# Can I use a 9 speed derailleur on a 7 speed cassette????



## claydough001 (Apr 30, 2010)

Will it work? What are some problems that i will run into? Anybody out there tried this?


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## GDubT (Apr 13, 2010)

Yes. I run that. SRAM X-7 and SRAM 7-speed cassette. Don't mix SRAM and Shimano...won't work.

What RD and cassette were you planning on running?


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## claydough001 (Apr 30, 2010)

Well now that i know it can be done im going to stick with Shimano. I've been looking at the SLX. Just going to run my stock Shimano cassette for now. What about a 9 speed crankset? how would that work? Also what are the difference between short, med., and long cage?


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## blunderbuss (Jan 11, 2004)

GDubT said:


> Yes. I run that. SRAM X-7 and SRAM 7-speed cassette. Don't mix SRAM and Shimano...won't work.
> 
> What RD and cassette were you planning on running?


SRAM and Shimano derailleurs, cassettes, chains mix just fine. You just have to be careful with the shifters. SRAM numbered shifters only work with SRAM numbered rear derailleurs. SRAM named shifters are Shimano compatible.


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## Mithrandir (Nov 25, 2010)

You'll be fine. I had a Deore 9-speed rear derailleur with a no-name Shimano 7-speed cassette and worked fine. The only thing is that you may need a bit more adjustment on the derailleur for the first setup because of the change.


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## Hellav8ted (Aug 26, 2009)

Mithrandir said:


> You'll be fine. I had a Deore 9-speed rear derailleur with a no-name Shimano 7-speed cassette and worked fine. The only thing is that you may need a bit more adjustment on the derailleur for the first setup because of the change.


To clarify, are you using a 9spd shifter and limiting the hi/lo limits on the derailleur?
Or are you using a 7sp shifter with a 9spd derailleur?

I've used a 9sp shifter with an 8spd derailleur on a 9spd cassette, and that works fine.

My understanding is that the shifter pod and cassette need to correspond due to the spacing between cogs/clicks of the trigger. I suppose that with a friction shifter, that wouldn't matter. 
I'm not a 100% on this....


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## rlouder (Jun 26, 2007)

Long vs Short Cage is explained well in the first sticky in the Drivetrain section: http://forums.mtbr.com/forumdisplay.php?f=53

Don't know your situation. If you're trying to upgrade your bike, most people find that upgrading the shifters improves shifting more than upgrading a der.


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