I've been the fortunate reciever of several spankin' new 9Sp. XT drivetrain parts recently, of which I've decided to try and shoehorn onto my wife's ancient cro-mo '98 Hardrock Sport. A new XT cassette, F/R Der (low normal return spring on the rear) and new shifter pods. I'm using an older taperlock Spec. StrongArm II crankset on there as well with some other leftover but never used Race Face chainrings.... Its like christmas time in Shimanoland in my basement these days, but I'm having a horrible time trying to figure out two things that are keeping me from making this bike whole.
First off, I'm having chain alignment issues as I can't find any documentation old enough to tell me the BB shell size, or what the spindle length should be. As it is right now, I'm using what I think is a Specialized BB 68x113 but I can't tell as the lettering on the label has worn and I'm not certain how to accurately measure it (the original one that came with the bike is long gone)
So if I set the chain up on the middle ring and the highest cog on the cassette, the chain pulls off and veers sharply toward the right---like the BB is too big or the drive side needs to be threaded into the shell further. But no matter how many adjustments I make, I can't seem to bring this into line. At first I was just chalking it up to stupid Shim. 9 speed issues but I feel determined now to make this work despite how its begun to turn me into a raving lunatic any time I try to work on it.
Second, I've been wondering if I've got the right chain for the job here. I've been attempting to use a Wipperman 908 chain, one that I've used on other XT drivetrains in the past with no problems but after checking their website I see this chain is only compatible with XTR and Saint components. Does anyone think there is a real reason for this? Are the width of this chain's links too wide for an XT 9Sp drivetrain? I'm tempted to start here and find another chain (any suggestions?)
Thanks in advance for your responses, and oh yeah, I've cross-posted this over on the Specialized forum just so you know...
Cheers!
