Road Cycling - Cassette SRAM R9 vs Shimano Ultegra HG9

The SRAM9 R9 is a 12-26 cassette and the Ultegra is 12-27,
Does it make a difference that extra tooth on the Ultegra ? os it's not worth it the upgrade?

Thanks

Corsaire

I vote for not worth it.... unless you are rich and think you really might need it to make it up some local hill/mountain without walking. As you can see below they are idenitical gears other than the top two.

SRAM - 12-13-14-15-17-19-21-23-26
Ultegra - 12-13-14-15-17-19-21-24-27

I was just poking around at a couple of different online sites, and depending on where you buy, either one is slightly more or less than the other. They were always within a few dollars one one another, though. So price doesn't make that big of a difference. The weight difference is negligible, slighlty in the Ultegra's favor, but not of significance. Gearing wise, a one tooth difference is not really significant, IMO. SO I'd say it comes down to performance and durability. I use Shimano cassettes and find them to last a very long time, and shift well. I use SRAM chains, and they are high quality also.

In the end, I guess this is a long-winded "either one is good."

I went from a Dura Ace 12-27 to the SRAM 12-26 for all of my big hill stuff (most recently the High Sierra Fall Century). I thought that the performance was the same until my chain wore out and I replaced it with the SRAM PC 89. This has been the smoothest shifting I have ever had. The performance is terrific compared to the DA set up. I don't miss the 27 except in the way most cyclist always wish for "just one more gear". I've done quite a few 14% to 18% grades lately and have been fine with the gearing. The only unknown is the longevity of the SRAM equipment. The DA chains were lasting around 3,000 to 3,500 miles and I was occassionally changing cassettes. The DA cassettes seem to have a very long life. My "hill climber wheels" has around 21,000 miles on it and I have changed the cassette twice.

I only run SRAM cassettes on my bikes. Never had a complaint. I run a 11-23 SRAM and was thinking of getting the 12-26 just to have in case I need it.