I swapped to a 9-speed chain on an old 8-speed drivetrain and it actually got worse

I had a customer's 1997 Trek 820 with a worn Shimano Acera group. The 8-speed chain was noisy, so I put on a new SRAM PC-951 9-speed chain thinking it would be quieter and shift smoother. After a week, the shifting was way more hesitant and it started dropping the chain on small bumps. The narrower chain just didn't sit right on the old, slightly wider cassette teeth. Has anyone else had a modern part make an older bike work worse?

3 comments

3 Comments

rose_reed1d ago

Ever try a new 8-speed chain instead?

linda1141d ago

Is it really that big of a deal? Chains wear out and get replaced all the time. Seems like a minor thing to get hung up on.

the_simon1d ago

Wait, you put a 9-speed chain on an 8-speed?