# 8 speed vs. 9 speed



## biggsmoothe (Nov 3, 2005)

i've been looking for an entry level bike recently, and the salespeople i talk to keep pushing me towards 9 speed mtbs rather than 8 speed mtbs. i understand their logic for more gears giving you finer control over your shifting, but is that something a beginner should be looking for?


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## HarryCallahan (Nov 2, 2004)

*Industry standard*

The bike industry has pretty much standardized on 9 speed cassettes, although now there are also high end 10 speed cassettes for road bikes.

In the early days of 9 speed, there were issues about the durability of it. Now, the only new bikes that I've seen with 8 speeds on the cassette aren't really intended for regular off-road use, but rather are lower end bikes with elements of mtn bike styling.


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## notrelatedtoted (Mar 3, 2005)

*No real difference*

A 9 speed bike isn't going to climb much better than an 8 speed, if at all. The main issue is how difficult it will be to find parts if you go 8 speed. That said, I'm pretty sure you can use 9 speed parts on an 8 speed cassette.

In other words: don't worry about it too much.


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## TrailNut (Apr 6, 2004)

*i miss my 7 speed cassette*



biggsmoothe said:


> i've been looking for an entry level bike recently, and the salespeople i talk to keep pushing me towards 9 speed mtbs rather than 8 speed mtbs. i understand their logic for more gears giving you finer control over your shifting, but is that something a beginner should be looking for?


K.I.S.S.
i have a XT 9-speed cassette (27-speed) with 11~34 cogs : hello chain suck, unless i keep it constantly cleaned and lubed (like i should).
i miss my old XT 7-speed cassett (21-speed) with 34 tooth big cog.
i vote for return of the 8s (24-speed).

on my road bike, i have Campy 10 speed casette, 12~25...now that's nice.


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## Ken in KC (Jan 12, 2004)

*Sure.....*



TrailNut said:


> K.I.S.S.
> i have a XT 9-speed cassette (27-speed) with 11~34 cogs : hello chain suck, unless i keep it constantly cleaned and lubed (like i should).
> i miss my old XT 7-speed cassett (21-speed) with 34 tooth big cog.
> i vote for return of the 8s (24-speed).
> ...


Except the industry is moving away from 8-speed all together. It would be sort of like getting a tape deck in your car vs. a CD player.

I happen to agree that a return to 8-speed would be nice, but buying anything with 8-speed doesn't make much sense because buying any parts after market will be a crap shoot. So if the OP can't find any 8-speed parts, he'll have to convert to 9-speed which will be considerably more expensive for him than simply replacing what's broken.

Ken


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## RonSonic (Jan 8, 2005)

There are still 8 speed parts all over the place. 

Eventually I'll drink the 9-speed kool-aid, but only when it'll save me money and hassle, not before. 

If I were buying a new bike - then yes time to go nine. Nobody is building quality new bikes with 8 anymore. But buying used as I usually do, I'm happy to save the money.

Most of the parts are interchangeable anyway. It's only the cassette and shifters that are unique to either.

Ron


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## Ken in KC (Jan 12, 2004)

*Exactly....*



RonSonic said:


> There are still 8 speed parts all over the place.
> 
> Eventually I'll drink the 9-speed kool-aid, but only when it'll save me money and hassle, not before.
> 
> ...


And since the OP is buying a new bike, my advice is to go 9-speed. There's a difference between riders like you and I and a new rider. We'll wear out rings, cassettes and chains before replacing a derailer or shifters. But new riders tend to break more parts sooner/more often than an experienced rider.

The chances are that the OP sometime in the next 2-3 years will replace the rear derailer and at least one of the shifters. And if they can't find the 8-speed parts they need, they'll have to upgrade to 9-speed. Which will require a change of all 3 front rings, chain, cassette, derailer, etc.


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## DesertDave (Jan 30, 2005)

*Entry level*

I bought an entry level 8 speed bike about 9 months ago. My budget didn't allow for any bike of any significant quality that had a 9 speed cassette.

Recently I had a lot of repairs made, because I'd flat worn out a lot of parts (1300 miles). I toyed with the idea of going to a nine-speed cassette, but in order to save some money, I went with a minimal upgrade of parts that needed replacing. I did switch from a 24 -tooth small ring up front to a 22 tooth small ring (Deore crankset), since the original cheapo setup didn't have replaceable chainrings, and I'd worn out the small ring.

The lower gears afforded by the change up front really had made a difference in my riding enjoyment and speed in the last three rides. On some steep technical parts I had really been geared too high (24 - 32) where now the (22 - 32) ratio just seems right - plus the split between the gears seems so much better.

I don't think I'd miss 9 speeds in the rear, but my next bike will have a 9 speed cassette, just because I now can afford a far more expensive bike.

There are still some decent entry-level bikes made with 8 speed cassettes - If I had not had the choice of a cheaper, 8 speed bike 9 month ago, I would have found some other way to get exercise, and wouldn't be a mountain biker today.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

If you can afford the bike with 9spd from the outset, buy it. Like others have said, the 8spd stuff on the market now is pretty low-end, and not intended for serious off-road use. You WILL want to upgrade your bike as you break/wear out parts. If you go 8spd now, you're looking at a pretty major investment (and a lot of parts) to switch to 9. Go better now, it'll be cheaper in the long run.


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## Ken in KC (Jan 12, 2004)

*You're correct*



DesertDave said:


> There are still some decent entry-level bikes made with 8 speed cassettes - If I had not had the choice of a cheaper, 8 speed bike 9 month ago, I would have found some other way to get exercise, and wouldn't be a mountain biker today.


You're absolutely correct. But the OP asked which he should get. And the best option for those who have a choice, is 9-speed. Not because it performs better (there are many who suggest the opposite) but because 8-speed is starting to become obsolete on higher end replacement components.


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## todd_freeride (Aug 9, 2005)

8 speed is better, I run a shimano deore and a sunrace casette. people say that 8 speed is old, its not. its actually coming back. With 8 speed you have to run a smaller weaker chain. try to get something thats an 8 speed. its all you'll need


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## Ken in KC (Jan 12, 2004)

*Really?*



todd_freeride said:


> 8 speed is better, I run a shimano deore and a sunrace casette. people say that 8 speed is old, its not. its actually coming back. With 8 speed you have to run a smaller weaker chain. try to get something thats an 8 speed. its all you'll need


So I could run down to my local bike store and purchase an set of integrated XT or XTR 8-speed shifters and corresponding cassette and derailer? I had no idea Shimano (or SRAM for that matter) were going back to 8-speed for 2006. Please provide a link to this information.

8-speed is old, compared to 9-speed. It's new, compared to 7-speed. That doesn't make it worse (or better).


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## Homer Simpson (May 21, 2004)

Before I switched to SS, I rode a bike that was a soi called 27 speed (3x9). But out of all those combinations, I and almost everyone else I know only normally use 3 or 4 gears. Normal single track riding is the middle ring in front and maybe 3-7 in the back. I imagine in more mountainous terrain people use lower gears and in flatter terrain people use higher gears. But still I figure everybody has their favorite gears and tend to stick to them.

So 8 or 9 speed, you probably won't use them all. So get what bike you like. If you like riding, you'll upgrade to a higher end bike (mo' money) and you'll end up with more gears anyway.


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