[Riding In Israel]

I ride a Turner 5 spot '05. Have XT 9 sp shifters, basically the whole setup is 3x9 all Shimano XT except the rear derailleur is an old XTR that Shimano has repaired 3 times! Cranks are Shimano Hollowtech.

I was picking up my brothers shocks and speaking to the mechanic who suggested the following conversion:
Drop the 3X in the front for a Race Face Narrow Wide Chain Ring 104 32 teeth (BTW $39 at PricePoint) Considered the Wolftooth but they are all back ordered, granted the match and bling would be better with the rear WT that I plan on getting. Is this a good front ring or should I think of others?
Add a
Wolftooth 42T GC Cog for Shimano RED to the existing rear cassette.
I understand that I will drop the smallest gear off the rear cassette and now have room for this bigboy.
This mechanic friend says that I should be able to use the 9 speed XTR rear Der even with a 9sp chain. And also continue using the shifter.

Does this conversion sound like it would work? Too ghetto? Too hard to get it working smoothly? The guys at WT don't think it will work, but they may not have the same tight budget as me.
I guess my other option would be to sink a lot more money and get a new shifter, derailleur and rear cassette. Sure would be a lot cheaper to go with the first conversion. Please share your experience and advice. Itching to make this conversion. If you think I need to go the expensive route, let's hear the suggestions.

 

[Slash5]

In theory it might work with a lot of playing around.
What cassette are you planning to pair it up with? Usually the large gear on a 10 speed would be a 36. There is only the one 9 speed Shimano cassette available with a 36 and it has a 12 small cog. Dropping that cog would leave you with a 14 and I don't think the locking ring would work. Guess you could remove the 12 and replace the 14 with a 13.
Will the loss of the high end be a problem? You might need to add a shim to the 42 as it's 10 speed.
If you need the 42 maybe you should think about the 30T front chain ring.

 

[Bordershy]

The better option might be to just drop the big ring/shorten the chain & put a bash guard on. Since your used to running 3X, a 2X would be a smother transition & would give you time to see if a 1X would work for you & where you ride. Just because everyone SEEMS to be going 1X doesn't mean it will be the best solution for you.

 

[Riding In Israel]

If I replace the rear derailleur is this what I should use?
Shimano XT M771-10 10 Speed Cassette | Shimano | Brand | www.PricePoint.com

AS for the shifters, I am not seeing right side ie rear XT shifters sold separately. I still like the little red indicator showing me what gear I am in. Guess I could adjust. I am seeing the Saint and wondering if it is as good as the XT level.

 

[xc71]

I'm in a similar situation as you, currently running 2 x 9 and looking to go 1 x 9. In contacting WT, Oneup and Absolute Black they all said their 42 T 10 speed cog would not work on a 9 speed cassette.
Absolute Black is looking at possibly making a 40 T cog for 9 speed if they have enough demand. I'm going 30T front and this AB cog if it becomes available. There is an AB thread on here you can request the 9 speed cog like others have. I would also send them a message through their website as well.

 

[IPunchCholla]

If I replace the rear derailleur is this what I should use?
Shimano XT M771-10 10 Speed Cassette | Shimano | Brand | www.PricePoint.com

AS for the shifters, I am not seeing right side ie rear XT shifters sold separately. I still like the little red indicator showing me what gear I am in. Guess I could adjust. I am seeing the Saint and wondering if it is as good as the XT level.

I ride a Turner 5 spot '05. Have XT 9 sp shifters, basically the whole setup is 3x9 all Shimano XT except the rear derailleur is an old XTR that Shimano has repaired 3 times! Cranks are Shimano Hollowtech.

I was picking up my brothers shocks and speaking to the mechanic who suggested the following conversion:
Drop the 3X in the front for a Race Face Narrow Wide Chain Ring 104 32 teeth (BTW $39 at PricePoint) Considered the Wolftooth but they are all back ordered, granted the match and bling would be better with the rear WT that I plan on getting. Is this a good front ring or should I think of others?
Add a
Wolftooth 42T GC Cog for Shimano RED to the existing rear cassette.
I understand that I will drop the smallest gear off the rear cassette and now have room for this bigboy.
This mechanic friend says that I should be able to use the 9 speed XTR rear Der even with a 9sp chain. And also continue using the shifter.

Does this conversion sound like it would work? Too ghetto? Too hard to get it working smoothly? The guys at WT don't think it will work, but they may not have the same tight budget as me.
I guess my other option would be to sink a lot more money and get a new shifter, derailleur and rear cassette. Sure would be a lot cheaper to go with the first conversion. Please share your experience and advice. Itching to make this conversion. If you think I need to go the expensive route, let's hear the suggestions.

If budget is an issue you might just consider changing the front ring and mashing everything else. You might not need the low end. That is what I did so now I am running a 32t with an 11 to 34 cassette. This is on trails with about a 1000 feet of climbing on an 8 Mike loop. First couple of rides were tough but I am now faster on the climbs and ask I did was pull off my small and large ring and add bash guards for chain retention.

 

[Hawgzilla]

I have my doubts that a 9 speed Shimano RD could shift up into a 40 or a 42 tooth gear.

Please, prove me wrong.

 

[hankscorpio]

you can get the deore rear 10spd shifter for 13 bucks at jenson

 

[thomllama]

all these ideas/recommendations are great, but it all really depends on you, the terrain you ride, and how you like to ride. Personally, I just dropped my big ring and slapped a bash on and have run a 2x9 flawlessly for yrs now,.. pretty much anything I can't climb Here in New England riding has nothing to do with gearing but my personal riding skills (or lack there of) Not a weight weenie and prefer reliability over a few grams of weight savings. I run the 32 tooth 80% of the time and only use the grannie in serious climbs and actually a lot this time of yr in snow which has a bit more resistance on the tires. I have yet to see any real advantage with the 10 speed stuff, and have seen the lowering of reliability and rise in costs. With all the dead fall/trail snakes and other derailleur damaging items the added cost of 10 speed stuff just doesn't justify the small weight saving for going 1x10. then add the much higher chain flex and failures and I'd just stay with the 2x9.

I can see where if you ride in the desert or something where the surface is relatively smooth and clean of debris it can be an advantage, or if you are a racer type who needs to save on weight, but if you're current system is working,.. then I'd say, get a decent chain and cassette, take off the big ring and add a bash and save your money for something like better tires or wheels/rims which will be as noticeable improvements as changing the whole drive train over.

 

[Riding In Israel]

I ordered the following:
RaceFace 32 Narrow wide (Red)
SRAM 10 speed chain 1031
SRAM X9 type 2 clutch derailleur
SRAM X9 Trigger shifter ZeroLoss
Shimano XT M771 10 speed cassette
WolfTooth 42 tooth for the rear.

Do I need short chainring bolts?

 

[JMac47]

I ordered the following:
RaceFace 32 Narrow wide (Red)
SRAM 10 speed chain 1031
SRAM X9 type 2 clutch derailleur
SRAM X9 Trigger shifter ZeroLoss
Shimano XT M771 10 speed cassette
WolfTooth 42 tooth for the rear.

Do I need short chainring bolts?

Only if you don't use a bashring in the old big ring location.