VeloSapiens MTB Equipment Review
XTR 9-Speed
You Said 9-Speed Sucked
What the...? I hear you say it now; "Dude, I thought you unequivocally
proved that 9-speed was a Satanic and evil thing in your brilliantly
written essay of last year." Well, yes I did. I still think 9 speed
is the answer to the question no one asked. I got 9 speed because that's
what Santa Cruz sells now, and I bought a new Santa Cruz (which kicks ass),
and I needed new components. My original rant was written before 9-speed
was really available, so I didn't know that it uses the same hub/freehub
setup as 8spd. That means if I really hate it I can just buy a new shifter,
derailleur and cassette, and be back in 8spd business. I can live with
that I guess. After breaking my ESP 9.0 derailleur into multiple pieces
last month, I'm probably ready to give someone else a chance to take my
money.
The other slightly mitigating factor is that 9-speed allows a 12-34
cassette, which I find pretty tempting. I find that larger cogs/rings are
more reliable and last longer anyway, and the 34 means i rarely have to
use the small ring. On the other hand, I'd be just as happy (probably happier)
with an 8spd 12-34 or 13-34 setup. I'm too wimpy and slow to push a 44-12
(or maybe I just know how to pedal a bike), so I'd happily give it up for
a more useful big cog. At any rate, that's all academic because I can't
get a 13-34 8 spd and I have a 12-34 9spd, so the burning question is...
does it suck so bad I can't stand it?
One More Lame Thing I Swore I'd Never Do
Because I wasn't paying that much attention when I bought the bike, I forgot
to specify GripShift. Imagine the dismay I had as a lifelong twister when
I found out my bike not only came with rapid fire, but came with the rapid
rise (backwards) option for rear shifting. What's worse, I have the 1-piece
brake/shifter combo, which means i have to replace the sweet xtr brake
levers if I decide I hate the shifters. Argh!
Fortunately for me it hasn't been quite as gruesome as I expected. I
mostly shift the right direction now, and the front shifting from big to
middle is remarkably fast and smooth. I'm also not 100% sure that gripshift
will shift down from the 34t cog as reliably as Shimano. I know you have
to make sure the old 8spd units are correctly adjusted and properly cleaned
and lubed for them to shift off of a 32 without balking (98 models are
much better than 97's in this respect). Anyway, once again, it's not about
why I have the stuff, it's about whether it sucks or not.
My Setup
I have XTR shifter/brake levers, XTR front/rear derailleurs, RaceFace crank
(22-32-44/9spd rings), an XTR cassette (12-34) and also an XT cassette
(for my other wheels/11-34), regular old cables/housing and an Avid rollamajig.
Years of cyclocross and mtb racing has shown regular old cables, occasionally
replaced rear derailleur housing, and some type of roller device is the
ticket to shifting happiness in all conditions. Like most FS bikes, the
Superlight has slightly more complicated cable routing than a hardtail.
The rear derailleur cable runs down the downtube and into the swingarm.
If I were going to ride it in wet weather, I'd put one of those SRAM cable
seals on at the upper housing stop on the downtube, but after spending
that much money on a bike, it's unlikely I'll ride it in yucky conditions
anytime soon. I have a perfectly good hardtail for nasty weather, and it
probably works better in muck anyway.
Weighs More
In theory, XTR is not as light as ESP. I forget what the weight difference
is, but it's around a couple ounces. My bike is light enough that I'm not
too worried about that just yet, but every now and then I go through these
bizarre weight weenie phases where I cut off excess seat post length, trim
down my bar ends, buy stupid-light inner tubes and engage in various other
sorts of tomfoolery in order to get the scale to show some magic number.
Shifts Great in Back
I have about 50 hours on the bike. It probably should be no surprise that
the shifting is remarkably good. Everything is brand new, it's top-quality
equipment, and the weather has been dry here. I've had to do almost no
adjustment on the rear derailleur. It seems to have a pretty wide tolerance
for maladjustment. I can turn the barrel adjuster a turn or two in either
direction, and it still works great. I have no idea how it'll hold up to
mud because there hasn't been any. Even if there had been, I would probably
ride my hardtail just because the cost/benefit ratio of full suspension
goes way way up in wet and muck (more cost, less benefit).
The bike came with a Shimano chain, which I still haven't broken (remarkably
enough), tho' I've only broken one chain in my life. I'm planning on replacing
it with a Sachs chain when it's time, but after 50 hrs of hard offroading
there is no perceptible wear.
The Ti XTR cassette is awfully light, but it also runs a little noisier
than the steel XT model. There's only an ounce or two difference for the
extra $60 or so, so I'll probably stick with XT for racing and trailriding
when the XTR wears out.
Shifts Pretty Good in Front
Front shifting is never quite as crisp and clean as rear, but the shifting
between the big and middle rings is pretty close. I don't have to think
about it, just push the button and it's done. I was worried about the RaceFace
rings because I know how Shimano is engineered only to work with their
stuff, but it seems to shift as well as any full Shimano setup I've tried.
The only downer is you actually have to pay attention to adjusting the
front derailleur. I was able to adjust it so it only rubs intermittently
if I stand up and hammer in the 12t cog, and doesn't rub at all anywhere
else, but I had to actually think about it and spend a few minutes dialing
it in. In general, I prefer being able to trim up the front derailleur
(ala gripshift) to entirely prevent rubbing. Shimano's road STI shifters
have intermediate positions that allow this. I guess they figure roadies
are a little more anal than dirt riders.
I have to be a little careful going back and forth between the middle
and the granny. I'm guessing the narrower 9-spd chain is a little more
prone to getting hung up on the chainring teeth under load, causing the
dreaded chainsuck. I have an aluminum granny, which I think exacerbates
the problem, but since I don't generally shift under a lot of load, it's
not really much of a problem. It doesn't seem to be that much worse than
my 8 spd bike.
Wide Gearing
I like the 12-34 gear ratio a lot. Single-pivot squishy bikes like my Superlight
tend to work awesomely in the middle and big rings, and whatever bad manners
they have get displayed in the granny ring. A 34t cog is an asset here
because it makes it that much less likely you'll actually have to use the
small ring. At the Lemurian, I only used
by small ring for a short section (that most everyone else around me was
pushing) right at the top of the big climb, and then again for another
short section after the 2nd time past the upper aid station (until I got
off and pushed too). As a result, I had no shifting problems whatsoever
in that brutal and epic race.
You may say that no one needs a 22-34 low gear, and I'd almost agree
with you, except that on a long steep climb, during a long hard day, it's
nice to be able to ride in a gear you can maintain without killing yourself.
If you're too manly to need such a low gear, just don't shift into it.
That's what I do with the 12t cog for which I have no use whatsoever.
Bottom Line and Caveats
9-speed doesn't suck so bad I have to get rid of it. For the time being,
it's staying on my bike. It works, it hasn't busted yet, and the 34t cog
is cool. I'm not going to run out and buy 9-speed for my hardtail though.
That bike gets ridden in a fair amount of yucky weather and mucky trail
conditions, and i'm not willing to trade even one iota of reliability under
those conditions for the alleged advantages of an extra cog.
If you need a new bike, and you don't ride in mud, 9-speed will work
fine. If you do ride in mud, I have no idea how it will hold up, and no
intention of finding out, if I can avoid it.
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