New bike doesn't have the claimed 27 speeds

[slo town]

Originally Posted By: skyactiv
I bought a brand new 2013 steel road bike today. LOVE how it rides compared to my aluminum bike.
But I noticed it has an 8 cog rear cassette instead of a 9er.
I counted and shifted several times and compared it to my 27 speed Raleigh.
Prior years of this bike down to 2007 list it as having 27 speeds as well as the 2013.
I can live with 24 speeds. But it can make upgrades harder in the future.
I'm tall and the shop had to order my size.
I want 27 speeds, not a refund.
How would you deal with this?


Take it back ASAP. An 8-speed drivetrain is a full decade+ out of date. If you need parts for this 8-speed drivetrain - and you will if you ride it enough - they will be virtually impossible to find.

It is not a simple as simply installing a 9-speed or 10-speed cassette. The rear shifter and rear derailler are different for a 11-speed versus 10-speed versus 9-speed versus 8-speed etc.

As far as 24 speeds being enough, that's true. 24 speeds can be useful to some, though understand you only really have 12 or 15 truly different gear inch ratios. The same "overlap" applies to the 27 speed gruppo.

However, the biggest problem with the 8-speed is future parts availability.

Scott

 

[slo town]

Originally Posted By: skyactiv
Originally Posted By: dailydriver
^^^

That color is called 'Celeste', and it is one of the MOST iconic shades in all of cycling, as MANY World, TdF, and Giro d'Italia champions have ridden Bianchi bikes painted in it.

But, YES, it IS a "love it or HATE it" type of color.

The one you returned was black with logo decals in that color??


White with red lettering. I'm going to test ride a few aluminum frame bikes with carbon forks. Some 2013 bikes are being reduced. I'm 6'3" and 161#'s which probably makes me more sensitive to harsher riding bikes?


With your size nearly all 63cm bikes should fit you just fine. 63cm bikes are not a custom size, a 63cm size is considered an "off the shelf" size.

At 161 pounds do not get an aluminum bike. In general, aluminum bikes are stiff. A bike with Reynolds 853 steel tubeset would be ideal, if you can find one at your price point. Your comment about wheels - wheels have a huge impact on a bike's ride qualities. High profile, aero rims with radially spoked wheels are much stiffer than no-aero, 3 cross wheels.

Scott

 

[dailydriver]

Originally Posted By: SLO_Town
High profile, aero rims with radially spoked wheels are much stiffer than no-aero, 3 cross wheels.


Absolutely, BUT the carbon fiber composites they are generally made of (NO ONE to my knowledge still makes, or ever made, a deeper than ~35 mm alloy rim, correct? Or did/does the Aussie company Velocity??) DOES dampen/lessen the effects of said 'stiffness'.

I am not up to date on my Reynolds steel tubing tech, I'm guessing that the 631 is the modern, updated version of the ancient 531, and the 853 you've mentioned is the same for the old 753 tubesets??

 

[Cujet]

Here in glass flat, South Florida, I only need 2 speeds. Into the headwind and with the wind. Might be nice to have a third speed for no wind conditions.

All kidding aside, I'm not at all convinced more speeds on the rear cog are at all necessary. If the spread between large and small is large enough and the ratio's work out properly, you should be able to pick from at least 3 that will work. But what do I know? I live in Florida...

As far as not getting what you paid for, that's a different story. And I 100% agree that you planned for, paid for and expected a 9 speed shifter and cassette. Which, in my mind would keep you current with parts availability for many years to come. Unlike the obsolete systems with lesser speeds.

Tomorrow, I'm returning a number of parts that I ordered that were incorrect and/or improperly made. I paid for them on Visa, because otherwise, in today's environment, I'd have no recourse. I'd be 100% intolerant of such "bait n switch" and I'd make sure I came out on top.

 

[dja4260]

I LOVE my 1x8.

However I'd be annoyed if it was listed as 27 speeds and wasn't.

 

[supton]

Living in New Hampster I have grown to like my 3x9 drivetrain... I tightened it up a bit, from 12-25 to a 12-23, as I disliked some of the jumps--I wanted small gearing jumps, at the expensive of perhaps having to use granny gear a bit more often. So far, not a problem.

But gearing is such a personal issue...

 

[ueberooo]

Originally Posted By: MrQuackers
I still prefer 3x7. All I need and much cheaper.


I run the same and love it! Just by chance, the campy 9-sp ergopower shifters are "pretty much" compatible with shimano 7-speed cogs spacing; this is a little secret I picked up from the internet years ago.

(I've put about 10 years on this setup; had the hub rebuilt a few years ago, and just rebuilt the rear wheel this year when the rim was starting to come apart. When the hub finally gives out for good I'll upgrade to a real campy 9sp setup.)