8 speed chainset with 9 speed everything else?

[531colin]

………..cripes colin - thanks for tossing that in! I have one - have taken it apart at least once - knowing me will have possibly mislaid/not refitted these mysterious washers. I use it as a 9 speed. Mine is the one with one bolt hidden behind the crank.....

The post above this says...

My 9 speed chains go over an XD2 triple without the chain disappearing down gaps. It is the one with one bolt hidden behind the crank. No washers on bolts. Non-indexed front lever. 26/36/46. I think the rings are TA.

[531colin]

I imagine you are talking about 4-bolt chainsets to get a 22T inner ring? If you are able to use a 24T inner ring, then there is a choice of Stronglight/Spa square taper 74/110 BCD (5 bolt) chainsets which will suit 8 and 9 speed chains.

The 24T is probably OK but they're a little out of my price range at £125.00 (though It's reassuring to see that they are available).

The one that caught my eye is this one:

https://spacycles.co.uk/m2b0s109p2000/S ... e-Chainset

It's a 28T but the price and quality is what I'm looking for. I would snap one up if it had a 22T small chainring (needs 64 BCD I presume but could take a 24T?). Another option is to buy the crank/spider and build it up but Spa are limited AFAICS to 74 BCD.

However all this is academic if it isn't clear if all the Spa chainsets are really OK for 9 speed:

bgnukem wrote:
To add my experiences here, I tried to use the Spa Cycles triple, Sugino XD-derived which I believe was originally designed for use with 7- or 8-speed, with a 9-speed chain and had issues with the chain getting stuck between 'rings and slipping - loss of drive

I really like the idea of Spa carrying on with these chainsets while everyone disappears into outer space with ten and eleven speed, octalink and Lord knows what. But this has left me a bit unsure now.

I don't understand why you think that Spa would sell stuff that doesn't work?
(OK, there is one person reporting a problem with a really cheap (£25?) chainset (steel/alloy rings) that chainset is no longer available and I don't know if it was sold at the time as suitable for 9 speed or not. I do know we sold lots of them, and they didn't all come back.
Against that you have 4 people reporting their stuff works.
You won't get custom rings on a £35 chainset.
You don't have to pay £125 you have picked the most expensive one....with TA rings.
This one [urlhttps://spacycles.co.uk/m2b0s109p3052/SPA-CYCLES-TD-2-Touring-Triple-Chainset-with-Zicral-Rings][/url] is a lot of chainset for £78; and its one Spa use on their own bike builds, eg. Wayfarer.

But until you try your existing 8 speed chainset and chain, 9 speed cassette and rear mech. you don't even know if you need a new chainset.

[Sweep]

………..cripes colin - thanks for tossing that in! I have one - have taken it apart at least once - knowing me will have possibly mislaid/not refitted these mysterious washers. I use it as a 9 speed. Mine is the one with one bolt hidden behind the crank.....

The post above this says...

My 9 speed chains go over an XD2 triple without the chain disappearing down gaps. It is the one with one bolt hidden behind the crank. No washers on bolts. Non-indexed front lever. 26/36/46. I think the rings are TA.

Yes, i was reacting to yours, and hadn't seen that at the time.
So seems i can relax colin, unless there's anything else you want to worry me about
All the best.
By the by mine has the original spa rings, 48T top.

[horizon]

I don't understand why you think that Spa would sell stuff that doesn't work?

Purely on the basis of that one post. So apologies to Spa.

You won't get custom rings on a £35 chainset.

No, that's fine but I would have just bought a 22 32 42 as it is exactly the chainset I want if it came in that size.

You don't have to pay £125 you have picked the most expensive one....with TA rings.
This one [urlhttps://spacycles.co.uk/m2b0s109p3052/SPA-CYCLES-TD-2-Touring-Triple-Chainset-with-Zicral-Rings][/url] is a lot of chainset for £78; and its one Spa use on their own bike builds, eg. Wayfarer.

I've started looking through what's available. I didn't look at Spa becasue of wanting the 22 32 42 and it was (I thought) quite straightforward to get a Shimano MTB chainset. I'm also looking at 24T.

But until you try your existing 8 speed chainset and chain, 9 speed cassette and rear mech. you don't even know if you need a new chainset

There's a race going on between getting the chain on and Brucey's next post.

[foxyrider]

I imagine you are talking about 4-bolt chainsets to get a 22T inner ring? If you are able to use a 24T inner ring, then there is a choice of Stronglight/Spa square taper 74/110 BCD (5 bolt) chainsets which will suit 8 and 9 speed chains.

The 24T is probably OK but they're a little out of my price range at £125.00 (though It's reassuring to see that they are available).

The one that caught my eye is this one:

https://spacycles.co.uk/m2b0s109p2000/S ... e-Chainset

It's a 28T but the price and quality is what I'm looking for. I would snap one up if it had a 22T small chainring (needs 64 BCD I presume but could take a 24T?). Another option is to buy the crank/spider and build it up but Spa are limited AFAICS to 74 BCD.

However all this is academic if it isn't clear if all the Spa chainsets are really OK for 9 speed:

bgnukem wrote:
To add my experiences here, I tried to use the Spa Cycles triple, Sugino XD-derived which I believe was originally designed for use with 7- or 8-speed, with a 9-speed chain and had issues with the chain getting stuck between 'rings and slipping - loss of drive

I really like the idea of Spa carrying on with these chainsets while everyone disappears into outer space with ten and eleven speed, octalink and Lord knows what. But this has left me a bit unsure now.

Well just to add further to the confusion, i've just purchased and fitted the Spa XD triple to my Chameleon and it works fine on the 3x10 Campag set up (might have to source a 52 ring for it tho, bit low geared with the 24" wheels) I'm not saying it's perfect, its dropped the chain from middle to small a couple of times but not jammed at all. So i'm certainly, currently at least, a happy bunny!

[horizon]

Thanks foxyrider, that's helpful. I've obviously waded into something here that is beyond my pay grade but I'm willing to see it out as basically my entire drive train strategy* now depends on it.

*Surely everyone has a drive train strategy.

[pwa]

About an hour ago I finished doing the cables on my latest bike build (mainly old kit on a new Spa Touring frameset) and took the bike for a quick test ride around the village green, which involves a small hill so allows a run through the gears. All fine. 9 speed indexed rear shifting perfect first time and the XD2 Triple faultless using non-indexed bar end lever. I may have to do minor adjustments to the cable tensions as things bed in but I am waiting for that and it does not constitute a fault when it happens. It is the last detail in the installation process.

[reohn2]

I've used Stronglight impact triple chainsets(which are the same as Spa's own)with a variety of different sized chainrings both S/light and Spa's own chainrings,on two tandems(Canondale and Circe)and on three solos with 9sp chains and 8 and 9sp cassettes,with both road and MTB STI's and friction shifters for years all without issue.
The only problem I've had is chain suck issues wth a 24/39t Alpine double with a 9sp chain and cassette which can't fathom as to why it's happening there's a thread about the problem:- viewtopic.php?f=5&t=133719&p=1413090&hilit=Alpine+double#p1413090-

[horizon]

pwa: is that this one:

https://www.spacycles.co.uk/m2b0s109p20 ... e-Chainset

[bgnukem]

Good to know others have used the Spa triple with 9S chains without issues. Gives me some confidence I'll be OK with 9S on my new build.

Perhaps I was just unlucky with the cheaper steel 'rings on the triple I used on my Ribble.

I like the fact the Spa triple is still available for those of us wanting to keep using triple chainrings and square taper brackets!

RE: Chainsuck, I found that it can be caused by deformation of the teeth of cheaper chainrings, such that burrs of displaced material protrude from the edges of the teeth and grab the chain when trying to change up or down the 'rings. Might be worth checking and if necessary deburring the r'ings.

[De Sisti]

Good to know others have used the Spa triple with 9S chains without issues.

Me too. I asked them for specific size chainrings (iirc an extra £15 per chainset).