DanielC94

Hey guys! I've got a question about upgrading groupsets. I've begun to come to terms that my 2003 Bianchi Imola will "become" my "vintage bike" given enough time, however I will also probably always ride it as my main bike. I've been wrapping my head around with upgrading the groupset (I've put a lot of miles on it). It came with a Shimano 105 9 speed cassette in the rear (in fact it's got shimano 105 everything) and if I'm not mistaken the current upper tier generation of shimano groupsets have 11 speed cassettes. It's a steel bike so it can likely "flex" to widen a bit to accommodate the extra gears. But I just wanted to field some input and see what the best course of action is. Thanks!!

alcjphil

11 speed wheels use the same rear dropout spacing that your current 9 speed setup has. In fact, some 11 speed cassettes (11-34) will fit on your current wheels

Bill Kapaun

I find a 3X9 is my "happy place".
An 11 speed cassette is going to have a useless 11T smallest cog to go with your 30-40-52 chain rings, so you are basically upgrading to a 10 speed.
Your RDER is already maxed out for chain wrap capacity and 1T shy of max cog size.
If you need lower gears, get a 9 speed "mountain" RDER so you can get a cassette with a larger "biggest" cog and a 12 or 13T smallest.

Iride01 

I used my 11 tooth cog quite a bit with the 52 front on my 42 mile ride I just finished. I wouldn't call it useless unless you are just saying it's useless to you.

As for the OP going to 11 speeds on the rear, yes they can, but they'll have to get 11 speed shifters which tend to be the expensive part of a component upgrade. Probably a new hub or entire new wheel too. Along with all the stuff that goes in between. Depending on the OP's terrain and how they ride, it might be better to just stay 3 x 9.

I'm of the opinion Shimano quit offering 3 x 11 stuff when they realized it was just too problematic, or had the potential to be on some bikes. 2 x 11 works well for me with a 52/36 in my terrain. But I only have low rolling hills and no really long climbs.

dsbrantjr

Never Fix A Running Piece If you need to replace a particular failed part, Microshift makes a full line of 9-speed road components; I have found their quality and value to be excellent. For rear derailleurs you can use any 6 to 9-speed or 10-speed road Shimano or compatible unit.

CliffordK

Most major brands are now selling 12 speed. Although, I'm not sure it has been widely adopted yet.

Campagnolo has a 13x1 groupset.

HillRider

To go from 9-speed to 11-speed about the only thing that will not require changing will be your frame. You will need:

11-speed cassette
11-speed chain
11-speed shifters
11-speed compatible rear hub (as noted your 9-speed freehub will accept an 11x34 11-speed cassette but nothing smaller)
11-speed rear derailleur

You may also need:
An 11-speed compatible crank, particularly if you now have a triple
An 11-speed front derailleur
11-speed compatible brakes as Shimano 11-speed STI shifters pull more cable than older versions and using older brakes may require more hand effort than you want.

This is going to be expensive. Consider "upgrading" to 10-speed as all you will need are a 10-speed cassette, chain and shifters.

DanielC94

Seems like the topic of upgrading groupsets is an age-old question!

I live in Boston and predominantly bike around the New England area so the terrain is fairly gentle in terms of topography (unless I'm tackling the blue hills observatory service road). I have found that my current 3x9 groupset is quite comfortable for me. I have ridden a bike with a 2x11 groupset and it was quite fun. Though that may have more to do with the fact that it was a modern carbon frame bike and the trip was in Maui. I was surprised by the range at which I could switch gears before worrying about cross-chaining, and I found the combination suitable for tackling steep climbs.

So it sounds like if I were to upgrade to modern Shimano 105 it will be a significant investment, at which point, it may be worth just looking at getting another bike if I want to spend that kind of money. I guess the odds of me finding an older generation Shimano 105 9-speed cassette and 3-speed crankset (new) are quite low. The teeth are unfortunately quite worn as I tried putting on a new chain and it kept skipping so I had to reinstall the old chain which is a hazard, and hence the desire to upgrade parts of the groupset. It seems my other option would then to be to "downgrade" to shimano's "Sora" or "Tiagra" modern components depending if I wanted to stick with the 3x9 setup or as some of you suggested switch to a 3x10 setup.

I would assume mixing and matching groupset components isn't ideal, but what have been your experiences?

shelbyfv

You can use any level of Shimano 9 speed cassette and chain. If your chainrings are worn, you may be able to find replacements or get a new 9 or 10 speed crank, either will work.

oldbobcat

Good luck finding a 3x11 system. The whole idea of compact cranks and 11-speed is to eliminate the need for the third chainring.

To upgrade to 2x11 you will need front and rear derailleurs, front and rear shift/brake levers, and a new rear wheel. Unless you want to futz around with finding and installing an 11-speed freehub body, rearranging the hub spacers, and re-dishing the wheel. Ask yourself if losing 5 (theoretical) gearing combinations is worth the expense and bother.

oldbobcat

As long as there are derailleurs, there will be 9-speed road cassettes. And Shimano still makes Sora 9-speed rings,

Iride01 

Older than I am I imagine. As soon as a new and better component came out, someone was wanting to put it on their current bike that had what had just become obsolete or dated tech.

I'm sure Orville and Wilbur must have gone through that too when they weren't busy futzing around with their kites and silly flying machines.

caloso

Unless you break or wear out a shifter, I don't think there's much to be gained in converting this bike to 11-speed. It seems it does everything you need it to do, 9-speed parts will continue to be available, and any new bike you get in the future will likely have an 11 or 12 speed group on it.

edit:

Not to mention, you have your own special subforum: https://www.bikeforums.net/early-bri...s-7-8-9-speed/