12 speed crankset with 9 speed or 10 speed chain

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Sacha

New Member
Hi there,

I'm looking at upgrading my crankset to match the new 9 speed wide ratio cassette I have. But cannot seem to find a 9 speed specific chain ring to fit a crankset, for this reason I am looking at purchasing a shimano deore crankset that comes with Direct mount chain ring but is 12 speed.

My question is, can I use a 9 speed chain with the deore crankset (12 speed) and chain ring and a chain guide (the derailleur also has a clutch to aid tension too) to stop slips, or would it be more beneficial for me to run a 10 speed chain on the 9 speed cassette so that it is closer to a 12 speed and will supposedly work better. Or would there be no benifit at all as a 9 speed would probably work fine?

I've done a lot of research but nothing really made sense so I thought probably best to post it in an actual forum and get some opinions on it!
 

boydj

Legendary Member
Location
Paisley
I'd be concerned about the space between the chainrings on a 12-speed crankset being sufficient to accomodate a 9 or 10-speed chain.
 

Ajax Bay

Guru
Location
East Devon
What crankset have you got fitted now? (9sp compact)? What's wrong with it? In what way can you "upgrade" your chainset to "match" your cassette? What is the cassette (9sp but what)?
And you're planning to go for a 1x Deore chainset, right?
Think it'd all work (9sp chain would stay on the ring but sloppy), but echo the minging one's 'dog's dinner' assessment.
Need some care with the chainline.
 
It's only the gaps between each chainrings on a crankset that makes it a certain speed crankset. The chainrings themselves will be compatible with a wide range of chains. If you can fit spacers to separate the chainrings a bit and you have sufficient clearance at the bottom bracket with regard chainstays its possible. If you have a 12 speed crankset and a 9 speed cassette you should just use a 12 speed chain its as simple as that the one component that has limited clearance dictates the type of chain used. I'm unsure what crankset it is though so if it only has one chainring then a 9 speed chain is fine because there shouldn't be any clearance issues.
 
@bonzobanana the Deore the OP is looking at (you can google 12 speed Deore as can I) is a 1x.

I didn't google 12 speed Deore admittedly but the internal part of a chain that the teeth fit into is the same its the outer plates which get thicker on lower speed chains. So in theory there shouldn't be any problem with a Deore 12 speed 1x crankset and 9 speed cassette using a 9 speed chain unless there is an issue with a chain guide or a derailleur. Pretty sure the 1x chainring on my Saracen Pylon stated up to 11 speed but its only a 8 speed cassette with a old Altus derailleur and I'm using a 8 speed chain.
 
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