Free hub compatability?

How interchangeable are Shimano 9 and 10 speed cassets, if the free hub will hold a 10sp will it hold a 9?

Shimano 8/9/10 all fit on the same freehub body.

Blakey’s about 99% right but you might want to be careful - for early 10sp, shimano went with a deeper spline pattern (designated 10-D for deep spline?) for a short time. If my memory is good the splines ‘step down’ for the smaller cogs, the idea of the deeper splines was to prevent the skinnier 10sp sprockets from stripping the alloy DA freehubs.

If I have it right, 10-D DA Freehubs and wheels, and some Ultegra wheelsets are meant to only accept 10-D cassettes (and vice versa). A few other makers followed.

I somehow ended up with a couple of sets of ‘adapter clips’ made by American Classic that allow a ‘normal’ shimano spline-pattern cassette to fit on deep-spline freehubs.

Thanks guys, if I end up getting one of the deep ones I know who to call :wink:

dont forget the spacer behind the cassette if you are using 10 speed

+1
This can throw a few people off.
In fact other hubs have the same issue. For instance I have a set of Shimano freehub Campag Zonda’s- these too only accept a 10-speed cassette.

Ok, Dura Ace is different. (almost) Always has been. I revise my comment that 8/9/10 steel freehubs are interchangeable.

It’s a shame Sheldon isn’t still around to keep his Kah-Sept page updated with all the Shimano minutiae.