Jump to content

drive chain upgrade


ecg15

Recommended Posts

hi guys.

i seek some info and help from all you hardcore pros out there.

 

im currently running an old 3x9 XT group set......i know i know.

it does the job 100% for me but it needs replacing so obviously parts will be a problem so i would have to upgrade to a 1x10 or 1x11 system.

for my hub can i just put in a 11 speed free body or must i replace my hub.

What are my options to upgrade my group set? buy the parts individually and then put it all together?

 

thanks 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My 2c worth

 

1. 1x10 is a much cheaper upgrade than 1x11

 

This is because you can keep your hub, and the 10s components are themselves cheaper. I would do this anyway even if you plan to ultimately upgrade to 11s because it lets you experiment with different front chainring/cluster combinations. (are you going elliptical. for example, and do you need 45t in the rear cluster or is 40t enough)

 

In this case you need a new rear derailleur, 10s chain, 10s shifter and a 10s cluster. I'd recommend going for an 11/36 cluster, and look at getting the Kalbo (www.kalbo.co.za) upgrade to take it up to 42t, and pairing this with either a 32t or 34t front (for 29") or a 34t to 36t front ring if 650b wheels (mostly depending on how strong you are). Elliptical is great - look for something second hand for this ring even. Buy a new cluster however - they will often be too worn even if the proviso owner has only done 50km on them..

 

2. If you do go 1x11 then you need to find out if you can buy a 11s freehub for your existing hub (generally about R300-500), or you can look at one of the DIY upgrades than involves filing your existing freehub and hub flanges down a few mm's (this depends on the design of your specific wheel - watch some youtube videos and you'll get the idea)

 

its a fun upgrade. I have 2 1x10 bikes, and I've upgraded my wife to 1x 11 to give her a little extra gear range.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

for my hub can i just put in a 11 speed free body or must i replace my hub.

 

thanks 

 

This depends..

 

Shimano, no

Rapide, yes

 others you'll have to look them up

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1142 cassette 10spd will fit your cassette feeebody no need to replace so 10 spd shifter

cassette chain and 1 by chain ring, rear derailure  all need to be replaced. wheels are good to go

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks you guys are awesome.

 

my current setup is on a 26" bike. again i know..... i do have a 29er hardtail but prefer this 26er for racing though. sounds funny. old school i guess.

 

so im running a 9 speed 11-32 at cassette at the back. when upgrading cant i just ad or change the cassette setup to change it to 11-42.

Also when changing the front to 1 chain ring do i have to do anything to the bottom bracket?

My front chain rings are 22-32-44. I spend most my time in the 32 chain ring. so if i go 1x10 i could go 11-42 and 32 in front?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks you guys are awesome.

 

my current setup is on a 26" bike. again i know..... i do have a 29er hardtail but prefer this 26er for racing though. sounds funny. old school i guess.

 

so im running a 9 speed 11-32 at cassette at the back. when upgrading cant i just ad or change the cassette setup to change it to 11-42.

Also when changing the front to 1 chain ring do i have to do anything to the bottom bracket?

My front chain rings are 22-32-44. I spend most my time in the 32 chain ring. so if i go 1x10 i could go 11-42 and 32 in front?

Yeah, you could do that easily. And no, no change to bb. You can use your existing crank as well. Just put the single ring on the same mount as your current middle ring. You'll need shorter chainring bolts though.

 

Id also consider a 34t up front, if you're currently running an 11-32 at the back.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Why would one need an '11sp hub', whatever that is, unless you intend running a 10-* cassette?

 

Sent from my HUAWEI VNS-L31 using Tapatalk

Link to comment
Share on other sites

All depends what kind of riding you mostly do. I ran 1x10 for years and loved it. Now running 1x11 and there's not a whole lot different. BUT, if you ride in very hilly areas, 2x11 may well be a better option.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

8/9/10/11: these are 'standard' freehubs that will all accept 8/9/10/11 Shimano style MTB cassettes ie you don't need an 11 speed freehub.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You will only need a 11 speed freehub (XD Driver) if you want to go the Sram route 11 or 12 Speed.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks you guys are awesome.

 

my current setup is on a 26" bike. again i know..... i do have a 29er hardtail but prefer this 26er for racing though. sounds funny. old school i guess.

 

so im running a 9 speed 11-32 at cassette at the back. when upgrading cant i just ad or change the cassette setup to change it to 11-42.

Also when changing the front to 1 chain ring do i have to do anything to the bottom bracket?

My front chain rings are 22-32-44. I spend most my time in the 32 chain ring. so if i go 1x10 i could go 11-42 and 32 in front?

 

To do 1x10 on a 26" you'll need a bigger front ring again.

 

My 26" 1x10 has a 46t ring on the front. The 32/34/36/38 etc. will not be enough - I would go for anything from a 40 to a 46 for your project depending on what riding you're doing. The 29" guys will tell you and I that we are both mad, but try it out and you'll see.

 

Suggest you try out setting it up with your existing big ring and see how it feels.

 

in terms of maintaining a relatively straight chainline you have to look at the frame and see what is possible. Ideally you should run your front ring in the middle position on the old triple crankset, but this is not always possible due to the position of the seatstays. If you can then happy days, otherwise you can look at moving the BB spacers around 

 

If you're running the chainring in the 'outboard' position then there may be spacers on the BB that you can move around to bring the chainring more in line with the cluster. None of these components have been designed for this sort of duty however, so just figure out whats going to work for you.

 

Note that if you're running the chainring off the middle line of the cluster you may get more chain drops, and you can mitigate this by either moving to a wide-narrow chainring (or just a chainring without 'ramps', i.e. not designed for shifting), or by fitting a chainguide (CSixx make nice ones). I have an old Shimano Saint single chainring on my 1x10 and it works nicely despite being significantly out of line.  Also using one of the newer clutch-type deraileurs will help keep the chain stable, and save you a lot of chain dropping.

Edited by 100Tours
Link to comment
Share on other sites

if you google Sheldon Brown's gear calculator you can play around with different ratios.

 

I suggest that you try to maintain something close to your current top ratio (so if you use the 42x11 ratio, then this is where you start, otherwise you can work out what front ring will give you a similar ratio to 42x12 or 42x13. (e.g. compare 40x11 to 42x12 and see how that stacks up). If you don't maintain this top end capacity then the new setup will spin out too often and you'll feel slow. 

 

Then look at what you'll achieve in the biggest ratio in your new set up (e.g. 42x42 or 40x42), and see how this compares to your current setup. You can figure out the equivalent lowest gear in your current cluster and decide if this is going to be enough for you. If not then you either have to give up something on the top end or go out and train more :-D

 

If you use an elliptical ring you can estimate that it will feel like it is 2 teeth bigger for you top end gearing and 2 teeth smaller for your low end gearing. i.e. a 42 elliptical will act like a 40 when you're chunking your lungs out up a hill, and a 44 when you're sprinting for a stop sign.

 

My ride is a 26" Ti Ragley (hardtail) with a 160mm fork and geared at 46t to a 10s 11/42 cluster. the bike is a scream.

Edited by 100Tours
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Shimano Deore HG500 11-42 cassette 10 speed is quite cheap, can be had for about R550 at CWC I think. Wouldn't do the 11-36 with Kalbo 42T upgrade.

 

Then pick up a front ring and spacers from Rapide and use your current crank.

 

Get a shift and rear derailleur from the classifieds here...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

LOL holy sh!t balls.

thanks so much. I clearly have some thinking and tinkering to do.

whilst riding today i was sitting in my big ring and though eish dont really wanna loose the speed.

Maybe a 2x10 system? 

if i run a 2x10 can i run a 11-42 cassette at the back?

run a 33-42 up front mmmmmm.

thanks you guys have been SOOOOOO helpful.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

LOL holy **** balls.

thanks so much. I clearly have some thinking and tinkering to do.

whilst riding today i was sitting in my big ring and though eish dont really wanna loose the speed.

Maybe a 2x10 system?

if i run a 2x10 can i run a 11-42 cassette at the back?

run a 33-42 up front mmmmmm.

thanks you guys have been SOOOOOO helpful.

I am running a 2x10 on my Commencal. Not sure of the ratios, but can post that tomorrow. I wanted to go the 1x10 route, but I am fat and slow. And there are some time what that one tooth can save the last bit of energy on your legs to pull yourself home.

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
Settings My Forum Content My Followed Content Forum Settings Ad Messages My Ads My Favourites My Saved Alerts My Pay Deals Help Logout