I have road bicycle with a 9 Speed triple 52-42-30 chain rings now with a 12-27 cassette

I replaced a worn 9 speed 11-26 cassette with a 9 speed 12-27 cassette. The 27 was a life giver on the climbs as I continued to age, but now find the 12 has me spinning the pedals faster than I can/want to catch my weekend group riders on the flat or downhill sections of one of our ride with climbs. Also twice a month we ride from Boulder City down to Hoover Dam and into Arizona and return, I now feel the need for a larger 28 or 30 tooth range to keep climbing out of this canyon.

I was pleased with the 27 when I first installed as it helped me keep the younger guys in view on the steeper climbs, but the 12 is driving me nuts in sections that I can not spin the pedals to engage the chain in 40+ mph descents. Can I replace the 9 speed Shimano 12-27 cassette with a SRAM PG-950 11-28 Bike Cassette 9 Speed using a medium cage 105 derailleur?

Knowing I am getting older and the newer riders are getting younger and stronger than me in the pedals. I want to continue riding with the group, but it is becoming more difficult.

I am hoping the 11-28 will work as it should give me another year or two before I need to find some older riders like me, losing our ability to ride with the younger ones.

JR

Is there a question in there?

Your post reads a bit like a blog entry.

If you´re asking whether the 9-speed 11-28 will work, yes it will. Change the chain too, obviously.
Whether it gives you another year or two in the fast group, only you will know.

Best of luck, sounds like you have a blast on your group rides!

A 52/11 is a 4.7 gear ratio(124.4 gear inches), a 52/12 is a 4.3 ratio(same as a 47/11 and 114 gear inches). here's a gear ratio calulator: https://www.bikecalc.com/gear_ratios

The great Eddy Merckx(IMO the greatest rider ever) rode a 52/14 for his hour world record in 1972 and didn't have any problems with "overspinning", and won almost all of his championships using a 52/13. If you can spin a 52/12 for an extended period of time you are faster/stronger than almost all amateur riders, and by that standard you and your group must be extremely fast.

Brian

105 rear derailleur is listed as having 37 teeth of chain wrap. Your proposed combination has 39 teeth. In real life, however, nobody ever uses the little/little combination. As long as you make sure that your chain is long enough to safely handle the big/big combination you'll be fine.

Sometimes, it's not how fast you can go, but how fast can you stop!
As you "continue to age", you heal much slower. (Going on 6 months now from "intermedullary nailing of the tibia")

IIRC 5500 RDs only had a 27t max, but that is probably conservative. Just go back to the 11-26. The difference between 30x26 and 30x27 is minimal. Or just tuck while going 40mph+

Just a couple of experiences for you:

I have a 105 medium cage RD and a Dura Ace medium cage RD and have used both with 11-28 9 speed cassettes and two different road triples: a 52-42-30 just like yours and a 50-39-30 (not sure, it's my wife's, but it goes fro 50 to 30). Both of these RDs worked fine for both chain take-up and maximum cog.

So it's definitely worth trying.

For even lower gearing: My wife needed more than her 30X28 lowest gear on her 9 speed system so I installed an 11-34 mountain bike cassette and a Deore RD (happens to be an XT, but that doesn't matter). I happened to have that RD sitting around, I'm sure it's an 8 speed. Shifts perfectly. I've used the same derailleur with an 8 speed road system too. I've read that Shimano 9 speed road shifters will work with any Shimano 8 or 9 speed MTB RD, but not a 10 speed, so keep that in mind if you plan to make that conversion.

If you go cheap-ish, you can replace your cassette and RD with a real mountain set up like that for less than $100.

I'm using a 12-34t, XTR 9sp cassette with an Ultegra Triple 6503 rear derailer and a 53/42t crankset. It shifts well, even if the top pulley teeth contact the 34t cog slightly.
I used an 11-32t cassette before that and it was flawless.

The SRAM 11-28t should be fine.

Thanking all the Mechanics that took the time to answer my question about placing the 9 Speed SRAM PG-950 11-28 Bike Cassette on my Cannondale R800s with my current Triple & Rear 105 derailleur. I forgot to ask, what the feeling about chain brand? KMC, SRAM or a Shimano chain?


I have a KMC Nitride Coated X9SL chain on bicycle, with about 75 percent left on chain gauge but I will purchase a new chain for this cassette. I have liked the wear on these KMC chains, but lots of questions about cassettes, derailleurs and chain for shifting ease are discussed in our riding group. With several strong opinionated self appointed Mechanics types, it can be difficult to know what to purchase.

JR

Chain question is simple, friend: stick with what works for you. You've been riding long enough to know what that is, no need to jump ship now.