9 or 10 speed for new cyclocross bike?

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Permalink Reply by Chris Mayhew on November 28, 2017 at 5:46am

I suppose 9spd is a bit less durable, yes. But where on earth are you going to find that stuff in good shape at this point? Mainly shifters I suppose. I have a hard time finding first gen Shimano 10spd these days.

Second generation Shimano 10spd stuff is pretty horrible. I'd skip that all together if you can and either go 9, 1st gen 10 or 11. The new 11 is super nice and reasonably priced.

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Permalink Reply by Justin Loretz on December 13, 2017 at 9:07am

As a rider who spends his entire time riding in the thick mud and wet of Great Britain, I can attest that 10 and 11 speed transmissions (by Shimano or SRAM) are more than capable of handling adverse conditions. There really is no reason to stick with 8 speed or 9 speed - unless you're trying to keep a retro-flavour on purpose. 

It'll open up all sorts of useful gearing option too. Not just in the rear cassette, but up front too. With a wider ratio rear cassette you could clean up the bike with a 1x (single front chainring) layout. 

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