The double-singlespeed setup was great for mixed on/off road rides, but I’ve got a geared cx bike for that now. Want to add gears to this one, but still keep it super robust and low maintenance. This bike will be a 100% city bike - I have other bikes for other purposes.
Criteria:
1x9 setup. I already have a selection of 9s chainrings in convenient sizes (38-42t) so this saves some new parts. I don’t need a huge gear range so 1x is fine.
Bar end shifting. Partly because those TRP brake levers are my favourite levers ever and I don’t want to mess with that.
Clutch mech. I think? Not sure if this is necessary, but as the front ring won’t be narrow/wide etc this seems like a good idea. The rings I have are non-ramped 3/32, e.g. TA, Sugino etc.
I had thought a 9s Dura Ace bar end shifter with a 9s XT derailleur. These are compatible but I just realised that clutches only came in with 10s. Is there any way around this? I’ve read about various combinations of Sram/Shimano shifters/mechs being made to work with minor modifications for cable pull. I don’t really care what it looks like as long as it keeps working reliably.
This article solves some of the cable pull mysteries but makes me even more tempted to cobble something shonky together, e.g. Sram 10s bar end shifter, Shimano 10s derailleur with a spacer to increase the derailleur leverage, and a 9s cassette. Not sure if the 9s chain would fit through the RD though.
So, has anyone been down this path before? Did it lead anywhere?
Can’t comment on the gear/cable pull conundrum (Blakey?) but my recent similar experiment putting 1x10 on my sscx voodoo has heralded excellent results with a 3/32 singlespeed chainring, and a force 10 speed non-clutched RD. No clutch and no narrow wide, have ridden down and up a bunch of kerbs (and down a few small staircases) with no chain drop, so should handle commuting duty?
I did the nine speed shifter onto a ten speed clutched shimano mech thing, it worked but was very fiddly finding just the right spacer and as the others have said, I think you’ll be fine for round town.
Add a locked out front mech, a bash guard or a narrow wide ring if you have problems and spare cash.
As an aside, which doesn’t help you SRAM rear mechs typically have more spring tension than shimano ones.
Yep, can also vouch for non clutch 1 x 9 setups using a standard chainring. Had one of my old work bikes set up like that for a while - up and down curbs all day long and no probs. You’ll be sweet for a commuter set up. Also those 9sp DA barcons are great and pair perfect with 9sp xt.
If you run your shifter in friction will it cover the range of the cassette with a 10sp mech? If so, I’d do that. Friction is so good, especially as a town bike where instant shifting and jumping onto a wheel on a bunch ride, or climbing over a surprise root on the mtb isnt going to be an issue.
Was thinking the DA shifters are good for the option to switch to friction at any time. My first roadie was friction Suntour barcons and I loved it.
Wpuld prefer 9s over 10 simply because those are the chainrings and chains that I have already. Also the slightly wider cog spacing will help the shifting, especially with friction.
Anyone have those parts lying around for sale?
Also still looking for a suitable wheelset. Shimano freehub, rim brake, and ideally wide rims for 40c tyres. Must be stacks of these around now that everyone has gone 11s and discs.
Currently got 1x8 on my commuter*, via an old XT 9sp RD, single-speed Salsa chain ring up front seems not to result in chain drops (had some issues with a ramped an pinned ring initially). I use a 9sp shimano barcon on a Paul thumbie (cos using midges and kept banging the barcon on things with the very flared hooks), shifter is on friction**. It all works. Not sure how that helps, other than to illustrate ways of doing things.
(*Voodoo 29er. 8sp just b/c had an 8sp cass & chain in the cupboard - waste not want not)
(**when I work through 8sp to the 9sp cassettes in the box i’ll prob switch back to SIS, but I kind of like the friction experience, didn’t take long for brain and fingers to figure out were the shifts were)
