Originally Posted by
MRT2
So effectively, two riders on identical bikes but for one is a 9 speed and the other 11 speeds won't notice any difference at all when climbing.
Maybe, maybe not. Think it depends on leg strength which I don't have. I depend on cadence. So when in the higher ratio's on the back, it's nice to have that many extra one and two tooth changes before getting to the bigger tooth changes on the low ratio gears (bigs)
Of course all this also depends on what you consider your requirements for your maximum tooth and minimum tooth. I run an 11-32 on the back of my 11 speed with a 52/36 on the front. That gives me 8 gears with just 1 or 2 teeth difference. I don't think any 9 speed cluster will do that with 30 or more teeth on the largest unless it's a custom built.
I'm still well in the 1 tooth gear range when I hit the hills. So since I'm not strong in leg muscle, having more one tooth shift options are a plus that allow me to accelerate on some hills that my former 7 speed cluster never gave me. With my 7 speed 14-28 a shift on a hill to a higher ratio killed my cadence and speed.
But true, the 9 speed cluster can give you the same number of 1 tooth shifts, but only if you don't need more than a 26 maybe 28 on the rear. Since I don't want to be bothered with shifting the front, I need a 32 as well as the 11.