9 and 10 speed parts inter-changeable?

[thehoof]

I'm in the process of replacing parts (trying to do it on the "cheap") on my very old mtn bike. It's currently a 9-speed setup and while I've got most things 9-speed, sourcing a reasonably priced (cheap) 9-speed 42T chainring is proving difficult...

 

Can I use a 10-speed part?

[amosdelange]

This link helped me to answer that question.

 

http://www.drivetraincalculator.com/

 

I fitted a 10 speed rear dérailleur on my 9 speed group set road bike. Had the same issue that 9 speed parts are either or hard to come by, or more expensive than 10 speed counterparts.   

[popcorn_skollie]

I once had a triple 10 speed crank (converted to double with bashgaurd)

With an 8 speed cassette. and a 9 speed chain.

Worked flawlessly for months.

You just need the right mechanic with a little patience.

I'm only talking cranks, cassettes and chains here.

When you try to mix shifters and deraileurs of various speeds it starts to get tricky.

But a chainring? I wouldn't worry

[s14phoenix]

I once had a triple 10 speed crank (converted to double with bashgaurd)

With an 8 speed cassette. and a 9 speed chain.

Worked flawlessly for months.

You just need the right mechanic with a little patience.

I'm only talking cranks, cassettes and chains here.

When you try to mix shifters and deraileurs of various speeds it starts to get tricky.

But a chainring? I wouldn't worry

 

Running 10 speed chains on 9sp cassette and crank also not a problem. except the XTR M960 crank - we tried a 10sp chain on there and it would jam between the rings. Other 9 sp cranks have not had problems.

 

derailleurs and shifters from different brands and different speeds just cause headaches. Use 9 on 9 and 10 on 10 and you wont have trouble.

 

so if the 10sp chainring fits you should be ok.

[Eugene]

A bike shop in PE quoted me R200 for a 9 speed chain ring. Another bike shop quoted me R495 for a whole new crank (Alivio level).

 

It might be worth your while to replace the whole crankset. If one ring is worn, there is a good chance the other rings will go soon. 

 

www.buycycle.co.za had similar cranks for R460.00

[missioner]

Here's the skinny

 

The pitch ( distance between pins) is the same regardless of whether it's 7 or 11 spd. The difference is the width of the chain. This affects the spacing between the sprockets of the cassette and chain rings. It also plays a role with the width of the front derailleur.

 

So now this is the fun part for hybrid drive trains here's the rules:

 

Match the right side shifter to the rear derailleur and rear cassette, ie: 9spd shifter, 9spd rear mech and cassette, etc. The indexing of the shifter needs to match the rest of the components to work.

 

Match the crank/chainrings, chain and front derailleur. 10spd chain, 10spd crank and frt der, etc. A 9spd chain won't shift well on 10spd chainrings as it's too wide for the chainrings. Using a 9spd front derailleur with a 10spd chain will cause a lazy upshift and slow to no down shift under load. In this case it too wide to engage the chain correctly.

 

Cranks don't make much difference, but the rings attached are where the magic happens.

 

So now you are starting to get the picture.

 

I have another myth to throw out, so despite what you may have been told SRAM and Shimano are fully compatible with only one exception, the right shifter and rear mech. Sadly these ALWAYS have to match.

 

Getting back to your situation, buy the 42T 10spd ring and fit it to your bike and use a 9spd chain. You will not have issues as long as the rest of the chainrings are 9spd. I am assuming the rest of your bike still has its original components and they all work properly. Tune it all nicely and happy trails.

 

If you found yourself between a rock and a hard place and we're unable to find suitable matching components for the crank keep my rules in mind and you bike will run sweetly.

[Davedk]

missioner, I feel the force is strong with you.

[missioner]

8 years in the trade building race bikes left a few nuggets of knowledge. Although these days the mind is willing but the body is far from able