Ultegra or Dura-Ace
Comments
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it depends, if you're like me and not getting the best you can afford would keep you awake at night then Dura Ace without doubt. If, however, you're the sort of person who will regret spending an extra £145 quid for something only slightly better, then ultegra.pm0
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Well.....I am like you Portuguese!!
I wondered if someone else would come on and say "Dura-Ace is worth every penny"
which would help justify it
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unless you're an elite rider then probably from a functional perspective a waste of money, since are you really going to benefit from the weight reduction? Ultegra is more than aedquate for all levels of amateur racing, even 105 is good enough to be honest. But if the badge does it for you then go for it! But if you simply must have it then go for it!0
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powenb wrote:It's that simple.
I'm putting my 105 groupset on my winter bike, so do I upgrade to Ultegra or Dura-Ace?
Ultegra is £370.
Dura-Ace is £545 (with Ultegra cassette/chain), it does have a VERY sexy chainset!!
Cheers
go for DA ... it will help a tiny bit and more to the point it looks much better and your bike will be top-end.0 -
Unless you're seriously racing go for Ultegra SL. DA was made for performance and not durability whereby pros can afford to chuck out a cassette after each race/stage. Not something most of us mere mortal folk can do.
I do admit the DA chainset is very very nice and the new carbon DA chainset has it's WOW factor.Every winner has scars.0 -
HungryCol wrote:Unless you're seriously racing go for Ultegra SL. DA was made for performance and not durability whereby pros can afford to chuck out a cassette after each race.
that's only true for the cassette as the larger cogs are Ti to save weight ... and even there it usually not those cogs that wear fastest. Other DA parts are actually longer lasting than all the other shimano groups.0 -
Just order the Ultegra gruppo and ask them to send a DA chainset instead of the Ultegra one (and BB if the Ultegra BB isn't compatible with the DA) though I think it is0
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Cost difference between Ultegra (£370) & Dura-Ace (£545) is quite a lot at £175.
But, if you can't decide between Ultegra & Dura-Ace then Ultegra SL seems like the perfect option...Rich0 -
RichA wrote:Cost difference between Ultegra (£370) & Dura-Ace (£545) is quite a lot at £175.
But, if you can't decide between Ultegra & Dura-Ace then Ultegra SL seems like the perfect option...
the thing is though, Ultegra SL is about 1/3 of the way towards DA in weight terms but zero of the way towards DA in prestige terms. Throwing SL into the mix still leaves the same dillemna as this guy wants DA!!!0 -
SL is not in the equation.
It scratches too easy and for the same price, I could get full Dura-Ace.0 -
If he really wants DA and will be disappointed with anything else he should get DA.wildmoustache wrote:Ultegra SL is about 1/3 of the way towards DA in weight terms but zero of the way towards DA in prestige terms. Throwing SL into the mix still leaves the same dillemna as this guy wants DA!!!
But, I think the decision between Ultegra, Ultegra SL & Dura-Ace should be based upon prestige, weight, performance and cost. I was offering up SL as a good compromise???Rich0 -
"Dura-Ace is worth every penny"
Happy spending.
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Go for Ulltegra, if that leaves space in the budget for better wheels.
In terms of benefit, £350 wheels with Ultegra ought to be far more noticeable than £175 wheels with Dura ace.0 -
Thanks all for your comments.
Don't get me wrong, I would absolutely love DA and at the moment I can afford it, but Ultegra is still classed as the best value/performance.
But with SL now in the line up, it does make Ultegra third in the shimano range.
I do like the look and reviews of the SL but everyone has said the finish scratches and looks old before it's time.0 -
There is an american tri website that goes to the nth. degree with comparison of the 3 shimano groups. Upshot was DA is slightly lighter and has a longer warranty whilst being more expensive. Perfromance-wise they were unable to tell the difference (bear in mind that there is only a DA bar end shifter so the shifter was the same).
I think whilst the warranty might be useful for the STIs I've never known anyone actually wear out a derailleur.
However it comes down to whether you want 'the best'. 0 -
I have just got Ultegra after coming from 105 and can say it is fantastic. really like my 105 mind and would have got that again but got a decent deal on Ultegra. They reckon that the quality of shift etc is the same as Dura Ace but difference is down to weight. Someone will no doubt disprove that but if it only comes down to a few grams I'd get Ultegra.0
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Hi
I had 105 and went to Ultegra & was impressed by the overall feel although as I went from a nine to a ten speed, there probably was a slight concession on the gear change.
But fine otherwise.
If I was you I would go for what you can best afford
You might look around as those prices seem a tad dear, try some suppliers from Ireland who deal in Euros.
best of luck0 -
7 reasons to buy DA -
1 - The brakes are supposed to have more stopping power (not tested by me), a safety feature worth considering.
2 - Weight saving - minor benefit for mere mortals.
3 - The shiny chainset look great imho compared to the bland Ultegra one.
4 - Bling appeal of having the top of the range.
5 - Looking at the DA logos every time you clean, maintain the bike and realising you made the right decision, long after you have forgotten the cost.
6 - Higher resale value.
7 - When the cassette wears out you can replace with Ultegra at a 1/3rd of the price and no one will notice.
Downside:
1 - It costs more.0 -
Remember that you must always be better than your gear. Are you a Dura Ace quality cyclist?
Nothing gives me more pleasure than out-climbing a guy on £2000 worth of carbon fibre this and Dura Ace that whilst riding an old Trek with Sora bits.0 -
I saw an article once that described what some of the lower category professional teams ride. A surprising number ride Ultegra and Chorus.
When you are being held back by your groupset, then upgrade to Dura-Ace.0 -
El Gordo wrote:Remember that you must always be better than your gear. Are you a Dura Ace quality cyclist?
Nothing gives me more pleasure than out-climbing a guy on £2000 worth of carbon fibre this and Dura Ace that whilst riding an old Trek with Sora bits.
You should get out more.0 -
Remember that you must always be better than your gear. Are you a Dura Ace quality cyclist?
Eh?
That would mean that most cyclists should be riding Specialised Allez or Trek 1000's, etc., and if a lot of the pro guys ride Ultegra there are probably only 50 cyclists in the world that are Dura Ace good.
You must get Dura Ace IF you can afford it, if you don't you'll regret it.
To paraphrase LA 'It IS about the bike' :twisted:Nothing gives me more pleasure than out-climbing a guy on £2000 worth of carbon fibre this and Dura Ace that whilst riding an old Trek with Sora bits.
Oh it was you was it, thats why I now Take my Planet X out at 03:00 in the morning and have painted it with hammerite as camoflage :P0 -
juggler wrote:7 reasons to buy DA -
1 - The brakes are supposed to have more stopping power (not tested by me), a safety feature worth considering.
2 - Weight saving - minor benefit for mere mortals.
3 - The shiny chainset look great imho compared to the bland Ultegra one.
4 - Bling appeal of having the top of the range.
5 - Looking at the DA logos every time you clean, maintain the bike and realising you made the right decision, long after you have forgotten the cost.
6 - Higher resale value.
7 - When the cassette wears out you can replace with Ultegra at a 1/3rd of the price and no one will notice.
Downside:
1 - It costs more.
great post juggler ... the extra £175 or whatever if forgotten about the minute you get your hands on that wonderful chainset. Just get DA FFS!0 -
carlstone wrote:Eh?
That would mean that most cyclists should be riding Specialised Allez or Trek 1000's, etc., and if a lot of the pro guys ride Ultegra there are probably only 50 cyclists in the world that are Dura Ace good.
Ho ho. Obviously a lot of people round here trying to justify spending a ton of cash of their Dura Ace bits.
Most cyclists out there probably SHOULD be riding Allezs and 1000s if having a bike to match your ability is the only criteria. If someone wants to spend out on stuff just because it has the right label and makes them feel more pro then that's up to them. Whatever floats your boat.0 -
I use Ultegra on my winter training/commuter, so I'd say go for the Dura Ace. You'll only feel like you're riding second best otherwise. 0
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defo go for Dura-ace ...if you are even in slightest doubt buy it now ..you will always wonder if it would hav ebeen better ..
i got DA on my best bike ( i dont race anymore ) ..chainrings swapped for Strongllight CT2s & all bolts are Ti or alu etc..& also a KCNC cassette for best wheels
wifes best bike is a mix of Ultegra** ( all bolt tuned etc ) & DA
my winter bike is 105 ..
wifes winter bike is a mix of 105 & tiagra...
**if you buy a standard ultegra group & bolt tune it with Alu/ti bolts etc it will come in weighing less than an SL group & still save about £40 ...0 -
I love DA and cannot imagine having a better groupset. The precise nature of the shift is so positive.
Look at it this way, divide the £175 over the number of hours you will spend on your bike in the next 2 years and it will become such a small extra payment that it is insignificant.
Get the DA if you can, you will not regret it.0 -
Get the one you really want, if you can afford it. If you can't afford it, get the next best thing that you can afford.
Dennis Noward.0
