[TroutBum]

I scraped up some funds to get another fix for my upgraditis. I'm torn between the disc/wheelset or going to 9spd drivetrain. Looking at a set of Mavic 317/XT hubs and Avid mech's (the mud & slop here in the northeast has been horrible this year.) Also in need of (wanting ) a new XT splined crankset, cassette & shifters to go 9spd. Just curious what you would do first & why. I like the idea of getting much better braking and significant decrease in wheelset weight in one shot for about $350. There's no reason the 8spd won't hold out 'til winter ...and I think I just answered my own question.

~mud

 

[mudpuppy]

I scraped up some funds to get another fix for my upgraditis. I'm torn between the disc/wheelset or going to 9spd drivetrain. Looking at a set of Mavic 317/XT hubs and Avid mech's (the mud & slop here in the northeast has been horrible this year.) Also in need of (wanting ) a new XT splined crankset, cassette & shifters to go 9spd. Just curious what you would do first & why. I like the idea of getting much better braking and significant decrease in wheelset weight in one shot for about $350. There's no reason the 8spd won't hold out 'til winter ...and I think I just answered my own question.

~mud

Wheels are the best thing to upgrade first....will make the most difference. Enjoy the new wheels...

 

[bulC]

9sp? you're joking, right?

Switching from most excellent and refined 8 sp. to finicky, flimsy, delicate, wears-out-prematurely 9 sp. is a major downgrade, not an upgrade. Most folks in the know would pay a hefty premium NOT to have 9 sp. on their bikes, and DO, by hoarding everyting 8 sp. and paying inflated prices on ebay for the good 8 sp. stuff. Pretty sure I reflect the majority sentiment on this, although you'll always find a stray rider or two who will tell you how great and wonderful 9 sp. is and how thei life is so much better now that they have it. Figure that half the people out there don't know crap, Exhibit A our current Resident of the White House. Listen to the other half -- stick with 8 sp. Buy some new tires or something.

 

[summitlt]

Definatly disk brakes, my next upgrade!

 

[vermont]

Switching from most excellent and refined 8 sp. to finicky, flimsy, delicate, wears-out-prematurely 9 sp. is a major downgrade, not an upgrade. Most folks in the know would pay a hefty premium NOT to have 9 sp. on their bikes, and DO, by hoarding everyting 8 sp. and paying inflated prices on ebay for the good 8 sp. stuff. Pretty sure I reflect the majority sentiment on this, although you'll always find a stray rider or two who will tell you how great and wonderful 9 sp. is and how thei life is so much better now that they have it. Figure that half the people out there don't know crap, Exhibit A our current Resident of the White House. Listen to the other half -- stick with 8 sp. Buy some new tires or something.

I absolutely agree with bulc here 9 sp sucks, is finicky..yadda yadda Shimano has figured out a way to get more $$ out of us by having the stuff break/wear out easier/quicker
most people say disc brakes were/are the best, most functional upgrade to mt biking except for suspension.

 

[lamrith]

I scraped up some funds to get another fix for my upgraditis. I'm torn between the disc/wheelset or going to 9spd drivetrain. Looking at a set of Mavic 317/XT hubs and Avid mech's (the mud & slop here in the northeast has been horrible this year.) Also in need of (wanting ) a new XT splined crankset, cassette & shifters to go 9spd. Just curious what you would do first & why. I like the idea of getting much better braking and significant decrease in wheelset weight in one shot for about $350. There's no reason the 8spd won't hold out 'til winter ...and I think I just answered my own question.

~mud

As a person that has just upgraded myself, I would say youronly choise is to go for the wheels with disk brakes. The Avids are the best bang for the buck by far and super simple to set-up and use. I had never touched disks before and within 30min had min dialed. The power is awesome, I jave gone from 2 finger braking to 1 finger and even then I still could easily throw myself over the bars!!

 

[pimpbot]

My 9 speed is flawless....

Switching from most excellent and refined 8 sp. to finicky, flimsy, delicate, wears-out-prematurely 9 sp. is a major downgrade, not an upgrade. Most folks in the know would pay a hefty premium NOT to have 9 sp. on their bikes, and DO, by hoarding everyting 8 sp. and paying inflated prices on ebay for the good 8 sp. stuff. Pretty sure I reflect the majority sentiment on this, although you'll always find a stray rider or two who will tell you how great and wonderful 9 sp. is and how thei life is so much better now that they have it. Figure that half the people out there don't know crap, Exhibit A our current Resident of the White House. Listen to the other half -- stick with 8 sp. Buy some new tires or something.

... not that I would run right out and upgrade an 8 speed bike to 9. The only real benifits are that the gear ratios are a bit tighter and parts are more available. Nothing to write home about. If you are having issues with getting 9 speed to work, look closer. 9 speed is not flawed, the folks behind the wrneches are. Everybody I know rides 9 speed (when riding gearies) and almost never have issues. BTW, I'm 195# and mash the heck out of gears, and I'm on the same drivetrain except for my granny ring, middle ring and chain after 1800 miles. Is that delicate? We can thank Sh!mano's soft XT chainring alloy for the worn rings. If you take care of your gear, the stuff lasts.

Yeah, I would definately go with the disc wheelset and brakes. Biiiiig real world improvement.

I especially like the 'everybody is stupid but me' comment.

 

[HillbillyBiker]

Brakes. Keep that 8 speed as long as you can. Problem these days, seems you are almost forced to upgrade to 9 due to availability of 8 speed replacements, especially 8 speed specific chainrings.

 

[Nat]

... not that I would run right out and upgrade an 8 speed bike to 9. The only real benifits are that the gear ratios are a bit tighter and parts are more available. Nothing to write home about. If you are having issues with getting 9 speed to work, look closer. 9 speed is not flawed, the folks behind the wrneches are. Everybody I know rides 9 speed (when riding gearies) and almost never have issues. BTW, I'm 195# and mash the heck out of gears, and I'm on the same drivetrain except for my granny ring, middle ring and chain after 1800 miles. Is that delicate? We can thank Sh!mano's soft XT chainring alloy for the worn rings. If you take care of your gear, the stuff lasts.

Yeah, I would definately go with the disc wheelset and brakes. Biiiiig real world improvement.

I especially like the 'everybody is stupid but me' comment.

My 9spd. drivetrain is flawless also. Then again, so was my 8spd.

I'd spend the money on the wheels and discs, since you'd actually notice a difference from what you have now.

I also always enjoy bulC's "you young punks are all so stupid!" commentary. It's very Walter Matthau/Jack Lemmon/Jack Nicholson. I picture him smacking his cane against his porch while sitting in his rocking chair.

 

[TroutBum]

I especially like the 'everybody is stupid but me' comment.

...yes, the "holier than thou" attitude is certainly shining through today My thought on jumping to 9spd was just as mentioned...price & availability of 8spd.

It sounds like I'm on track with the best bang for my buck being the wheels & mechs. One other question - If I can snag a splined octalink XT crankset before they disappear, can I run my 8spd chain without any problems? I noticed it advertised as 9spd.

Any thoughts on the 317/XT wheelset? Price Point has 'em at $170. How do they compare to the 223's or even the Sun Rhyno's as far as weight/durability?

Thanks
~mud

 

[Cary]

I agree about keeping the 8 speed for now, the 9 speed offers few if any advantages (my 8 speed bike shifts better than my 9 speed and is a lower component level). Before you go and drop the money on the Pricepoint wheels check out the following. 1) Jenson USA Deere disk hubs with Sun Ds-2 rims for $90 (1990 grams). Also check out Spinlitecycling. I was just quoted a set of wheels built with LX disc hubs, Velocity rims, straight gauge sapiem spokes for $150. The Velocity rims will accept rim or disc brakes.

 

[SuperNewb]

I noticed my 9spd drivetrain wore the chain out faster then my good ol' 8spd ever did.
Go with the disc/wheels upgrade first. You'll like the braking performance alot especially if you ride in wet conditions.

 

[pimpbot]

Sure, they work great

...yes, the "holier than thou" attitude is certainly shining through today My thought on jumping to 9spd was just as mentioned...price & availability of 8spd.

It sounds like I'm on track with the best bang for my buck being the wheels & mechs. One other question - If I can snag a splined octalink XT crankset before they disappear, can I run my 8spd chain without any problems? I noticed it advertised as 9spd.

Any thoughts on the 317/XT wheelset? Price Point has 'em at $170. How do they compare to the 223's or even the Sun Rhyno's as far as weight/durability?

Thanks
~mud

I got '03 XTs on my gearie ride. They're reasonably light, stiff as heck, and dirt cheap. You can use 9 speed front rings with 8 speed drivetrain with no issues. That's how I ran mine until I made the jump to 9 because my 8 speed shifters wore out (cheapo OEM parts on a $350 bike, 1500 miles).

The only thing to watch out for is that Sh!mano used some soft alu in the rings, and they wear pretty quickly if you don't keep your chain clean or ride in muddy conditions. No biggie, the granny and middle are pretty cheap. I replaced my granny with a [email protected] CroMo steel granny for $13 and the middle with a Sh!mano LX (same as the XT ring) for $20. From the stock POS cranks I had, it was night and day. Just make sure you torque the bolts to spec. I use loctite on mine as well because I had issues with the bolts working loose.