Shimano longevity vs performance vs cost

[TheFungle]

Currently have Ultegra on my bike and after 8000 miles it's really starting to show signs of wear & tear. As it's currently on my winter/trainer bike there is no real need to keep it at the 'latest & greatest' state, however nor do I want to stick nothing but the cheapest on it either.

Where is the sweet spot in the range?

For example I'd be happy with a 105 cassette but would a Sora or Tiagra be a noticeable downgrade?

[anonymous-user]

Cassette is largely irrelevant in my opinion, I'd go for good rear mech and shifters, then a cheaper front mech and cassette if you nuy it seperately but that said 105 groupset from ribble will only be £400 so you may as well get it all together

[upsidedownmark]

Agreed. Most of the 'shift performance' comes from the levers, then the cables. Rear mech is almost irrelevant, front mech almost totally. For most of it you're just looking at weight savings IMHO.

Crankset can make quite a difference - I was surprised by how much crisper the 6700 chainset was than the old tiagra one - putting that down to the stiffer big ring and the ramp/pin design.

FWIW my 'frankengroup' is:
6700 ultegra shifters, 105 (5700?) brakes - older series brakes don't work well with the newer levers as they pull less cable
6700 chainset
Ancient 105 rear mech (circa 2007, albeit with new jockey wheels)
105 front mech
10 speed tiagra cassette / 10 speed 105 cassette (training / race wheels)
KMC chain (much better closing link)

All works just fine.

ETA: If you're wearing stuff out, it's probably only the cassette, chain, and (possibly) chain rings / bottom bracket / cables that need replacing.

Edited by upsidedownmark on Wednesday 19th June 16:45

[Jimbo.]

TheFungle said:

Currently have Ultegra on my bike and after 8000 miles it's really starting to show signs of wear & tear. As it's currently on my winter/trainer bike there is no real need to keep it at the 'latest & greatest' state, however nor do I want to stick nothing but the cheapest on it either.

Where is the sweet spot in the range?

For example I'd be happy with a 105 cassette but would a Sora or Tiagra be a noticeable downgrade?

Nowt wrong with mixing and matching, nor running supposedly "inferior" cassettes: sometimes it's the only way to get the rations you want!

Sweet spot? Generally Ultegra: after a year or two it gets the tech of Dura Ace for less than 2/3rd the price and barely a few grammes more. Sorted.

However, as said above (I think) the real benefits come from good cables and set-up. No point having DA shifters if you're using manly, stiff cables and crappy indexing.

[IroningMan]

Jimbo. said:

Nowt wrong with mixing and matching, nor running supposedly "inferior" cassettes: sometimes it's the only way to get the rations you want!

Sweet spot? Generally Ultegra: after a year or two it gets the tech of Dura Ace for less than 2/3rd the price and barely a few grammes more. Sorted.

However, as said above (I think) the real benefits come from good cables and set-up. No point having DA shifters if you're using manly, stiff cables and crappy indexing.

Nowt wrong with manly cables, either!

[Nitro Addiction]

Depends how much you ride or if you race. I have Ultegra but have never raced or trained with anyone who has less than Dura-Ace! So it depends on what you're doing. Don't go lower than 105, as sora etc just needs constant adjusting and is heavy and clunky.
105 or Ultegra or a mix of the two if you're recreational and think you might race in the future would be my suggestion.