Swap 9 & 10 speed cassettes?

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esuhl
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Joined: 22 Mar 2017, 3:20am

Swap 9 & 10 speed cassettes?

Post by esuhl »

I have two (very similar) old MTBs, and want to swap the wheels from one bike to the other (and vice versa).

One bike has a 3x9 drivetrain, the other 3x10. Can I just swap the cassettes between them...?
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fausto99
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Re: Swap 9 & 10 speed cassettes?

Post by fausto99 »

Very likely ok, but you’ll have to either reset the rear derailleur and shifter settings or use spacers or both.
keyboardmonkey
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Re: Swap 9 & 10 speed cassettes?

Post by keyboardmonkey »

fausto99 wrote: 20 May 2022, 7:42pm Very likely ok, but you’ll have to either reset the rear derailleur and shifter settings or use spacers or both.
I imagined that the OP is keeping the cassette with the correct transmission, rather they are swapping the wheels between bikes, so no need to reset/respace anything. But I could be wrong, of course…
esuhl wrote: 20 May 2022, 7:33pm … Can I just swap the cassettes between them...?
If by ‘them’ you mean the wheels then, yes, you should be able to.
esuhl
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Re: Swap 9 & 10 speed cassettes?

Post by esuhl »

keyboardmonkey wrote: 20 May 2022, 8:15pmI imagined that the OP is keeping the cassette with the correct transmission, rather he’s swapping the wheels between bikes, so no need to reset/respace anything. But I could be wrong, of course.
Yeah -- that's the idea. Swap the wheels, then swap back the cassettes. So each bike has different wheels, but the same cassette it started with.

So... it sounds like the hubs themselves are the same width?

The x10 cassette has a ~1mm spacer behind it. So I'd keep that behind the x10 cassette on the new hub...?
keyboardmonkey
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Re: Swap 9 & 10 speed cassettes?

Post by keyboardmonkey »

esuhl wrote: 20 May 2022, 8:27pm … The x10 cassette has a ~1mm spacer behind it. So I'd keep that behind the x10 cassette on the new hub...?
Yes.
esuhl
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Re: Swap 9 & 10 speed cassettes?

Post by esuhl »

Thanks. I thought that was how it was supposed to work, but... I just tried putting the 9-speed cassette on the other hub and the gears are loose. Adding the spacer from the 10-speed hub seems to fix this.

I don't want to do anything stupid, but... I guess it doesn't really matter so long as the gears are compresed together and don't rattle...?
esuhl
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Re: Swap 9 & 10 speed cassettes?

Post by esuhl »

Ah... I think I've figured it out. I came across a table at the end of this article:
https://www.slowtwitch.com/Tech/Cassett ... _3257.html

It looks like SRAM 9 or 10 speed cassettes don't require a spacer on a SRAM 9/10 hub.

But on an 11-speed hub, they both require a 1.85 mm spacer.

So... I guess one set of wheels has a 9/10 hub, and the other 11.

:-)
keyboardmonkey
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Re: Swap 9 & 10 speed cassettes?

Post by keyboardmonkey »

Right, so they are both old MTBs, but one has a rear wheel with a new(ish) freehub. Fun and games. I have a 10-speed set up on a *road* bike that has an 11-speed wheelset (I would have hoped you could have swerved a similar problem with your old MTBs). The road cassette is 6700 Ultegra that comes with its own spacer - as does the 11-speed freehub for when a less-than-11-speed cassette is fitted. So I have *two* spacers for that set up. :shock:

Hope all goes well for you :)
esuhl
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Re: Swap 9 & 10 speed cassettes?

Post by esuhl »

keyboardmonkey wrote: 21 May 2022, 7:54pmRight, so they are both old MTBs, but one has a rear wheel with a new(ish) freehub. Fun and games.
I don't know... The bike with the 11-speed(?) hub is a 2012 B'Twin Rockrider 8.3 I bought off eBay. Everything on it seems original -- even the inner-tubes and tyres.
keyboardmonkey wrote: 21 May 2022, 7:54pmI have a 10-speed set up on a *road* bike that has an 11-speed wheelset (I would have hoped you could have swerved a similar problem with your old MTBs). The road cassette is 6700 Ultegra that comes with its own spacer - as does the 11-speed freehub for when a less-than-11-speed cassette is fitted. So I have *two* spacers for that set up. :shock:
Crumbs! Why do bikes have to be so complicated?! Every job I eyeball as a "ten minuter" takes three days of swotting up on arcane standards and trying to figure out what I'm dealing with! :lol:
keyboardmonkey wrote: 21 May 2022, 7:54pmHope all goes well for you :)
Thanks! I think it all makes sense and everything fits together perfectly again. :D
iandriver
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Re: Swap 9 & 10 speed cassettes?

Post by iandriver »

esuhl wrote: 21 May 2022, 4:21pm Thanks. I thought that was how it was supposed to work, but... I just tried putting the 9-speed cassette on the other hub and the gears are loose. Adding the spacer from the 10-speed hub seems to fix this.

I don't want to do anything stupid, but... I guess it doesn't really matter so long as the gears are compresed together and don't rattle...?
My 9/10 speed Mavic hubs always needed a spacer, regardless of 9 or 10 speed cassette. My Shimano Hubs never did. It's not uncommon for the spacer to stay with the hub. Just go with it and fit the spacer where needed without worry.
Supporter of the A10 corridor cycling campaign serving Royston to Cambridge http://a10corridorcycle.com. Never knew gardening secateurs were an essential part of the on bike tool kit until I took up campaigning.....
esuhl
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Re: Swap 9 & 10 speed cassettes?

Post by esuhl »

iandriver wrote: 22 May 2022, 3:48pm My 9/10 speed Mavic hubs always needed a spacer, regardless of 9 or 10 speed cassette. My Shimano Hubs never did. It's not uncommon for the spacer to stay with the hub. Just go with it and fit the spacer where needed without worry.
Brilliant -- that all coresponds with the table I saw. Thanks for the confirmation. :-)
Jupestar
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Re: Swap 9 & 10 speed cassettes?

Post by Jupestar »

esuhl wrote: 21 May 2022, 4:21pm ... I guess it doesn't really matter so long as the gears are compresed together and don't rattle...?
This is my view. And of course the RD can reach across the range, the little cog clears the chain stay, and the RD doesn’t have to get too close to the spokes…

I’ve a 10 speed SRAM red cassette which needs spacers as it’s recessed, and others which don’t. No idea what is supposed to have what originally. I just chucked a 9 speed cassette on an old MTB to ride yesterday, it came off without a spacer, but I needed one on the new wheel.
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