Can I use a 9 speed group on a 10/11 speed wheelset?

Hi,

I'd really like to get a Mavic Exalith wheelset (which are 10/11 speed) but I have an Ultegra 6500 group (9 speed), is this something that could work with spacers, or will the shifting be clunky and would I have to update my groupset?

Alternatively, does anyone know of any all black clincher rim wheelsets that would take a 9 speed group?

Love the look of the all black rims.

Thanks

Yes it'll work fine, just use a spacer (should come with the hubs/wheels if buying new).

Ah wicked thanks mate!

No problem. Usually a 10 speed hub will take 8,9 and 10 speed cassette, and 10/11 speed hubs take 11 without the spacer, and 8,9,10 with the spacer.

Hi, sorry if I didn't get a spacer with my wheelset would a standard bike shop sell this? Cheers!

Seen they're on Wiggle, will prob grab off there 👍

Yep, any bike shop should have one. If you're friendly with your lbs, they'll probably give you one for nowt (if they have a decent spares box).

Thanks Jon 🙏🙏🙏🙏

For some reason, Mavic hubs were 11s compatible before 11s was a thing - they'd come standard with a spacer on there.

Bit weird, jumping the gun like that; dunno why you'd intentionally add unnecessary dish for several years. I went to a fair bit of trouble to go the other way on a RS80 wheelset - fitted a 7s cassette body and bumped up the OLD to 132, and machined a slice off the back of a billet 10s cassette.

Not that the wheel really needed to be any stronger for my weight, it was more just to illustrate how lazy Shimano was in establishing all those spacing dimensions, let alone Mavic. I was able to add a couple of turns of NDS tension, so the wheel could have been designed even lighter around my dimensions... Dish is clearly a design compromise, dunno why you wouldn't want to minimise it.