changing gearing

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wgf45

New Member
hi, I have a road bike (Reid osprey) and want to know is it possible to change the existing gearing witch is 9 cog cassette 3 on the crank to a 10 or 11 cassette and 2 on the crank without changing derailers shifters ect. thank you
 

Kestevan

Last of the Summer Winos
Location
Holmfirth.
In a word. No.

You'd need new shifters, cranked, cassette, rear derailleur, and possibly a front mech too.

Unless the frame is something decent it probably makes more sense to buy a new bike than to upgrade...unless you can pick the bits up v. Cheaply.
 

S-Express

Guest
hi, I have a road bike (Reid osprey) and want to know is it possible to change the existing gearing witch is 9 cog cassette 3 on the crank to a 10 or 11 cassette and 2 on the crank without changing derailers shifters ect. thank you

What's the reason for wanting to change? 10 or 11 speed is not automatically better than 9 speed - what is more important is the range of gearing you have for the kind of riding you do.
 
What's the reason for wanting to change? 10 or 11 speed is not automatically better than 9 speed - what is more important is the range of gearing you have for the kind of riding you do.

9 speed cassettes generally tend to have a smaller large sprocket than a typical 10 or 11 speed cassette. That's quite subjective though. For example, it's rare to find an 'off the shelf' 9 speed cassette with a big sprocket with more than 27 teeth, there are plenty more options with some 10 and 11 speed ( road type) cassettes having over 30 teeth on the big sprocket. So one very good argument for going to 10 or 11 speed, rather than 9 speed, is the increased flexibility / choice / range of sprocket sizes available, off the shelf. The same argument can be made for size / range / flexibility / choice of the chainrings.

In answer to the O.P. The simple answer is no you can't do what you enquired about easily, without a fair bit of component swapping and changing / modification.
 

Ajax Bay

Guru
Location
East Devon
No. Add to the above: chain, cassette, probably the bottom bracket and maybe your rear wheel freehub may or may not be compatible with an 11sp cassette. Agree with @Kestevan - you'd be better off selling, and buying a bike close to the spec you seek. What do you think you'll gain by going from 3x9 to 2x10/11? Depending on what you wish to achieve, I'd consider just changing the triple for a double (compact): implies new chainset alone.
 

Ajax Bay

Guru
Location
East Devon
9 speed cassettes generally tend to have a smaller large sprocket than a typical 10 or 11 speed cassette.
generally tend typical
9 speed cassettes are listed on this (slightly dated) Sheldon page. A better expression of the limitations of 9 speed cassettes is the apparent fetish for including an 11t smallest sprocket, which no normal cyclist needs.
But the OP presumably is not looking for a lower lowest gear as he/she would be moving from a 30t (say) smallest chainring to a 34t.
 
generally tend typical
9 speed cassettes are listed on this (slightly dated) Sheldon page. A better expression of the limitations of 9 speed cassettes is the apparent fetish for including an 11t smallest sprocket, which no normal cyclist needs.
But the OP presumably is not looking for a lower lowest gear as he/she would be moving from a 30t (say) smallest chainring to a 34t.
Agreed.
 

Ajax Bay

Guru
Location
East Devon
I have the Mille Pennines in a fortnight which involves a variety of v steep climbs: Harknott, Rosedale Chimney and a shed load of 1:6 - long 1:10 also rans. In an effort to get a 30t on the back I have had to buy an 11-30 cassette, but am ditching the 11t and inserting a 13t between the 12t and 14t (the 13t 'borrowed' from a 'normal 12-27 cassette with little wear). If 13t smallest sprocket cassettes with a decent size largest (ie larger than 25t) were available (not generally available: available at all), I would be a buyer. Buying a 13t outer by itself is unreasonably expensive. With 52t large chainring, a 52/13 still gives me a top gear of 108", which is plenty for general (as opposed to racing/ sportive (pretend it's a race)) cycling.
 
Except they are. Road or MTB is irrelevant. They are all readily available ratios.
Go into a Halfords and ask for a Dura Ace 9 speed cassette with 11-32, for a road bike. Do come back and tell us how you get on. And whether they are road or MTB is relevant if you want a ( relatively ) lightweight road cassette, not a heavier ( generally speaking ) MTB cassette, but I'm sure you know that.
 
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Decathlon list two 11-32 9 sp cassettes. Even picked up one down here last week in the secondhand spares market.
Good for you. But I wasn't talking about used parts, and you won't get the latest greatest lightweight high end cassettes (Dura Ace for example) with 9 speed spacing, and a wide range, in an emergency, from a high street retailer, off the shelf.
 
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I have the Mille Pennines in a fortnight which involves a variety of v steep climbs: Harknott, Rosedale Chimney and a shed load of 1:6 - long 1:10 also rans. In an effort to get a 30t on the back I have had to buy an 11-30 cassette, but am ditching the 11t and inserting a 13t between the 12t and 14t (the 13t 'borrowed' from a 'normal 12-27 cassette with little wear). If 13t smallest sprocket cassettes with a decent size largest (ie larger than 25t) were available (not generally available: available at all), I would be a buyer. Buying a 13t outer by itself is unreasonably expensive. With 52t large chainring, a 52/13 still gives me a top gear of 108", which is plenty for general (as opposed to racing/ sportive (pretend it's a race)) cycling.
Very true. If you want to build your own cassette, it's no problem running 9 speeds, I prefer running 9 speeds, with a custom cassette, because the bits tend to be cheaper.
If someone wanted the latest greatest Dura Ace lightweight gear, with a wide range, and 9 speed spacing, I wouldn't fancy their chances, of being able to source it easily.
 
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