# 1x drive suggestions for my ancient Stumpy



## dubya3 (May 1, 2016)

Hey guys, since this is my first post I'll give a little background of myself and biking.

I've always been an avid biker starting as a kid racing BMX at the local tracks and as I got older I started to transition to XC mountain biking. Bought my first good bike new in 08, a Stumpjumper FSR Comp and rode the heck out of it for a few years. Kids and a real career came and the bike went.

Now that I'm settled I've been bit by the bug again and bought a really nice 96 Stumpy M2 Comp from a buddy that bought it new and barely rode it (he's a multi-time state champ road guy). I absolutely love the bike, it's extremely light, stiff and FAST. Nothing on the bike is original, most components are from 08 at the oldest and include a SID Race fork, full XT drivetrain, Selle Bilanciata & Thomson Elite saddle/post, Ritchey Pro stem/bars, 24 spoke HED wheelset and new XT v-brakes I put on it.

The only other upgrade I'd like to add for now is a good 1x system and need suggestions. I found a local company, Wolf Tooth, that makes everything I need but I'm curious what is preferred among the masses. It's a 104 BCD with a 9 speed 11-32 shimano cassette that I plan on keeping so I think I just need a chainring (36t is what I want), 10 speed chain, correct bolts and is there anything I'm missing for the conversion?

I just bought a new 2016 Camber Base for my main trail bike two weeks ago so the stumpy will mainly be the bike I ride when it's really wet, pull the kids around with and when I want to ride a HT (until I buy a new Stumpy HT ).

Thanks for any suggestions and advice.

Brody

Here are a few pics of old blue




























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## deadfish (Jan 21, 2016)

For a great 1x conversion I would suggest a clutched derailleur. Are you planning on sticking with the XT 9 speed rear derailleur and cassette?

By the way, I love that blue!


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## dubya3 (May 1, 2016)

Thanks for the reply. I'd like to keep the 9 speed cassette I already have on the bike to keep costs down, it'll eventually be just a spare 3rd bike later this year. I'm actually not sure what the difference in a clutched derailer is... :doh: but now that you bring it up I think the Wolf Tooth site I was looking at did say something about a different derailer being recommend to prevent chain drops. 

Thanks, I like it too! It's the same color as the ready mix truck I drive at work so I hated it at first lol. I saw a very similar late 90's stumpy, but bright yellow, the other day locally and asked if he wanted to sell but he had no plans to let it go. I do want to find a 96 Stumpy FSR someday and restore it as original as possible. That's basically my vintage grail 

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## deadfish (Jan 21, 2016)

Alright so: for a totally bombproof 1x drive train, two specific components make life way easier. Part #1 is a narrow-wide chainring. Wolf tooth makes a very nice narrow wide ring in 104 bcd. Part #2 is a clutched derailleur. The clutch mechanism keeps the derailleur cage (the part with 2 little pulley cogs) from bouncing about. This also keeps the chain from flopping around. These two parts together make a great 1x setup. I'm not sure if they make clutch 9speed derailleurs but yours definitely is not. There are ways you can still go about this though. With a narrow wide equipped, you can keep the front derailleur on the bike (or use a dedicated chain retention system from a company like MRP) to keep the chain aligned on your single front ring. This way if your chain is still bouncing around the chain keeper will always keep it In the right spot. It's not sure-fire but it's better than nothing.


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## deadfish (Jan 21, 2016)

Do a quick search on clutched derailleurs and "chain suck", there's probably some good information there to help you as well


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## laffeaux (Jan 4, 2004)

If you're sticking with 9-speed, skip the Wolf Tooth and get an 11-34 cassette. The whole cassette will cost less than the Wolf Tooth cog.

The front ring is entire up to you and where you ride. If you plan on climbing steep hills while pulling the kids, go with a 22T front cog. If you live where it's flat you can go bigger. Decide what gear range you need for your low-end and go with whatever ring give you that.

I personally would opt for a double or triple. Hauling a trailer up a hill will require really low gearing. If you plan on using it on the flats without a trailer too, you'll run out of gear with a small front ring.


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## dubya3 (May 1, 2016)

Thank you! I'd like to do a full front derailer delete and if the clutched rear is the standard, then that's what I want to do.

With the extra cost I didn't plan on I might wait until I'm able to pick up the new Stumpy later this summer. I suppose an 11 speed cassette would be what I need? I'm just not sure what cassettes will or will not fit, otherwise I don't have an issue with the extra gearing, it's actually a positive.

Here's what I was planning on picking up from WT if I didn't find anything better for the price. ~$145 plus the cost of a new cassette and derailer. Any suggestions on the derailer? I'd like to stay Shimano but Sram isn't out of the question either and I don't want to skimp on quality, I want to do this right, nothing worse than a bike that doesn't ride smoothly!




























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## dubya3 (May 1, 2016)

laffeaux said:


> If you're sticking with 9-speed, skip the Wolf Tooth and get an 11-34 cassette. The whole cassette will cost less than the Wolf Tooth cog.
> 
> The front ring is entire up to you and where you ride. If you plan on climbing steep hills while pulling the kids, go with a 22T front cog. If you live where it's flat you can go bigger. Decide what gear range you need for your low-end and go with whatever ring give you that.
> 
> I personally would opt for a double or triple. Hauling a trailer up a hill will require really low gearing. If you plan on using it on the flats without a trailer too, you'll run out of gear with a small front ring.


I usually hook up the trailer to the wife's bike lol but there are some days I get the day off due to weather and yank them around the river trails (paved and hilly).

I almost exclusively stay in my middle ring which is 36t whether I'm pulling the trailer or riding my local trails so a ring in the mid 30's is what I think I want to stick with.

Thanks for the input!

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## deadfish (Jan 21, 2016)

You can do a 1x10 system as well, for possibly cheaper. I'm pretty sure 10speed cassettes fit on 9speed hubs. If you did a narrow wide, 10speed cassette, 10speed derailleur and 10speed shifter you would have a really great 1x10 setup. You could do this with shimano deore or SLX relatively cheaply. This would be more reliable than trying to build a 1x9 with minimal parts 


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## PauLCa916 (Jul 1, 2013)

Shimano XT M771-10 10 Speed Cassette | hyperglide | 11-36t
Shimano M615 Deore Rear Derailleur | Shadow RD+ | 10spd | MTB
Shimano Zee M640 Rear 10 Speed Shifter | Shimano
Shimano XT HG95 | 10 Speed Chain | MTB | Dyna-Sys
around $130 plus the cost of a chain ring


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## NYrr496 (Sep 10, 2008)

I posted a bike in a different thread where I did exactly what you're wanting to do. 
It's my mom's old Giant Nutra that got salt watered in Hurricane Sandy. It was originally a 3x7. Since the bike got doused, I stripped it completely and laced up new wheels and replaced everything. While I was at it, it got a 1x10 drivetrain. 
I used a Shimano XT 11-36 cassette, Sram GX 10 speed derailleur, X7 shifter, Deore cranks and Raceface NW chainring. I normally use Wolftooth but I needed purple for this build. Bike works great.


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## phattruth (Apr 22, 2012)

1 x 11 isn't much more cost and everything will still fit. If you wait a little bit, the new SLX 1x11 will be out and will shift better than a 1x10 setup.


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## deadfish (Jan 21, 2016)

Honestly for the situation at hand, I don't think the money needed for the upgrade to 11speed is necessary. Though not much more money, with this being a budget build I think a 1x10 would work just fine. 


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## laffeaux (Jan 4, 2004)

phattruth said:


> 1 x 11 isn't much more cost and everything will still fit. If you wait a little bit, the new SLX 1x11 will be out and will shift better than a 1x10 setup.


Is the 11 speed going to fit on a 8/9-speed freehub?


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## deadfish (Jan 21, 2016)

I think 9/10 speed free hubs are the same, and shimano 11 speed cassettes fit on 10 speed freehub bodies. 


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## dubya3 (May 1, 2016)

laffeaux said:


> Is the 11 speed going to fit on a 8/9-speed freehub?


That's what I'm wondering too. I'm not sure the exact specs or model of HED wheels/hub they are.

I'm not set on keeping it a budget conversion, I just want to do it the right way once while doing it as cost effective as possible.

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## Shane5001 (Dec 18, 2013)

phattruth said:


> 1 x 11 isn't much more cost and everything will still fit. If you wait a little bit, the new SLX 1x11 will be out and will shift better than a 1x10 setup.


phattruth tells the truth, I just purchased everything 2016 shimano XT 11 speed: crank, ring, bb, cassette, derailleur, chain, and shifter online for $350. Yes, it does fit on standard 8/9/10 speed freehub body which is its biggest selling point compared to sram and their xdriver. My other bike has a 10 speed 1X with wolf tooth 42 tooth in the rear. Cost was probably at least $250 or more. So 1 bill to go for an entire system meant to work with each other, worth it i.m.o. Doesn't sound like you need a bail out gear in the rear, how about yanking off the other 2 rings in the front and replacing the derailleur with a nice chain keeper, using the ring you already have.


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## Shane5001 (Dec 18, 2013)

There will definitely be some who disagree, but I think all of the 10 speed 1x "hill billy" conversion stuff as my friend calls it, is now pointless if purchasing everything new due to the 1x11 finally reaching an affordable price tag. It's a good thought for someone already sporting a 10 speed drivetrain in good shape. My 1x10 works great, no complaints, but a bailout gear costs more than an entire XT 11 speed cassette. I also had to go with a clutch derailleur as mentioned above and a wolf tooth goat link to get it working that way.


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## phattruth (Apr 22, 2012)

dubya3 said:


> That's what I'm wondering too. I'm not sure the exact specs or model of HED wheels/hub they are.
> 
> I'm not set on keeping it a budget conversion, I just want to do it the right way once while doing it as cost effective as possible.
> 
> Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk


If you want to do it right, go with the XT 1x11 setup. It's what I run and it shifts much better than my old 1x10 wolf tooth extended cog version. All you need is...

Narrow Wide Front Ring 30 or 32 tooth (Wolf Tooth or Race Face work great)
XT Rear Deraileur, 11 speed
XT Shifter, 11 speed
XT Cassette, 11 speed 11-42
XT Chain, 11 speed

With money not being an issue I'd put the XT parts on the bike as that's whats already on it.


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## dubya3 (May 1, 2016)

phattruth said:


> If you want to do it right, go with the XT 1x11 setup. It's what I run and it shifts much better than my old 1x10 wolf tooth extended cog version. All you need is...
> 
> Narrow Wide Front Ring 30 or 32 tooth (Wolf Tooth or Race Face work great)
> XT Rear Deraileur, 11 speed
> ...


Honestly, this is what I'll most likely end up doing. It'd be nice to keep it all XT anyway and I know it's dependable.

Even though riding a dinosaur isn't "cool" and snobs call two year old bikes outdated, there are years of good riding left in this old Stumpy so I have no problem spending the money on it. I only have $240 into it and thats after putting new BG lock on grips and new XT front and rear brakes on it. I'll start ordering the parts after I get a command post for my new Camber and update the thread with pics once it's all done.

Thanks again to everyone for the input, some forums are pretty brutal but there seem to be plenty of good guys here.

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## dubya3 (May 1, 2016)

On a side note, I was helping my buddy put together his early 2000's Hotrock recently and am almost positive the frame is identical to my M2 Stumpjumper other than being A1 aluminum. Angles and length looked exactly the same when I held the frame up to mine. I'm thinking about buying it from him cheap and having my brother strip it and do a nice, flat burnt orange like the new 2016 stumpjumper fsr comp orange and slapping some late 90's decals on it.

The collector in me wants to find another stumpy from the 90's to restore to factory spec, especially one like this!










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## blkangel (Aug 8, 2014)

Honestly if I were you I would keep it simple and do exactly like you originally said you were going to do. Go 1x9, having a clutch derailleur is not 100% necessary. 1x9 with just a narrow ride ring will work just fine. I run 1x9 on my cross bike, my son runs 1x9 on his full suspension and my buddy ran an entire year with 1x9 on his Salsa Spearfish, and he even did some races without any issues. Sure if it is caked with mud then yea you can get chain such but in normal riding you will not have any issues.

For what a B bike and what you are saying you are using it for, I honestly would not put the money into it with 1x10 or 1x11. Does not seem worth it to me.

But if you upgrade to 1x11, then well that is super cool as well. Either way just enjoy your bikes.


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## dubya3 (May 1, 2016)

The only thing I'm really worried about money-wise is buying something that isn't compatible. The cassette is the main thing I'm not sure about. 

I'll run some prices tonight and see what the difference is. I prefer to keep it full XT but if it's like $400- $500 it might be worth it to support a local company (WT) and only be out a little over $100 if it doesn't work out. I have an old rockhopper fsr and hardrock that could always use the parts if they didn't work so well on the stumpy. Now I'm going back and fourth...lol 

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## blkangel (Aug 8, 2014)

If you want to go 11 speed XT it will fit. 8/9/10/11 speed Shimano cassettes all use the same hub.


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## dubya3 (May 1, 2016)

So if I went the cheap route with WT ring, KMC chain and keeping my old xt derailer and cassette I'm looking at under $150.

If I go full XT everything with a WT ring it's about $350 which really isn't too bad. I'll be into the bike about $600 total and it'll be a dang nice riding bike.

Even with two brand new bikes this year I'll still ride the M2 plenty, it's such a light and fast bike I don't think I could ever let it sit too long so a couple hundred more than I planned on isn't the end of the world I guess.

Does this look compatible to you guys?
































































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## dubya3 (May 1, 2016)

And, if I go that route, do I want a mid or long cage derailer?

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## NYrr496 (Sep 10, 2008)

I just built a 1x11 fat bike for my brother. The 11 speed XT cassette is genius. The big 42 tooth cog reaches in toward the spokes. It fits on an 8-9-10 driver. I installed it on an 11 speed hub and had to use a spacer behind the cassette. 
I'll be riding this bike before I turn it over to him. I bet I end up swapping my 2x10 drivetrain to 1x11.


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## dubya3 (May 1, 2016)

Picked up that 2002 hotrock 26 frame from my buddy for a 12 pack tonight. It's funny it's the same frame as my 96 Stumpjumper but A1 instead of M2. A fresh powder coat job, basically the whole drivetrain and fork (i decided to buy a new SID for old blue) off my 96 Stumpy and I'll have "two" vintage stumpjumpers.

It's kind of funny they copied a 5-10 yr old stumpjumper frame for a $300 budget bike.










Now maybe I can skip the brand new stumpjumper and save $1200+ just updating my 96, plus get a spare beater out of it.

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## madtho (Nov 11, 2014)

I just converted my Bridgestone MB-1 to 1x10 and I couldn't be happier. I am running friction shifters, so follow other suggestions for that.

I don't see anyone mentioning the Shimano Zee derailleur (short cage) that I bought and it's working great. They make a Zee shifter, too.

32 tooth regular chainring up front (the clutch seems to be keeping it on even on some very bouncy descents)
KMC 10sp chain
Shimano HG81 11-36T 10 sp cassette
Shimano Zee short cage derailleur

Have fun!


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## dubya3 (May 1, 2016)

madtho said:


> I just converted my Bridgestone MB-1 to 1x10 and I couldn't be happier. I am running friction shifters, so follow other suggestions for that.
> 
> I don't see anyone mentioning the Shimano Zee derailleur (short cage) that I bought and it's working great. They make a Zee shifter, too.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the input buddy. I'm not sure what I'm going to do now, my Stumpjumper is just a frame as I built another old specialized frame with the spec I had on the m2. Now I'm thinking since I'll be upgrading my camber that I'll use all the parts I can off that to build the M2 which will be a 2x9 sram drive.

I'm also picking up a old 2001 stumpjumper fsr xc from a buddy this weekend and thinking I'll make that the 1x setup. Idk, I have too many bike projects and builds I want to do at the same time and not enough play money.

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