Using 11 speed cranks with 9 speed: spacers in the crank?
09-21-20, 03:35 PM
#1
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Using 11 speed cranks with 9 speed: spacers in the crank?
I just received an 11 speed crankset in the mail and I noticed that the space between chainrings is very narrow. It is noticably more narrow than an 8 speed crankset.
The chainrings themselves look fairly thick, about the same if not larger than the 8 speed chainring.
If I am using the crankset on a 9 speed system, does it then make sense to disassemble the crankset and insert spaces between the chainrings?
The chainrings themselves look fairly thick, about the same if not larger than the 8 speed chainring.
If I am using the crankset on a 9 speed system, does it then make sense to disassemble the crankset and insert spaces between the chainrings?
09-21-20, 05:02 PM
#2
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Mountain View, CA USA and Golden, CO USA
Posts: 6,341
Bikes: 97 Litespeed, 50-39-30x13-26 10 cogs, Campagnolo Ultrashift, retroreflective rims on SON28/PowerTap hubs
Mentioned: 9 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 550 Post(s)
Liked 325 Times
in
226 Posts
Yes unless you plan on using an 11 speed chain.
Otherwise chain rub on the big ring is likely when you're using smaller cogs.
Wheels Manufacturing, Origin 8, and LeTour all make 0.5mm shims for one cog. AFAIK, Wheels Manufacturing has 1.0mm shims too.
Otherwise chain rub on the big ring is likely when you're using smaller cogs.
Wheels Manufacturing, Origin 8, and LeTour all make 0.5mm shims for one cog. AFAIK, Wheels Manufacturing has 1.0mm shims too.
09-21-20, 05:27 PM
#3
Super Moderator
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Ffld Cnty Connecticut
Posts: 21,843
Bikes: Old Steelies I made, Old Cannondales
Mentioned: 12 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1173 Post(s)
Liked 927 Times
in
612 Posts
Use a 10 or 11 speed chain.
__________________
Bikes: Old steel race bikes, old Cannondale race bikes, less old Cannondale race bike, crappy old mtn bike.
FYI: https://www.bikeforums.net/forum-sugg...ad-please.html
Bikes: Old steel race bikes, old Cannondale race bikes, less old Cannondale race bike, crappy old mtn bike.
FYI: https://www.bikeforums.net/forum-sugg...ad-please.html
09-21-20, 05:43 PM
#4
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2020
Location: Parts Unknown
Posts: 356
Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 325 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 109 Times
in
72 Posts
I just received an 11 speed crankset in the mail and I noticed that the space between chainrings is very narrow. It is noticably more narrow than an 8 speed crankset.
The chainrings themselves look fairly thick, about the same if not larger than the 8 speed chainring.
If I am using the crankset on a 9 speed system, does it then make sense to disassemble the crankset and insert spaces between the chainrings?
The chainrings themselves look fairly thick, about the same if not larger than the 8 speed chainring.
If I am using the crankset on a 9 speed system, does it then make sense to disassemble the crankset and insert spaces between the chainrings?
For further clarity: the bike has 126mm spacing in the back. We bought a new Mavic Aksium wheel with an 8/9/10 speed freehub body with 130mm OLD spacing. We changed the non-drive side spacers from a single 10 mm spacer to a 6mm set, re-installed the locknuts, and trimmed a few mm off the axle. Everything went together like legos from there.
One addendum here: you might need to adjust the bottom bracket spacers on the drive side to put the driveline in the correct position. On my wife's bike, I made sure the center of the gap between the chainrings lined up with the middle cog on the 9-speed cassette. I think I used 2 x 1 mm spacers to get it right.
Last edited by BoraxKid; 09-21-20 at 05:46 PM.
09-22-20, 04:13 AM
#5
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: South Jersey
Posts: 2,266
Mentioned: 18 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 714 Post(s)
Liked 800 Times
in
475 Posts
According to the Shimano Frame Fit specifications, the center to center distance between 11 speed double chainrings is 7.9mm and the center to center distance between 9 speed double chainrings is 7.7mm on current production road cranksets. To continue what would seem to be counterintuitive, the current production 8 speed doubles have a 7.6mm center to center distance between chainrings. So, the 11 speed crankset has more space between the chainrings than 8 or 9 speed.
Those numbers are for the majority of the cranksets in each category, but there are some that have distances that vary from that norm by up to .4mm, so Shimano doesn't seem to be too concerned with keeping that space consistent.
Those numbers are for the majority of the cranksets in each category, but there are some that have distances that vary from that norm by up to .4mm, so Shimano doesn't seem to be too concerned with keeping that space consistent.
Likes For dsaul:
09-22-20, 07:20 AM
#6
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Paradise, TX
Posts: 2,087
Bikes: Soma Pescadero, Surly Pugsley, Salsa Fargo, Schwinn Klunker, Gravity SS 27.5, Monocog 29er
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 186 Post(s)
Liked 234 Times
in
166 Posts
The cranks will work fine.
09-22-20, 06:12 PM
#7
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Mountain View, CA USA and Golden, CO USA
Posts: 6,341
Bikes: 97 Litespeed, 50-39-30x13-26 10 cogs, Campagnolo Ultrashift, retroreflective rims on SON28/PowerTap hubs
Mentioned: 9 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 550 Post(s)
Liked 325 Times
in
226 Posts
When I attempted to use an FSA "9 and 10 speed compatible" compact crank with a 9 speed chain, I had chain rub in the 2-3 smallest and no overlapping range between rings.
Spacing it out to standard 9 speed dimensions it worked fine.
Spacing it out to standard 9 speed dimensions it worked fine.
