2x9 upgrade to 1x11 on old Stumpjumper?
 

I'm getting back into MTBing after being away for ~7-8yrs! I picked up a 2004 Stumpjumper Expert that I'm going to Completely go through with new seals in the fork and shock, bleed brakes, new pads, new shift cables/housing, clean/grease all bearings, etc, etc.
The main question I have is if it's "worth it" to swap to a 1x11 drive train. I'm spending the money on a new chain and cassette anyway, so it might not make a huge difference to add in a shifter, rear derailleur, and crankset in the process. I've never ridden anything more than a 2x9 on the trail, though, so am uncertain just how much of an upgrade this would be. Thoughts?

1x is more of a convenience upgrade rather than performance. You are not going to all of a sudden be faster with a 1x.

2x9 should work great and the parts are cheaper. If you stick with MTB, upgrade the bike to something with modern geometry.

11 speed XT 11-46 cassette will bolt right on your 9 speed freehub -- you might not need a new crankset - companies like Blackspire , Wolftooth, RaceFace and others make the 1x "narrow/wide" chainrings you can convert it with easy enough.

Then a derailleur and shifter from the SLX, Deore or Zee lineups probably would be less than a hundred bucks together with prudent shopping. Personally i'd say its totally worth it

If you want wider range than the XT 11-46 cassette, the somewhat new Deore M5100 group has an 11-51 cassette option for the 1x11 which fits on a standard shimano freehub. Because it's a newer offering, finding used might be harder, but I've seen shifter and DR and cassette pop up on pinkbike classifieds.

As for whether it's worth it, the main benefits are 1) being able to use a narrow-wide chainring and pretty much eliminate chain drops and 2) you can put a dropper post lever on the left side and not have to deal with shifting and dropper lever control with the same hand. Even without the dropper lever, you might like the simplification of only shifting with one hand.

If you're not using a dropper post, then (2) is moot, and it's a question of whether you ride stuff that's bumpy enough that you drop the chain or if you just like the idea of only one derailleur.

The dropper lever thing is one of the bigger draws to converting.

Good to hear that I could likely use my current crankset.

There are other options that may save you a few bucks if you really want to go 1x. Look up the prices on Microshift and Box groupsets.

Ooof. I appreciate the suggestion, but microsh*t is a little below what I'd be will to settle for. I'd like it to work fairly well and feel like it's half-way decent quality. I'll look into Box. Heard of, but never put my hands on any Box components. Good quality, lightly-used Shimano stuff isn't terribly expensive, or even higher end Sram if a good deal comes along.

agree with Katsup.
I just got a 'modern FS bike, with 1x11 shimano. It's nice. But no real performance diff. for me from my 2x and 3x bikes.
Shifting the chainring happens so infrequently, it's not an issue for me. Trail sections which might need a chainring shift happen so very seldom; and they're never a surprise.
1x is a small convenience for me
1x, 2x , 3x all work fine for my needs (which is usually fairly rugged singletrack, ridden at sensible level)
things which did make a HUGE performance difference and gave me Huge comfort.
convert my '04 Epic from 26 to 'mullet' - 27.5 front and 26 rear - HUGE ! the bike is a total joy to ride, in all situations.
add dropper posts to both the '04 Epic and '04 Stumpy HT - HUGE ! downhill sections which were at times done with white knuckle terror are NOW huge fun! that big a difference !
change the 600 mm 'race' bars to 720mm - very BIG ! great improvement on handling - tried 780 bars, way tooo wide for me, felt like I was wrasslin a Longhorn bull... LOL!
change the 110 mm stem to 60mm - compliments the wider bars and reduces ' windshield wiper' movement of bars when making steering adjustments. I might even try 38-40mm stem...
Ride On
Yuri

Funny, I was planning on doing a dropper, 60mm stem, and wider bars(I'll try your recommendation on width). I hadn't planned on trying the 27.5 front wheel thing, but I Do have a 27.5 front wheel, so I suppose I may as well try it. Thanks for the input!

Big caveat with going mullet on old school is whether the fork has room for the 27.5.
My Epic has a Fox Float fork and it had an abundance of space for the 27.5 - to the point where the 27.5 looks 'normal' for that fork...
If not enough space, then you'd have to find a fork which will fit 27.5 - and likely have a 1" steerer (not real sure when mtb bikes commonly went from 1" to 1 1/8").
Ride On
Yuri

Well, I ended up getting a crankset with smooth BB for $50 at the bike swap this morning, so looks like I'm going 11sp. Also scored some wider bars, a shorter stem, and some blue anodized blingy floating brake rotors(the plan is black frame and blue anodized bling on this bike). Well on my way to a sweet modernized Stumpjumper!

You don't need a new crank-set for the 1x11 conversion. Just a narrow-wide ring to put on the one you already have.

Have you actually USED Microshift? I've got it on one flat bar road bike and a friend uses the Advent X on his MTB. Works great.

Certainly more than worthy of a 2004 Stupjumper ;)

I agree. the advent X works pretty good.

I have put the acolyte system on two kids bikes and thinking about putting it on my cargo bike. good budget drive train.

I haven’t ridden a trail with it, but I work in a shop and have plenty of experience with it. Not worthy of a decent Stumpjumper, or any bike that you want to work well and feel good, imo. I’d rather keep the 9sp stuff than put on Micro****. And a lightly used Shimano 11sp derailleur vs. any micro**** is a no-brainer to me. To each their own.

I know I could use the old crank and find a new ring, but I’d rather use a nicer, lighter modern crank designed for a 1/2x drivetrain for $50 than the old 9sp triple. 🤷‍♂️

Forgive us, we are accustomed to people trying to find the very cheapest way to do this, especially for an 18 year old bike

What I am not understanding is why someone who is such a component snob and wanting only "modern" standards is wasting his money on a 2004 Stumpjumper :foo:

Outdated geometry aside, It was a mediocre (at best) suspension design even in 2004, and good luck finding a dropper post to fit it.

Might be a HT, he didn’t say

It is a full suspension. Fox fork and shock that I’m rebuilding. I’m not looking to drop $2,500+ right now, on my first bike getting back into mtb. I picked this up for $250. I’m not a component snob for not wanting microshift. If it worked well, I would get it. It just doesn’t make sense to get a microshift group that won’t work well when I can get Shimano for the same price. Sorry if feelings were hurt by my not wanting micro****. 🙄 And it’s a 30.9 seatpost. Plenty of cheap, functional droppers available in the $100-150 range. As for waisting money, I’ll probably be ~$700 all-in for a basically fully re-done 1x11 full suspension bike. If you can find me a better deal in this market, I’m open to it. 🤷‍♂️

I’m trying to be somewhat frugal with my component choices, but I’m also not in a place where I have to keep it as cheap as absolutely possible. It’s worth spending a little more for something that works well.

The dropper issue has nothing to do with the seat tube diameter. It is the max insertion length that could be the issue.

I don't care what you buy. Used Shimano is fine. I am simply pointing out that you are misinformed about Microshift. You apparently worked on some of their low end stuff, and made the mistake of assuming the higher end stuff was the same. Someone who only worked on Shimano's stuff that comes stock on many BSOs might have the same impression of Shimano.

Yes, the old school FS bikes aren't quite what today's bikes are. But having 'updated' my '04 Epic (being more 'XC' , less 'trail' than the stumpy) has proved to be a great way to 'updating' the most important component... me. These last few months have proved a sharp curve for improvement, but things are getting better on every ride!
Don't think a 'modern' bike would be helping that curve. The old school 'steep' front geometry and slack seat, 26r, and narrow bars really accentuated errors. Actually a good thing, cause I'm more attentive to developing good technique. And it's working.
Now that I have a newer 29r, and after a bunch of varied rides, I'm not sure I wanna stay 29. I'm missing the quicker steering of the 27.5 (mullet of the epic... 27.5/26 ). I'm never gonna ride at speeds where a 29r really excels... so I'm hoping to try a modern 27.5 and see how it matches up...
Anyway, the 'update' of the old school FS has proved to be a great thing... I think an '04 stumpy FS might be even a bit more fun ! (with a 27.5 front...). If the OP's stumpy has the same Fox Fork as I have on my Epic, it'll take a 27.5 no problem, in fact seems to work better with the 27.5 , has plenty of clearance.
To the OP, as for drivetrain and shifters - I have had 3 weeks of riding on a Microshift 2x10 roadie, and the shifters were solid, consistent, really sturdy. Don't know about their flatbar shifters, but if anything like their roadie stuff, it's as good as 105 road shifters, for sure...
I wouldn;t hesitate to use for a 2x setup on mtb.
I haven't made any drivetrain changes, since the stuff is in good shape, running well. It's 3x, but I almost never use the outer ring, so it's mostly a 'ring guard' for the middle... LOL!
I'm good with the 'virtual' 2x, cause there's a clear difference in terrain I would use either ring on.
Personally the biggest difference, in order of magnitude, came from the 27.5 front, then dropper post, and then 720 bars (have 780 on the 29r, and it's WAY too wide for me...).
I might try 740/750 width to see how that feels...
OP ... all of this never happened - Unless you have PICS ! LOL! Let's see the 'untamed' Beast, now !!! LOL! (and then the 'after')
Ride On
Yuri

He did mention a fork AND shock.

Nah. The road stuff feels better than the mountain stuff. …brifters, that is. The bar ends have too much play and ghost shift. I think they’re their worst product. I’d actually say their brifter groups and bar top shifters(like old school mtb shifters, not trigger shifters) are decent.

I should take before and after pics! How did I not think of that!? Consider it done. I’ll update the thread after the build. Should be within the month. I have the shifters and tires on order as of this morning. Everything is coming together pretty well.