SRAM R9

Price Paid:  $34.00 at LBS

Bike Setup:
Dura-Ace 7701 levers, 7410(8-sp) cranks, 6600 rear derailuer and chains from big brands like SRAM, KMC and Shimano.

Summary:
This R9 cassette came as the component of my first bike. Throughout a duration of three years I've been cross-mixing it with numerous wheels and swapping on and off my bike without bothering to replace the chain, racing... training and all that stuff, so the mileage is really hard to tell.

I'm an occasional racer, not a big one at 70kg. Average ability... maybe more a climber kind of guy. Several months earlier I had to get my Tiagra cassette worn out, so when the chain start jumping on the R9, thought it was the same issue. As said early, I like to swap wheels according to the terrain I go, or sometimes just for being too lazy to fix a rear flat... so the two cassettes has probably the same mileage on them.

In this nearly "post 10-speed" era it is somewhat not too easy to have many choices with 9-speed stuff, so I got a set of R9 again. Comparing the old and new however reveiled that the old cogs are still in quite good condition... the teeth had hardly any noticeable change in shape them.

The problem was really the plastic spacers... in the whole life span, they literally "wear out" to cause indexing difficulties. Comparing the last eight cogs, the "stack hight" is about 0.5 mm apart, enough to make changes. The "chain jump" problem that I thought it'd developed was actually ghost shifts.

Pity for a cassette that does it's job perfectly and has a 12~26 range.

Strengths:
Lightweight, 12~26 gearing just that little bit more bearable than 25 without losing a close ratio like the 27 (if that matters to you), shifts reasonably well.

Weaknesses:
The spacers definitely a minus... the design allows you to tear them apart while cleaning, but DON'T! Use a brush and wash method... otherwise you risk getting sand and dirt sandwiched between cogs & spacers, ultimately wearing them out.

Bottom line: a good component, but you have to avoid that major flaw.

Similar Products Used:
Tiagra 12~25. (I'm sorry... though many would claim it, I just couldn't find faults with the shifting performance of a Tiagra, even comparing with a 12~21 6600 cassette... apart from it's short life, which in my case isn't all that much worse than an ill-maintained top-of-the-range R9.)

Price Paid:  $40.00 at Blue Sky

Favorite Ride:
any

Bike Setup:
Ti road bike, ultegra shifters/derailleurs, FSA cranks.

Summary:
I have used two of these cassettes and have been disappointed both times. I could never get clean shifts across all the gears. At best, it could be made to work with the low end or the high end, but not all of the gears. At first, I thought that my derailleur was bent or not adjusted properly. However, all my problems disappeared once I put an Ultegra 6500 cassette on my wheel. I don't understand why SRAM would use a different geometry for their 9 speed cassettes when they don't offer a nine speed road group of their own.

Strengths:
Cheaper than Ultegra, light

Weaknesses:
Poor shifting - gear spacing and cog width do not appear to be fully compatible with Shimano drivetrains. Shifting did not improve with SRAM chain.

Similar Products Used:
Ultegra 6500, Dura Ace

View Comments (1)

Would you like to Comment?
Join RoadbikeReview for a free account, or Login if you are already a member.

Price Paid:  $35.00 at Large Internet Garag

Favorite Ride:
2-Wheeler

Bike Setup:
Frame, wheels, brakes, gears

Summary:
Clickety-clack. I thought it was just me when I built up a Kestrel frame and my drivetrain made so damn much noise. The SRAM PC-89R chain was hanging up just a bit on the cassette in the lower gears, as well as rubbing the large front chainring when in the lower gears. After re-measuring everything and verifying that I wasn't losing it, I bought a 10-speed Shimano Ultegra chain. No more front chainring rub, less noise from the back, but still not exactly quiet. Replaced the SRAM cassette, also with Ultegra, and now it is dead silent.
I was disappointed. I've used SRAM stuff on my mountain bikes for years with great success and had high hopes for the road.

Strengths:
Cheap, looks pretty when new.

Weaknesses:
NOISY. Not sure those plastic spacers are good for the long haul.

Similar Products Used:
Campy, Shimano, Atom, Sachs, Schwinn

Price Paid:  $39.00 at Performance

Favorite Ride:
El Cajon Laguna loop

Bike Setup:
Jamis venutura. Cannondale caad 4 Giant cadex

Summary:
Super cassette and a great bargain. I like the 26 option. It is lower than a 25 and not as cumbersome as a 27 shimano. I have been using them with the very reliable sram chain on my nine speed bikes and have been very happy with them.

Strengths:
Look nice and nice to have a 12-26

Weaknesses:
Maybe more sizes

Similar Products Used:
shimano stuff

Price Paid:  $0.00 at Prodeal thru shop

Favorite Ride:
In the SUN.

Bike Setup:
11-23

Summary:
Super sweet cassette, weighs the same as ultegra, but looks super sweet with the orange spacers, plus is MUCH less expensive.

Strengths:
COST.
Orange spacers.
Not Shimano.

Weaknesses:
None.
There is no AL carrier model.

Similar Products Used:
Ulterga 12/25
105 12/25