I have a couple of bikes with 9 speed setups, but mostly use and prefer 7 and 8 speed. But I do this based on a preferences for the wider, more durable chain (that doesn't stretch and wear out as quickly as a thinner 9-speed), and for thumbshifters which are more readily available in 7/8 speed versions, if you want quality indexed ones.
The irony though, is that I end up running EVERYTHING in friction mode. And in terms of that, I really don't find the 8 speed to be any better or more precise or trouble-free than the 9 speed setups at all. The important thing is just keeping your chain clean, having good tension springs in both the derailleur and shifter (ie: not worn out), and making sure the derailleur is properly aligned and perfectly vertical. (It's amazing how many hangers are bent slightly, and this seems to causes a lot of ghost shifts for me. If your hanger IS bent, don't try to straighten it yourself, and don't do it by pulling on an attached derailleur. This is one repair that should be left to a competent, experienced bike shop, with the proper hanger-straightening tool.) There actually ARE advantages to 9 speed, I think. If you do switch to index shifting at some point, they're generally MORE precise than 8 speed. Even though the tolerances are smaller, the technology was better. And in terms of "better availability," I think that might be a reference to better "range" options. It's generally easier to find cassettes with larger/lower big cogs, the more gears the drivetrain has. To me, this is pretty nice. I don't really care about having a gazillion little increments to keep my cadence "just so," since I'm not often riding in a paceline, but I really like having the bigger range between high and low. (Especially as wheel diameters get bigger and I get older) The 9 speed stuff will easily give you a 34 tooth cog option, 10 speed a 36, and 11 speed a 42! (But, in addition to the frail chains that stretch prematurely and, from what I understand, can't be reused once they're removed, the 10 and 11 speed stuff has a whole different pull ratio to it, so you can't use any of your existing shifters or derailleurs.) YMMV. I think the Jones cassettes, that Matthew mentioned, are based on 9 speed cassettes, so they have narrower spacing anyway. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
