Ultegra vs force 22

hellcatz

Hi I'm a novice rider that just getting back into the hobby. I am currently building a bike from the ground up with a old cannnondale caad 4 frame. Just a little introduction to introduce myself as this is my first post. Now on to the question I am a big SRAM fan but am open to other options but the dilemma I have now is that the ultegra groupset right now sells for $250 less then sram force 22. Is SRAM force worth the extra 250 or should I just buy the ultegra instead?

fenix

Personal choice really - but I prefer Shimano to SRAM given the choice.

jrich

I'd buy the Ultegra and save 250 quid to spend on something else. I have Force 22 and I prefer it to Shimano but it's not worth spending an extra 250 for, no way! Ultegra will perform flawlessly, its just personal preference which you choose.

hellcatz

jrich wrote:

I'd buy the Ultegra and save 250 quid to spend on something else. I have Force 22 and I prefer it to Shimano but it's not worth spending an extra 250 for, no way! Ultegra will perform flawlessly, its just personal preference which you choose.

Prices are in Canadian not 250 quid

imposter2.0

The shift functionality and ergonomics of both groups is entirely different. Choose the one with the hood shape and shift method you prefer.

jrich

hellcatz wrote:

jrich wrote:

I'd buy the Ultegra and save 250 quid to spend on something else. I have Force 22 and I prefer it to Shimano but it's not worth spending an extra 250 for, no way! Ultegra will perform flawlessly, its just personal preference which you choose.

Prices are in Canadian not 250 quid

Ahh yes, I keep forgetting there has been an influx of foreigners recently.

Well the same still applies doesn't it.

MikeBrew

jrich wrote:

hellcatz wrote:

jrich wrote:

I'd buy the Ultegra and save 250 quid to spend on something else. I have Force 22 and I prefer it to Shimano but it's not worth spending an extra 250 for, no way! Ultegra will perform flawlessly, its just personal preference which you choose.

Prices are in Canadian not 250 quid

Ahh yes, I keep forgetting there has been an influx of foreigners recently.

Well the same still applies doesn't it.

Not really as $250 Canadian dollars equates to approx £132. Also, how can anyone be a "Foreigner" on a global, i.e. dot Com website ? WWW has other meanings outside of American wrestling, or hadn't you noticed .

To the OP I'd say that the price difference is unfortunate, but worth paying if you prefer the way SRAM works as opposed to Shimano, they certainly are very different. SRAM everytime for me, I prefer the way it works and the find the hood shape much more comfortable.

jrich

Not really as $250 Canadian dollars equates to approx £132. Also, how can anyone be a "Foreigner" on a global, i.e. dot Com website ? WWW has other meanings outside of American wrestling, or hadn't you noticed .

To the OP I'd say that the price difference is unfortunate, but worth paying if you prefer the way SRAM works as opposed to Shimano, they certainly are very different. SRAM everytime for me.

£132 is a lot of money to spend when, as I stated in my first post, the difference is down to personal preference. If you want to burn £132 the go ahead, but you'd be a fool to do so.

Because, my ignorant friend, this forum was started by riders in the UK for riders in the UK. In fact at one time it was even called 'Mountain Biking UK'. Since then there's been many changes and BikeRadar has expanded into North America it would seem.

MikeBrew

You know that's funny, because I am under the distinct impression that you are the only ignorant , in every sense of the word, one here. It's a dot com site so where it started is, frankly, irrelevant my Zenophobic, quidlidite compadre.. You can't live in the past for ever.

hellcatz

jrich wrote:

Not really as $250 Canadian dollars equates to approx £132. Also, how can anyone be a "Foreigner" on a global, i.e. dot Com website ? WWW has other meanings outside of American wrestling, or hadn't you noticed .

To the OP I'd say that the price difference is unfortunate, but worth paying if you prefer the way SRAM works as opposed to Shimano, they certainly are very different. SRAM everytime for me.

£132 is a lot of money to spend when, as I stated in my first post, the difference is down to personal preference. If you want to burn £132 the go ahead, but you'd be a fool to do so.

Because, my ignorant friend, this forum was started by riders in the UK for riders in the UK. In fact at one time it was even called 'Mountain Biking UK'. Since then there's been many changes and BikeRadar has expanded into North America it would seem.

Why does location matter? It's still got good content thats worth learning from and to ask question on. Forum are a platform to share information.

MikeBrew

hellcatz wrote:

jrich wrote:

Not really as $250 Canadian dollars equates to approx £132. Also, how can anyone be a "Foreigner" on a global, i.e. dot Com website ? WWW has other meanings outside of American wrestling, or hadn't you noticed .

To the OP I'd say that the price difference is unfortunate, but worth paying if you prefer the way SRAM works as opposed to Shimano, they certainly are very different. SRAM everytime for me.

£132 is a lot of money to spend when, as I stated in my first post, the difference is down to personal preference. If you want to burn £132 the go ahead, but you'd be a fool to do so.

Because, my ignorant friend, this forum was started by riders in the UK for riders in the UK. In fact at one time it was even called 'Mountain Biking UK'. Since then there's been many changes and BikeRadar has expanded into North America it would seem.

Why does location matter? It's still got good content thats worth learning from and to ask question on. Forum are a platform to share information.

You're absolutely right hellcatz, but please try to ignore his needless comments. He's probably the sort of person to view folk from the next village with deep seated suspicion, and a sense of other worldliness..

StillGoing

hellcatz wrote:

Hi I'm a novice rider that just getting back into the hobby. I am currently building a bike from the ground up with a old cannnondale caad 4 frame. Just a little introduction to introduce myself as this is my first post. Now on to the question I am a big SRAM fan but am open to other options but the dilemma I have now is that the ultegra groupset right now sells for $250 less then sram force 22. Is SRAM force worth the extra 250 or should I just buy the ultegra instead?

You can buy the components separately for cheaper if you shop around. SRAM cranksets are probably the second biggest outlay so if you can make do with an existing one for the time being and just get everything else it would reduce your initial outlay. Just replace the crankset at a later date. I'm a big SRAM advocate so maybe a little biased, but I wouldn't sacrifice what works for me just to save a $250. The Shimano shifting method would soon get on my nerves and force me to change again.

rickeverett

Personally the SRAM hoods feel better. The group is also lighter if weight is such an issue.
The shifting on Force is fast and hard. The Shimano shift is smooth and soft. The double tap and single lever is great on SRAM, something I really like on mine and again personally IMO better than shimanos two lever system.

rick_chasey

jrich wrote:

Not really as $250 Canadian dollars equates to approx £132. Also, how can anyone be a "Foreigner" on a global, i.e. dot Com website ? WWW has other meanings outside of American wrestling, or hadn't you noticed .

To the OP I'd say that the price difference is unfortunate, but worth paying if you prefer the way SRAM works as opposed to Shimano, they certainly are very different. SRAM everytime for me.

£132 is a lot of money to spend when, as I stated in my first post, the difference is down to personal preference. If you want to burn £132 the go ahead, but you'd be a fool to do so.

Because, my ignorant friend, this forum was started by riders in the UK for riders in the UK. In fact at one time it was even called 'Mountain Biking UK'. Since then there's been many changes and BikeRadar has expanded into North America it would seem.

Ah calm down mate. This isn't a UKIP forum is it? Riding a bike's the same over here as it is over there.

rick_chasey

As for the OP, beyond preference for hoods/shifting action, it boils broadly down to how reliable and assured the shifts are and weight.

Nowadays all kit's fairly good, so you won't be buying a clanger.

homers_double

Shall we just say 250 notes instead? That way we can all chill out and the op can get back to the crux of the matter, is one better than the other.

lakesluddite

Hellcatz, you say you're a fan of Sram, so if the price difference isn't that painful for you, go for Sram. After all, you'll be using the groupset long after you've forgotten about how much you paid for it. I can't remember how many times I've gone cheaper and regretted it later.
Saying that, Ultegra should be pretty much faultless as well - if you've used Sram Double-tap for a while you'll just need to get used to pushing the brake lever over to change down gear. I went the other way, from Shimano (105) to Force22, and it took all of one ride to get used to it. I think there may be a slight weight advantage with Sram as well, which swayed my purchase rather than the negligible price difference (and I got a great price for the Sram in the UK).

Stanley the 2nd

If you shop around you should be able to get SRAM for the same price as Ultegra. My bike has a mixture of force and red, some bits brought for a good price on eBay and other parts brought when online stores are doing discounts or special deals.

Its a matter of personal choice if you say SRAM is better than Shimano. Since going over to SRAM I can't see myself ever going back to Shimano, even more so once the etap system comes down in price.