simonnca

Thanks again, all.

Can anyone point me in the direction of a 6500 compatibility chart so I can track through the FD, RD, cassette to shifters?

Crankycrank

Bicycle Cassettes & Drivetrains - Google Sheets This can give you most of the info you need. As far as the rear derailleur goes you can see in row #250 it gives the specs for it which can be used to match other components and the main criteria that you will start from is the pull ratio of the rear derailleur which is 1.7 which was used for many, many different groups over the years. The bottom row of the chart also has tabs for info on other components, "speed chart, compatibility" etc. that is very useful. This is just a very good guide but ask here for confirmation as there are a few little idiosyncrasies for some parts.

Joe Remi

I believe you're thinking of an 11-speed hub with a 9- or 10-speed cassette. The hub on this bike won't need a spacer, the current 9 he's getting and the 10 he might replace it with fit in the same space without one.

Hondo6

Nope, not thinking of the 1.85mm spacer for 11-speed freehubs. And if it's a Shimano 10-speed cassette, yes - he will need the 1mm spacer for proper fit on a 8- or 9-speed freehub.

Background: with Dura Ace 10-speed, Shimano originally went to an alloy freehub to save weight. To attempt to preserve durability, they used taller splines. Spacing indicated the freehub could be 1mm narrower (cogs and spacers are narrower at 10-speed), so those early 10-speed alloy freehubs were 1mm shorter than 8- and 9-speed freehubs. I believe this shorter freehub with taller spline design was also used on 10-speed Ultegra and (maybe) some 10-speed 105, though possibly not in alloy.

This didn't exactly go over well. So after about 3 years, Shimano ditched the alloy freehub idea and went back to steel or titanium for their freehubs. But the 10-speed cassette width remained - it had to, in order to support existing Shimano 10-speed hubs - thus needing a 1mm spacer if used on an 8- or 9-speed hub.

SRAM 10-speed cassettes, in contrast, are reputedly 1mm wider and thus don't need one. I say "reputedly" as I've never used a SRAM cassette myself. Can't remember if a Microshift 10-speed cassette needs one or not, and haven't ever purchased a 10-speed Sunrace/Miche/other cassette.

Source: https://cyclingtips.com/2022/08/a-gu...compatibility/

Joe Remi

Well that's certainly weird! I've interchanged a lot of 8-, 9- and 10-speed cassettes (Shimano, SRAM and SunRace) on what are nominally called 8/9/10 hubs and never encountered this situation you've presented but I believe you. Weird!

Hondo6

Yeah, you find a lot of things that are kinda weird if you "pull the thread" and research recent bike history.

Case in point: Mavic freehubs were long enough to accommodate 11-speed cassettes for some years before Shimano even released 11-speed. For whatever reason, at some point Mavic started making their freehubs 1.75mm longer than the standard 8/9-speed Shimano freehub. I want to say that happened during the late 2000s or very early 2010s, but I'm working from memory and might be wrong. They supplied a 1.75mm spacer to go with their hubs so that 8-, 9-, and 10-speed cassettes could be used with them.

When Shimano released 11-speed road, the Shimano 11-speed freehub was 1.85mm longer than their 8/9-speed freehub design. The 0.1mm difference between that and Mavic's freehub turned out to be insignificant, and many Mavic freehubs (and wheels) were thus 11-speed ready the day Shimano released 11-speed.

Lucky guess? Insider info? Who knows? But regardless, it worked out for Mavic.

alcjphil

At one time Mavic made their own cassettes using the Shimano spline pattern. These cassettes could be spaced for either Shimano or Campagnolo using spacers of different thicknesses. Since the Campagnolo spacers were thicker, the free hub had to be made longer

Hondo6

If I understand you correctly, you're saying that the intent was to allow Mavic's Shimano-compatible freehub to be used with their Shimano-splined cassettes with either Shimano or Campagnolo spacing, then shifted by matching shifters (Shimano or Campagnolo, depending on spacing).

That would make sense in explaining the why. And it also means that Mavic got incredibly lucky, too.

roadcrankr

Like another poster said, just find a nice used bike already set up with brake lever shifters.
Who knows, you might find 11sp for the same price to buy & modify this proposed 9sp one.
Making the swap for the mechanically-inclined presents no obstacle. But taking to a shop add$ to the overall tab.
Because the swap means more than cabling. You got brake and derailleur adjustments, bar tape to deal with, chain fiddling, etc.
Best of luck.