sorry for slight duplication (I hijacked my ownpost with another question)

Lastest bike is 2x10; the 10 speed XT is circa 60g heavier than 9 speed so there is weight saving there as well as with the shifter. I am looking to go from 42/28 11-36(10) to 39/26 11-34(9) so running 2x9. My riding style means (I think) I can do with less gears - I ride on 3x9 and can deal with the cassette gear spacing; the really important gears being the small ones for climbing. I am hardly ever in the big chainring off road so losing the high gears is not a problem, on road I would just have to pedal faster

Trying to gauge opinions as to how that will work out - anyone tired 2x9 combination? ..... looking around a lot of people have gone 1x10 or even 1x9 so I can't see any reason why not to try it, unless there is something obvious I am missing?

I have been riding 2x9 since may be 4 - 5 years. Currently running Truvative X.0 with FRM 36/22 spider/rings and before that an oldish RaceFace Turbine with 38/24 Specialites rings. It has been working great. The cassettes are XTR and XT with 12/34 or 11/32 cogs.

To be honest I do not see any incentive to switch to 2x10. The terrain I ride is quite steep, that is why low gears are essential for me.

I do not think you will be missing something from switching to 2x9. The main problem I see is that sooner or later high end 9 speed cassettes are going to be hard to find...

Stefan

I run 2x9, was on 22/32 (11-34 rear), currently on 22/36, where I ride I found I occasionaly would like a higher gear for comfort, I never used the granny at all when I had 22/32, but now I've decided I can do without the 36 so am going 1x9 with a 32T up front.

As for 2x10 to 2x9, only you know which gears you currently use, so what to go to depends on that so you can cover your existing ratios usage.

_________________
Impoverished weight weenie wanna-be!
Budget 26" HT build viewtopic.php?f=10&t=110956

I changed from a 3x9 to 2x9 around end 2007. I found that I never used the 22 granny, even with the 12-27 cassette that I was using at the time. I dropped the 22 and the 32 rings for a 42-28 set up with the same cassette. After a while I found that I did need a bit more range so I changed the cassette to an 11-34. I then found that I wasn't using the 28 much if at all, so I ditched that too. I've been riding a 1x9 set up ever since. For the terrain that I'm riding on (over), and my slow riding style this set up is all I need really.

I've just replaced the chain, and cassette with an 11-32 9sp. I know it's the wrong time of year to be replacing drive train, but both chain and cassette were shot. Incidentally, the chain I'm using is a 10sp Shimano which I received by mistake. I couldn't be bothered to send it back and wait for the correct chain to show up so I thought I'd try it with the new SRAM 9sp cassette. It works perfectly, so you can use 10sp chains with 9sp cassettes after all.

So if you team the right size chain ring with the right cassette with enough range for your riding style and terrain (be it 9 or 10sp), then surely that's the better and lighter option in the long run compared to a 2x9 or 2x10 set up? That's what I've found anyway.

Cheers, colinmack

I switched to a 2x9 this year and like the weight savings over my last setup. I went to a fsa slk carbon crank with 34/50 and run a dura ace 12/27 in back the mountains are moderate where I live and so far I haven't needed to change out for a 32 or 34 freewheel but may depending on my fitness and where I am climbing. I am not missing the 3x9 one bitt and I saved over a pound with the eBay up grades!

Here are my thoughts

http://bennosblogandmore.blogspot.ca/20 ... iment.html

I have been running this 2x9 setup for the past 3 seasons and it has been flawless.

_________________
Light. Strong. Cheap. Pick one.

Running 2*9 with 11-32 xo cassette, xo gripshift and rear derailleur. Sram Rival front derailleur and cannondale hollowgram with 26/39 on my niner.

Works phenomenally. I like the 2 chainring deal and was running it before XX came out. Given that even with 11-32 in the rear I rarely use the 26, I saw no reason to drop $$ on 2*10 for the extra gear. Planning on burning out my remaining XO cassettes and then getting XX1.

Really love the 9 speed sram stuff. more reliable than their 10 speed.

_________________
My Bike:
viewtopic.php?f=10&t=110318" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

a little update.

i tried one of my local hills and to my surprise was able get up it but was on the largest sprocket (34T). but as I like to use the smallest but one so I always have 1 smaller gear in reserve, i will be looking to swap front to 39/26.

haven't got used to the two rings on the front - on a 3x9 i am mostly in the middle ring except for steep hills, with 2 rings i am not sure which i should be in - there seems to be an overlap between the 2 rings so I can be in either of the fornt ones but with different sprocket.

a 39T would be close to middle ring gears.

as an aside, had nasty case of chain suck where the chain managed to get past the chainstay - took about 10 mins of bending and pushing on a KMC split link to open it else it would have been a 3 mile walk home - luckily no damage to the carbon chainstay.

I've been running 2x9 since 2006...

middleburn duo with XTR M970 front shifter, M970 front derailleur... used the limit screws to stop it from overshifting...

Then I upgraded to XTR M985 left side shifter and M985 front derailleur... shifted way better.

I run a 11-34 rear cassette.

The middleburn has since been replaced as the ISIS bottom bracket kept failing. I now have M985 28/40T front crank.

_________________
http://www.hackracer.com/

2x9 here since ages too in my two bikes. 36/24 front and 11-28 rear. I've used Sram Force, Campy Record compact, Dura-Ace and Sram XX front derailleurs with X0 rear one, with X0 gripshiters. Cranks used: Race Face Turbine LP, Deus XC, and S-Works carbon. No problems at all. I've also used a modified Dura-Ace 11-27 cassette, but those were too expensive for the grams saved *whistle* as 9-spd 11-28 SLX cassette with alu lockring is just about 220g and costs next to nothing.

_________________
-px | pxx.fi | Spec Epic S-Works 8934g

Wow you're right about the SLX cassette. Didn't even know that existed.

_________________
Light. Strong. Cheap. Pick one.