Jiminez

I want to change my 11 speed cartridge for 9 speed, but the free hub is too long.

Do I need to change the free hub or can I accomplish this with spacers? Could I even rearrange the cartridge so that I replace cogs 1 and 3 with 4 and two, so that cogs 11-3 reduce in size and then the two cogs that are currently the smallest are larger, if that makes sense.

If anyone is interested, this numty on a bicycle hit me head on and broke the front brake/shifter. The best price I could get was for a 9 speed shifter, not 11. I’ve replaced the broken one, but am now left with a 9 speed changer that I’d like to fit.

Bob the Mech

Fit a 1.85mm spaced behind the 9 speed cassette (not cartridge) and it will fit on the 11 speed free hub as normal. You will need to change your rear derailleur to a nine speed version to match your replacement 9 speed front STI lever. Cable pull ratios and cable fixing points have been changed for Road 11 speed so you can't mix and match. Then adjust the rear derailleur so that it indexes properly and won't send the derailleur in to the spokes of the rear wheel. You will need a nine speed chain too. Your current 11 speed chain is a lot narrower and won't play ball with the wider spacing of a nine speed cassette. You may just get away with a nine speed chain with the front gear derailleur and crank chain rings. Though I would expect it to give some form of chain rub on the cage or chain ring. Replace like for like is normally the format for repair. Yeah it may cost you but it's so much easier than hacking two different group sets together. Considering the cost of a cassette, chain new rear derailleur and the time involved. Do the math first then reconsider your course of action. Oh, you've bought the shifter...just noticed that bit..😁 Well bang goes the easy repair route...

For the same pull ratio reason you can't hack the rear 11 speed cassette to work with a nine speed shifter no matter how many cassette sprockets you remove. The spacers between those sprockets are completely different to those required by a 9 speed shifter. Looks like we are trying to turn a mole hill into a mountain.

Well the best lessons are often learnt the hard way...😁

shelbyfv

Yep, call it a lesson and buy the correct shifter or go with a mismatch. By the time you get everything to convert to 9 speed you'll be even more in the hole.

alcjphil

Let's see: Changing to 9 speed you need 9 speed cassette, chain, derailleur to go along with the shifter
Would not have been much more to buy the 11 speed shifter and keep everything compatible

Jiminez

Thanks for the responses so far. Despite of the (what now appears to be) bumpy road, this is the start of a journey that I’m really enjoying. I think that cost in the short term will be money saved long term.

I was spending over £100 on a bike shop service each year. This year I was charged for a new cassette, but yesterday, I took the cassette off to have a look and thought I’d clean it properly. Looking at the wear on sprockets, I think all the bike shop did was take the old cassette off, clean it thoroughly, put it back on and charge me for a new one. If I’m doing it all myself, I’m just buying parts, have learned things and enjoy tinkering.

I’m not in a hurry, so will gather together all the parts when I can find them at good prices and look to complete the job in the spring, when I would have got the overpriced service.

The 9 Soras were half the price of 11s which was why I went for them. At the time, I was only interested in the front shifter, so the bike is fine.

Right, so I’ve just been looking at derailleur with the description:

9-speed Max largest Sprocket: 32T (Short Cage), 34T (Medium Cage) Min Largest Sprocket: 25T (Short Cage), 28T (Medium Cage) Max Smallest Sprocket: 14T Min Smallest Sprocket

I’m guessing that it’s the 32T, 14T bits that I’m looking at when swapping the cassette. I’m assuming that T stands for teeth.

So, the shopping list now has 9 free hub and a 9 speed chain. If anyone thinks that’s wrong or I need something else?

Thanks again for any comments, like I say, this is ride that I’m quite enjoying despite the ridiculous starting point that I’ve put myself in.

dsaul

Doesn't seem to make sense to try to use the rear shifter, if the the 11 speed one still works. Nothing in the 11 speed drive train, except maybe the crankset, will be compatible with the 9 speed shifter. You will need an 8/9 speed rear derailleur, 9 speed cassette and possibly a 10 speed chain to work with your current crankset.

blamester

Spacers shifter and cassette are the minimum you need. Try and put spacers either side of the cassette to centre it. But that's in an ideal world you may or may not be able too. The spacers from your current cassette might work and go to the lbs and get old cassette spacers, all sizes if they have them. Mix and match till you get a good fit.
Any 9/10/11 speed chain will work and the one you have could be perfectly o.k.
But as insurance get a new in case it's not and then you have spare on hand.
If the shifter doesn't come with a cable get one as well

shelbyfv

No. The only spacer needed is the 1.85mm that goes on the freehub before the cassette. See Bob's post #2 .

blamester

What's to stop you putting a 1 mm spacer on each side of the cassette.
​​​​​​I forget the exact config but I ran a casette like that and no rub in any gear on the FD. And that is worth trying to achieve if you can.

vane171

Only read through the thread to see if someone points up that misleading thread title.

BTW speaking of the 'speeds of chains', when I had my chain off for big clean and inspection last time, I didn't notice that there was anything to tell which speed it is. Or is it there somewhere stamped on that I didn't notice?

Perhaps googling for all the markups on my chain would identify its speed? Or do you need to measure its width with calipers? I know I have ten speed setup and no reason to think it is mismatched, just asking out of curiosity.

zacster

I'd just look for another 11sp shifter. By the time you are done you'll have spent as much money to down-convert to 9sp, and then you won't be as happy with it. On top of that, parts availability will be better in the future as the 11sp is the newer group, but even the old stuff is still available now so maybe it isn't a factor.

11sp is just a better system.

shelbyfv

The lockring. This doesn't have to be complicated, he doesn't need to experiment or buy a variety of spacers. The proper 1.85mm spacer is readily available.

blamester

It's not complicated.
I gave the o.p. advice and he can follow it if he likes or not. And that's not complicated either

Kapusta

Option 1 a is to buy an 11sp shifter and be done.

Option 2 is to buy a 9 speed shifter, 9 sp cassette, spacers, 9 speed derailleur, and possibly 9 sp chain.

I am failing to to the logic in option 2 which you seem to want to pursue. it will be more expensive, and give you less range,

shelbyfv

He can certainly try to put a spacer between his small cog and the lockring, as you suggest.

Kapusta

True, it is not complicated.

But it won’t work. Think about how the smallest cog fits on the freehub.

Jiminez

I do realise that I’m being a bit ridiculous.

My bike is a commuter which is probably making this even more ridiculous. I looked at my activity tracker and I’ve done just over 2000 miles on it. So, my next question is how many miles would you expect your average back derailleur to do?

So, the plan is, when the back derailleur would be due for replacement, I’ll replace it with a 9 speed. Thereby just spending money at the time when I would have anyway.

So, it’s a ‘this is what I’d like to do and it doesn’t really matter how long it takes’ plan. I’m trying to get an idea of what I need and learn the things like indexing the gears that I’ll need. I’ll probably visit the project once a month, if that.

So, just before someone says ‘just buy a new bike’, I’m kind of attached to the bike. We’ve been through a lot in the short time we’ve known each other.

Kapusta

A rear derailleur can last pretty much indefinitely. Many 10s of thousands of miles. It is rare to ever need to replace a rear derailleur due to it being worn out. The only parts that really wear are the jockey wheels, and those are replaceable.

zacster

Just don't do it. You are replacing it with a system from over 10 years ago. I know how tempting it is to "upgrade" a bike, but this won't be an upgrade. I took an old Trek and upgraded it to 10sp from 7sp. In the end I spent almost $500. Everything needed replacing. It was only worth it in that I rode this bike as my commuter for 8 years without a single glitch on it, with easy shifting, light touch braking and dynamo lighting. It still runs silent. The only thing now is that I retired and don't have much use for it anymore as I use my road bike all the time.

alcjphil

You are going to have to replace the rear derailleur immediately. Your 11 speed rear derailleur will not work at all with a 9 speed shifter

shelbyfv

I thought I would add this simple picture in case anyone was still confused as to why the needed spacer can't be positioned on "each side" of the cassette. This is a 10 speed cassette and often they include the spacer, as shown. The 9 speed cassettes normally do not include the spacer but the fit is the same.


Again, the whole project is ill-advised and hopefully OP will reconsider.

squirtdad

I am all for DIY and self sufficiency, but IMHO you are going about it the wrong way and are just by the questions you are asking show that you are in over your head.

so stop, halt, full 100% stop get the 11 speed shifters (sell the 9 speed to recoup a litlle loss) and start learning by putting those on and getting the indexing going that alone will give you a ton of learning

the term penny wise and pound foolish is applying here. You will spend more money on a sub par solution than if you just get the 11 speed shifters

Kapusta

I realize I misread the OP, and I think a few others here did as well.

If I now understand this, the OP already has a working 11sp rear shifter. It was the FRONT that was damaged, and it has already been replaced.

But with the front shifter he also got a 9sp rear shofter.

He seems to think that because he has this extra shifter, he needs to use it, even if it means spending a bunch of extra money to do so and even if that means a downgrade. Everything he is talking about doing is more expensive (in both the short term and long term), and results in a downgrade. Whether he is willing to hear this is another matter.

Nothing currently needs to be done to the bikes drivetrain, It works fine. The best thing for the OP to do is throw the 9sp shifter into a parts bin or sell it.