#cassettes

so i rigged a 2020 surly midnight for a multi‑day tour, slapped on a sram x5 9‑speed drivetrain and a 12‑28 11‑spd cassette because i read somewhere that a tighter range is better for climbing lol

the thing is, on any decent hill i’m barely breaking a sweat, which is weird because i thought a 12‑28 would be a real grind. also noticed the chainline is a bit off and the rear derailleur is a shimano 105 rd‑5700, which i guess isn’t meant for a 12‑28 anyway

anyone got a clue why this setup is acting like a flat road bike? should i drop to a 11‑32 or just swap the rd for a sram x9? tbh i’m not even sure if the 12‑28 is even a real touring cassette rn