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Ok so let's start this out by saying I have not a ton of money to work with, and really want to get my bike up and working with little cost as possible. I have friends that have changed out parts on their bikes and have given me some parts to use on my bike that are almost brand new.

I was given a SRAM X9 3x9 front derailluer and a Shimano SXL FC-M660 10x3 10-speed Crankset for free and I want to use them.

My bike currently has Shimano 8 speed rear derailluer and cassette. I have Shimano shifters also on the bike. They both work great and don't want to have to change those out.

So my question is, can I use the 8 speed rear parts with the 9 speed SRAM front derailluer and 10 speed shimano Crankset? And use the shimano shifters? What would be the major problems?

I would like to just have to buy a chain and use all these parts, and wondering what kind of chain should I use with these three speeds? 8,9 or 10 speed chain?

I know this is dumping a bunch of parts together, but beggers can't be chooser and I would really like to get this to work so I can ride. My crank and front derailluer are junk and need to be replaced.

Thanks

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The main compatibility problems arising between SRAM and Shimano is with the rear derailleurs. The SRAM numbered models (X-7/9/0/X etc) will only work with SRAM rear derailleurs (and v.v). Front derailleurs are compatible (I use SRAM shifters and an XT front derailleur). In terms of the shifters you should be fine.

The only difference I can think of for the front derailleur would be the width of the cage - 8 speed uses a wider chain than 9 speed. I imagine the difference wouldn't be great enough to cause an issue though. In the worst case scenario you might end up with the chain rubbing the front derailleur slightly in the 'extreme' gears (biggest/smallest cog on the cassette).

The crankset again suffers from the width issue. The best thing to do is give it a try.

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  • I edited your post to say "derailleur" instead of "mech" for universal readability. "Mech" doesn't mean a whole lot to us Americans.
    – jimchristie ♦
    May 21, 2013 at 21:27
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Yes, you can. Front derailleurs are compatible, and you can use 10-speed oriented crankset with 8- or 9-speed chain.

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