antokelly

Still hoping to build a tourer in the new year.
would i be better off going with 9 speed instead of the more modern 11 .
my new road bike is shimano 105 11speed works a dream but on a loaded touring bike would the chain not be a bit narrow (weak) especally going up steep hills where the bike would be under strain ,just curious on that .

i'm findind it hard to get 9 speed shimano have they stopped making them.
anyway folks your thoughts on a groupset sti leavers please.

anto

imi

I'm planning a new 9-speed build too, but with bar-cons.

Here's the Deore groupset build from CRC...
Sell the shifters and find some (Tiagra?) brifters somewhere else? Compatability?

https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/mobile/se/en/shimano-deore-9-speed-groupset-builder/rp-prod136643

antokelly

cheers IMI i have my son bidding on a set of 9 speed sti in the states .
i cant get that link to work.
i had barend shifters on my thorn audax they worked great but the sti are light years ahead.

imi

The link looks like it's empty as there's no picture. Scroll down and make component choices.

Or search CRC for:
Shimano Deore 9 Speed Groupset Builder

Let us know what you find in other places?

imi

I'm pretty much a retro grouch and though I have no issue riding with sti, I prefer bar-ends, or even stem shifters on tour in case of failure.

Honest question: Are there often instances when a brifter fails that you lose both shifting AND braking? Or only if the whole thing gets wrecked in a crash sort of scenario?

I like having down-tube shifter braze ons as finding a DT friction shifter would maybe be the simplest solution in case of shifter failure.

azza_333

a chain does not break based how steep the hill or how much gear you are carrying, it will break based on how many watts you are putting into it, the more gear you carry or the steeped the hill the lower gear you will pick and the slower you will go, but you power output will still be the same regardless. And since the 11 speed chains are designed to handle the power output of the Pros it would be safe to say it will be fine to use an 11 speed.

In addition I run an 11 speed on my newest tourer and have had nil issues.

imi

9 speed vs 11 speed is not just about chain strength (which also in my opinion is not an issue at all).

Initial cost, and availability of spare parts in various parts of the world are more important to me.

Biketouringhobo

You can still find 9 speed bike part and 10 Speed will more cheaper then 11 Speed

mstateglfr 

9 speed is still around in Sora and 9 speed bar end shifters.
They haven't stopped making 9 speed at all. Still made in mtb and road.

9 speed cranks are everywhere in deore and sugino lineups.
Front and rear derailleurs really don't care what speed your bike is.

antokelly

cheers everyone i found plenty on chainreaction deore 9 speed .
i'm only window shopping at the moment if im lucky with the ebay sti shifters 9 speed i take it from there.

imi

What frame are you going to build on Anto? (Just curious!)

MichaelW

Can 11 speed chain be fixed by the roadside?

fietsbob

speeds has nothing to do with actual gear ratios its just a sales pitch counting how many cogs you have crammed in a limited space.

Long time Tourer , I thought Shimano's K cassette a 13~34t 7 speed.. was perfect for the purpose .

more than that more cogs why? its not a race in a peloton..

rather than "speeds" do the Tooth counts and ratio Math more may not gain you enough to matter, on the tours.

imi

Sure, if you've got a chain-machine, a securing pin or a masterlink.
I use SRAM masterlinks on Shimano chains.

Extruding a pin almost all the way and then re-inserting is not recommended (that's why Shimano have special pins), but I've done this and the chain has held up until being replaced asap.

Tourist in MSN

Regarding availability of components, I use 8 speed. The rear derailleur for 8 and 9 is the same, assuming you are using Shimano. I actually bought my touring bike rear derailleurs used off of Ebay. I was not in a hurry so I could watch for some lightly used components to come on the market.

I will stay out of the bar end vs brifter debate, that is a personal preference thing. Plus, I use an odd front derailleur that needs friction, I would not be able to use an indexed front.

I use low cost KMC chains, I carry a spare quick link or two for my chain. Have not broken one yet, but if I did I would have the quick link to put in it.

I partly agree, partly disagree.

When you are on a smaller chainring, you put more tension on a chain. It is a rare road bike that has a smallest chainring smaller than 34 teeth. But touring, I use 24 teeth for my smallest chainring and several on this forum use 22 or maybe even 20 teeth for their smallest chainring.

Yes, pros can push out a lot of wattage, but most pros are pretty light weight too. A heavier person can put more weight on a pedal. I weigh about 180 pounds and if I put all 180 pounds on a 175mm long crank arm, if I am using my 24T chainring, that is about 650 pounds of tension on the chain. (A 24 tooth chainring has a 12 inch circumference, that is 305mm circumference for a radius of 48.5mm. A 175mm crankarm is 3.6 times longer than the radius of that 24T chainring. Thus, at 180 pounds on a pedal I can put about 3.6 times my body weight of tension on the chain, which is about 650 pounds.) While I never stand on one pedal with all my weight on it because my knees can't take that much stress, I think my point is clear that the chainring size is a critical factor. And rider weight also comes into play to some degree.

A pro at high wattage will probably burn through chains pretty fast just because at high wattage, they will put more rapid wear on the moving parts. But most bike tourists are likely to change a chain when they start having shifting problems, that is after many more miles and much more wear than a pro would typically put on a chain. The mechanic for the pro would be fired if the chain broke in a race, that mechanic is not going to let a chain get very much wear on it before replacing it.

robow

Not true, in fact not all 10 speed shifters will work with all 10 speed rear derailleurs
Thanks Shimano : (

Squeezebox

For me, I don't need an 11 or 12 tooth cog. So I would be okay with 9 speed, I think,
Tell me more about the chain issue.
Please and thank you!

fietsbob

you can get 9 speed repair parts all day long . shops need them to fix existing bikes so their wholesalers stock them .

It's your trend following discount sellers like chain reaction and wiggle that dont try to keep the other stuff ready to ship.

so you may have the illusion its going away .. rest assured it's Not.

cale

Oh goodness, no. Not going anywhere. 9-speed rules!

sherly

what do you repair bicycle man

saddlesores

yebbut, the new xtr 11 spd comes in 11-45!
4-freakin-5, dude!
run that with a tiny 20T up front
and ultralight is doomed, i tell ya.

Biketouringhobo

XTR M9001, XTR 9000 11speed 11-40t cassette $349.99
Bikeman Shimano XTR 9000 11-Speed 11-40 tooth Cassette

I will stay with 9speed Sram PG-970 11-34t cassette $44.99
Bikeman SRAM PG-970 9-Speed 11-34 Cassette

mstateglfr 

Yes. I was responding in line with the question of 9 vs 11 speed though.
To my knowledge, I could use a Shimano rd for either speed.

antokelly

imi i like the look of the SPA steel tourer. dec it out with deore 9 speed and impact triple chainset , see if i pick up a brooks b17 i have everything else well near enough.
im in no hurry to be honest as i said justwindow shopping.

anto.

robow

It likely won't work well because the 9 speed chain is significantly wider than an 11 speed chain and you'll get some rubbing issues if using the wider chain with the more narrow front derailleur.