another 8 spd fan
I agree with the other two replys. I had an 8 spd LX hardtail go 2240 miles before a chain stretch/cassette wear failure, no other failures in that interval (except headset seal, cracked). Then I learned that 1000 miles is the suggested chain replace inverval. That bike was then stolen and I got a 9 spd Deore FS. Put 3200 miles on it before the pivot went out. Same to less extreme types of riding, as stuff broke I replaced it with mostly XT, here the replacement list. It's on it's; 5th chain, 4th cassette, 3rd bb/crankset, 2nd FD, 2nd cable/housing, 2nd rear hub.
Apparently 600 miles is the rule of thumb for chain replace on 9 spds. you get 1000 miles to a chain stretch/cassette wear on them (I had that happen three times). The cogs are just to thin. The new cassette/BB standards also need some work. I'm still using a sq taper until one of the new standards actually sticks around 5+ years, with some good reviews (my first gen LX spline sucked, and now it's being phased out).
My current rig is a cro-mo hard-tail frame I picked up off ebay and outfitted with mostly LX 8 spd off ebay and from used parts shops (I highly recommend Recycled Cycles in Seattle if you're in the area). Shifters are the only real 'not currently made' part for 8 spds, and then only in upper end stuff. I did have some 'loose feel' using a 9 spd LX RD on 8 speed, you can probably fix that with some new RD cogs if needed.
I'm hoping that SRAM will be smart enough to pick up on this market niche with their new triggers. Shimano appears to be focusing on profit through replacement parts. Sorry if this post is to long.