To upgrade to 9 speed, or not to upgrade??

John Forrest Tomlinson wrote:
I don't understand this. The cogs are the same thickness or just
about, so why does a narrower chain wear out more quickly?

Because as the cogs are the same, so is the inner width of the chain,
and the thickness is gained on the outer plates of the chain - that is
a sensible part of it.

On Wed, 19 Jul 2006 12:31:14 GMT, RonSonic
wrote:

Those aren't bad, but there are still many remaindered, NOS 8s XT and LX pieces
out there that can be had at low prices. Or there were when I last looked about
six months ago.

Where did you look for them? In the LBSs around here, I don't think
there are none


Both are excellent companies with good products. You left out the fact that SRAM
also makes Shimano compatible products that'll let you mix and match.

For 8 speed shifters, would Sram be any better than the Shimano
Alivio?

Thanks,
jbr

when asked, used bicycle mechanics roll eyeballs then fall on
ground,convulse
when asked about fooling with used grip shifters
8 speed shimano chains are getting scarce in mail order for what
reasons i know not but i bought 3 last trip out
notice that 8 speed equipment is ungunghungh cheaper than 9 and 9 is
ewewewewewooooo cheaper than 10 - comparing 8 to 10 gurglrgurlgle
in cassettes, buying a 7 and adding your favorite cog for 8 on an 8/9
hub is really cheap
and go deore - skip the chrome for an extra -$10
so tell us - why do you yearn for a 9 over an 8?

On Wed, 19 Jul 2006 20:37:09 GMT, (BigBen) wrote:

On Wed, 19 Jul 2006 12:31:14 GMT, RonSonic
wrote:

Those aren't bad, but there are still many remaindered, NOS 8s XT and LX pieces
out there that can be had at low prices. Or there were when I last looked about
six months ago.

Where did you look for them? In the LBSs around here, I don't think
there are none

Not knowing where you are I couldn't check, but shopping online, which is just
as close to you as me, I found tons of the stuff at very reasonable prices.


Both are excellent companies with good products. You left out the fact that SRAM
also makes Shimano compatible products that'll let you mix and match.

For 8 speed shifters, would Sram be any better than the Shimano
Alivio?

If you prefer grip shifters they'd be far better. Almost everything else is at
price point. You get what you pay for.

Ron

BigBen wrote:
On Tue, 18 Jul 2006 20:31:01 -0400, "Phil Lee, Squid"
wrote:

This sounds like a gummy grease problem.

Funny, I just thought that given the wear, the lower part of the
mechanism wouldn't be engaging in the upper part, enough to rotate it

This is a common problem... IME, 7 out of 10 RapidFire shifters that haven't
been crashed can be fixed this way.


Spray WD-40 or GT85 into the
shifter, actuate it many, many times, and it should free right up.

It doesn't seems like its stuck - I can push the lower lever time and
time again, with no effect at all. If I thighen the screw in the
centre of the shifter, then it kind of gets stuck, hard to release
cable...

When you push the lower lever, try pushing on it at an angle, downward and
in instead of just straight in. If it catches when you do that, then you
have gummy grease.


It helps
to rotate the shifter on the handlebar so that it points up.

Say again?? Normally I have the centre of the mechanism level with the
handlebar. You sugest mounting it how?

Here's a previous thread that may help explain it with a slightly different
technique:

http://groups.google.com/group/rec.b...1d78d3c27870de

Will spay it tomorrow, and report back.

No need to spay, just spray, and spray lots of it. You may need to let it
sit for an hour between sprays.

--
Phil Lee, Squid

On 19 Jul 2006 14:38:49 -0700, wrote:

8 speed shimano chains are getting scarce in mail order for what

Sram 8 speed chain are everywhere I drop by to see something bicycle.


so tell us - why do you yearn for a 9 over an 8?

I like the 25/12 cassete with 9 speeds, but not the one with 8 - it
has cog 14 missing. (At least Shimano cassetes do. I can't get any
such information on Sram cassetes - do they make a secret??)

jbr

On Wed, 19 Jul 2006 23:24:40 GMT, RonSonic
wrote:

Not knowing where you are I couldn't check, but shopping online, which is just
as close to you as me, I found tons of the stuff at very reasonable prices.

Portugal. Shoping online for me is easier from the UK - customs make
it a pain to buy anything from the US.


If you prefer grip shifters they'd be far better. Almost everything else is at
price point. You get what you pay for.

Grip shifters it is, on flat handlebar. Good to know, thanks!

On Thu, 20 Jul 2006 11:03:51 GMT, (BigBen) wrote:

On Wed, 19 Jul 2006 23:24:40 GMT, RonSonic
wrote:

Not knowing where you are I couldn't check, but shopping online, which is just
as close to you as me, I found tons of the stuff at very reasonable prices.

Portugal. Shoping online for me is easier from the UK - customs make
it a pain to buy anything from the US.


If you prefer grip shifters they'd be far better. Almost everything else is at
price point. You get what you pay for.

Grip shifters it is, on flat handlebar. Good to know, thanks!

Well, SRAM have two different lines of twisty shifts, their own proprietary
system ESP that works with either Sram or Shimano front mechs and only Sram ESP
rears, and ones that are completely Shimano compatible.

Check the UK mail order houses. Some advertise on eBay others should show up on
a google search.

Ron

Sram 8 speed chain are everywhere I drop by to see something bicycle.

something you ate?
a ten maybe?

so tell us - why do you yearn for a 9 over an 8?

I like the 25/12 cassete with 9 speeds, but not the one with 8 - it
has cog 14 missing. (At least Shimano cassetes do. I can't get any
such information on Sram cassetes - do they make a secret??)

drill the rivits out and put a 14 in

check sheldon browns' cassette list for concept

bulding your own should eventually give a wide sweet spot

i had 7's from loosescrews. beaut sweet spot. loved those cogs
course i was agoin downwind...

On 20 Jul 2006 10:30:31 -0700, wrote:

I like the 25/12 cassete with 9 speeds, but not the one with 8 - it
has cog 14 missing. (At least Shimano cassetes do. I can't get any
such information on Sram cassetes - do they make a secret??)

drill the rivits out and put a 14 in

And then would have a 25-13, right? Not what I'm looking for - I
already have a 26-13, and I'm more interested in the cog size 12, just
in a more progressive manner than that of a 25-12 8 spd.

Just ordered a 23-12 - will either push the granny chainring harder,
or make the granny chainring "grannier"

jbr