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Hi everyone,
I have purchased an Orbea MX20 team disc for my 6 year old son. The bike is perfect but I am tempted to try a short cage mech for a bit more clearance from the ground. The current set up is an 11-36 9 speed cassette and Altus shadow mech. The question is are the pull ratios different on 9 and 10 speed mechs or is it all down to the shifter? And also can a 10 speed mech cope with a slightly wider 9 speed chain?
I would be interested to know if anyone has tried this sort of combination.
Cheers
The pull ratio of the mech is different, so it won't work with the 9-speed Shimano shifter. It will, apparently, work with  9-speed SRAM shifter and a small spacer, but if you were going to do that, it would make more sense to buy a 10-speed shifter and a new cassette as well and just go 10-speed all round, unless, I guess you happened to have a SRAM shifter just lying around.
I did for my sons bike a few years ago, this will help..
https://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/zee-rear-mech-with-9-speed-shifter/
Thanks for the info chaps 👍🏻
I'll wait until the mech gets mashed up and just replace with a cheap 10spd set up and zee mech.
Probably the best approach. As with modified cassettes, as soon as you begin trying to make mismatched shifters and mechs play together you’re into a place where satisfaction is never guaranteed and may depend upon mechanical execution and personal expectations as much as anything else.