Seriously now, how many bikes do I actually need!!??

[scotsbikester]

I find myself in a curious position.

My bike is constructed with a drivetrain of Shimano nine speed triple. Ultegra shifters, M772 rear derailleur, FD 6503 front derailleur. Also 700c disc wheels and BB7 cable discs. Mechanically it's perfect. Or at least, it suits my needs.

That era of Shimano stuff is brilliant, because so much of it is interchangeable. Rear derailleurs work across mountain and road, the STIs work as brake levers on old road pull brakes, like the BB7s, or cantis, if I wanted.

But, I am painfully aware that I have bought into "dead" technology. Not that nine speed is (quite) dead, but for the BB7s to work optimally, you need pre 2008 STIs, for instance.

Consequently I have over the past few years been squirrelling away spares, especially STIs and rear derailleurs. I snapped them up especially if they were NOS. But as I hurtle towards retirement, I could do with squaring up some finances. And quite a few of the components, especially NOS ST-6510s appear to be worth more, maybe considerably more, than I paid for them.

So I'm trying to work out how many I actually need. I'm thinking along these lines:

1. One "set" in case the bike is stolen and I want to recreate it with NOS components
2. Another "set" to build a very similar but different purpose bike. My main bike is a heavyish tourer. I might want a 9x2 nippy thing. Or even a 9x1 nippy thing. The only difference being the FD
3. Maybe, just maybe, a flat bar pootling about thing. I've got the Shimano flat bar road shifters (though only in double)

What other 9 speed derailleur bike could I possibly want? That's a genuine question.

I do have a lot more than three spares of most things.

In this projected future (which depends on the construction of a shed to keep the imagined new bikes in) "spares" could actually include the ones on a bike. And even if I can't get new things, lots of probably-OK-condition ones do come up. And the nice thing about that era was the compatibility. Nine speed triple Ultegra, 105 and Tiagra are all the same, pretty much.

 

[All uphill]

A couple of years ago I donated or sold nearly all my spares and parts to a local bicycle charity. I kept a few parts which I used to build a new light tourer.

My thinking was

1 to clear space
2 that functional 9 speed parts are cheap and plentiful
3 I'll probably not wear out my current four bikes before the grim reaper comes calling.
4 if I have to buy parts to fix friends and neighbours' bikes I am more likely to charge them

I still have a couple of chains and cassettes, a set of cables, four inner tubes and a few tyres. Anything else I will buy when I need it.

 

[raleighnut]

That era of Shimano stuff is brilliant, because so much of it is interchangeable. Rear derailleurs work across mountain and road, the STIs work as brake levers on old road pull brakes, like the BB7s, or cantis, if I wanted.

But, I am painfully aware that I have bought into "dead" technology. Not that nine speed is (quite) dead, but for the BB7s to work optimally, you need pre 2008 STIs, for instance.

One set that is not compatible with other 9 speed is Dura-Ace however the spacing is the same as 8 speed, I use a set of Dura-Ace 9 speed bar end shifters on one of my bikes, works perfectly just has an 'obsolete' click

 

[numbnuts]

One road bike, one MTB and e/trike - sorted

 

[scotsbikester]

One set that is not compatible with other 9 speed is Dura-Ace however the spacing is the same as 8 speed, I use a set of Dura-Ace 9 speed bar end shifters on one of my bikes, works perfectly just has an 'obsolete' click

Yes, I discovered that just in time, after ordering a pair of Dura-Ace triple shifters. I can't remember the rear shifting being incompatible, but there was something about the FD that meant you had to use the Dura Ace FD I think. Luckily the seller refunded me fine - he hadn't actually posted them. They were very very expensive.

 

[scotsbikester]

One road bike, one MTB and e/trike - sorted

Thanks. The only MTB compatible stuff are the rear derailleurs. I don't have any MTB FDs or shifters. So maybe I'll keep one extra RD.

 

[sevenfourate]

I’ve got a road bike, an MTB and a Hybrid. Sensible right ? And covers all options. So why do I have 11 others……

 

[raleighnut]

Yes, I discovered that just in time, after ordering a pair of Dura-Ace triple shifters. I can't remember the rear shifting being incompatible, but there was something about the FD that meant you had to use the Dura Ace FD I think. Luckily the seller refunded me fine - he hadn't actually posted them. They were very very expensive.

The 'Bar-end' shifters were being flogged off cheaply with the option to use them in friction mode I got a pair for £40 then a guy in a more clued up shop told me he had an old set of Dura-Ace' 8 speed sprockets and spacers, it was only after I'd bought those that he said "Mind you the spacing is the same across all 8 speed cassettes" so when I got a 2nd pair of (training) wheels* I fitted a 105 rear cassette to that rear. Not only was the indexing 'spot on' but the position of the cassette meant no adjustments to the mech or cable were needed when swapping.

* the original wheels I used were light weight with very few spokes fitted with Continental Grand Prix Supersonic tyres 18mm wide whereas the training wheels have much more durable 23's on and 32 spokes front and back. Bike was for 10 mile Time Trialling an old 531c Raleigh 'Road Ace'

 

[mickle]

To quote the great Bob Roll; "Nine is fine".

 

[vickster]

4 road bikes, a gravel bike and a Brompton across 4 different frame materials

 

[presta]

One set that is not compatible with other 9 speed is Dura-Ace

I have Dura Ace bar end shifters with a Deore 3x9 MTB transmission.

 

[raleighnut]

I have Dura Ace bar end shifters with a Deore 3x9 MTB transmission.

Bit 'clattery' at one end or t'other ?

 

[presta]

Bit 'clattery' at one end or t'other ?

No, it works fine, they're not incompatible, the cable pull is the same, and the same between 8 & 9 speed. The bike was originally 8 speed, and when the rear derailleur failed I replaced it with the 9 speed Deore one then waited until the rest was worn out another year or so later before upgrading the rest to 9 speed.

 

[cyberknight]

Of course soon everything below 11 speed you own will be old tech shimano wise with Cues already on mtb and coming to road next year .
Great from the bike shop/ manufacturer point of view but not so good for anyone running them as cues is not backwards compatible and disc only .

 

[Jameshow]

Of course soon everything below 11 speed you own will be old tech shimano wise with Cues already on mtb and coming to road next year .
Great from the bike shop/ manufacturer point of view but not so good for anyone running them as cues is not backwards compatible and disc only .

Plenty of used stuff about!👍

I use 10 speed on summer bikes and 9spd on winter and touring bikes that way wheels etc are interchangeable.