Ultegra expensive or Red Cheap?

Sgt_Pepper

I'm looking into buying a Dolan Ares, So I've had a mess round with the price guide and options on their site.

I really wanted to go the Ultegra route, Full bike =£2372

I also priced up Sram out of curiosity and it only comes in at Red £2419 Force at £2219

I always thought ultegra was supposed to be competing with Force, why is it so close in price to Red

I dont really want Sram but at only £47 more i'm having a dillema. Shimano's second Groupset or Srams Top?

what would the good people of BR do.

I'm currently using 105, how hard is it to adapt to Sram.

whojanicanackerov

There is a new sram red out which is far more expensive.This might have some thing to do with it?

indysmith

Sgt_Pepper wrote:

I dont really want Sram but at only £47 more i'm having a dillema. Shimano's second Groupset or Srams Top?

Well there's your answer!
Both groups perform a lot better than 95% of people do on their bikes; if you've got the cash to splash then buy the one that you prefer. It's all personal preference.

nochekmate

All personal preference of course but for me I'd take Force over Ultegra never mind Red. Got both Red & Force on my bikes

mroli

To answer the question about how easy it is to switch to sram from shimano, I had a variety of shimano groupset (sora, tiagra, 105) before switching. Probably took me about 10 miles to get comfortable with the double tap system. It is very easy to use.

indysmith

mroli wrote:

To answer the question about how easy it is to switch to sram from shimano, I had a variety of shimano groupset (sora, tiagra, 105) before switching. Probably took me about 10 miles to get comfortable with the double tap system. It is very easy to use.

I also made the switch from Shimano to SRAM, and took to it pretty much instantly - it's an extremely intuitive and natural system. The only thing that may or may not appeal is that SRAM shifts are a lot noisier, and provide a lot more positive feedback, i.e. you know when you've shifted on a SRAM system, whereas Shimano is extremely smooth and very efficient.
A major (to me, at least) advantage of SRAM is that the brake levers themselves are fixed and can't be pushed to the side like Shimano, which feels flimsier whilst braking.

giant_man

i wouldn't recommend that Sram rubbish to anyone quite honestly. Out of the two, ultegra is a far superior groupset.

napoleond

I've been running Sram Red the last 4 years, it's great! I find the hoods more comfortable than Shimano (I have had Ultegra too on a winter bike). Despite the extra weight the Ultegra Crank is IMO better than the Sram Red however...

rozzer32

giant man wrote:

i wouldn't recommend that Sram rubbish to anyone quite honestly. Out of the two, ultegra is a far superior groupset.

I wouldn't recommend that fishing tackle (shimano) rubbish to anyone quite honestly. Out of the two, Force is a far superior groupset (lighter, cheaper and better shift system).


But that is my personal opinion. Obviously mine and yours differ

giant_man

good grief, nap d, you're so cheap mate

sungod

ignoring the groupset bigotry, the reality is that all modern groupsets are ok, some are are smidge lighter, or more aero, or whatever, but they all work well if correctly installed and adjusted

the biggest practical difference is in the hoods and the shifting method

if you prefer shimano's hood shape and shifting, get the ultegra

if you prefer sram's hood shape and shifting, get the red

fwiw i've got one bike with mixed shimano, one with red, i prefer the red double-tap shifting, but both are ok

doubledenim

indysmith wrote:

mroli wrote:

To answer the question about how easy it is to switch to sram from shimano, I had a variety of shimano groupset (sora, tiagra, 105) before switching. Probably took me about 10 miles to get comfortable with the double tap system. It is very easy to use.

I also made the switch from Shimano to SRAM, and took to it pretty much instantly - it's an extremely intuitive and natural system. The only thing that may or may not appeal is that SRAM shifts are a lot noisier, and provide a lot more positive feedback, i.e. you know when you've shifted on a SRAM system, whereas Shimano is extremely smooth and very efficient.
A major (to me, at least) advantage of SRAM is that the brake levers themselves are fixed and can't be pushed to the side like Shimano, which feels flimsier whilst braking.

I don't agree with you there I am afraid. Ultegra and down the Shimano groupset yes the shifting is less solid and smooth but Dura-ace is very loud and shifts with real purpose. This is true for both mechanical and electronic versions. Remember any di2 shifters are fixed, you don't move the brake lever.

Mind you, I run ultegra on my winter bike and given the choice between Red and Ultegra with the bike in question I'd go with Red. In my opinion it's more in a league for dura-ace