ahead before i break stuff, thats why I want >8spd- I hardly see parts for 8 spd. Dont mind paying $once for quality stuff.

dynaryder

8spd from Shimano and SRAM are getting scarce,but SunRace will prolly be making them for a very long time.

ninox

One of reasons I went 10 speed was that it was very easy to get local parts and stuff from the LBS. Capreo is OK but its internet sourced here. Whereas ultegra/105/tiagra 10 speed easy peasy.

Sangetsu

I have sourced a lot of parts from eBay, and often find good deals there. I got the entire XT kit (derailleur, shifter, freewheel and chain) new for about $200. Used bits will cost less, the stuff I used was 2012 vintage. I used a 34 tooth freewheel with a medium cage derailleur. I tried the long cage derailleur, but it had ground clearance issues. The 10 speed freewheel is by no means too wide, and I had no problems with chain skipping. I considered adding a front deraiilleur as well, but found the 10 speed system to have enough gear range, as well as being more simple, and lighter in weight. Having only one shifter simplifies cable routing and folding.

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Nice clean with shiny pedals

Sangetsu

Unfortunately, when taking the train home one time, I removed the pedals when putting the bike in a carry bag, but forgot to put the pedals in the bag as well, so I had to get new ones.

dynaryder

Wow,that's close.

invisiblehand

I think reading up a bit on detailers, how they work, derailer capacity, and so on will make it easier for you to make an informed choice. Sheldon's pages are a great place to start.

How To Shift Your Bicycle's Gears
Derailer Adjustment
Sheldon Brown's Bicycle Glossary Ca--Ce

I generally stick with Shimano components. I find the quality is good and consistent. Moreover, documentation is generally good. But there is nothing wrong with other manufacturers' stuff.

A 42/39 crank won't give you much additional gear range. To keep things cheap, I'd use the 53 plus find a middle/small chainring for a double.

Retern

Thanks for the insight. I tried to read Sheldon's read but seems like rocket science to me. To simplify I have just been following Dahon and Terns' template of parts from their builds...x10, x20, Link p9,etc.

I noticed SRAM showed more Teeth capacity for short cage stuff. Which leads me to puzzle.

Existing chainring is 53T. If I want to add a double, what teeth count do I need to keep short cage (SRAM or Shimano)RD?

Retern

Maybe for Left Turn Only track!? Or He likes the sparks at night.