SRAM Force 22 vs Ultegra 6800 road setup on triathlon frame

Back by popular demand, the general all-things Road forum!

Moderator: robbosmans

jaibautista
Posts: 38
Joined: Sun Nov 04, 2012 1:17 pm

by jaibautista

Yes Mr. Gib, right now I am leaning towards getting Ultegra after considering the cost savings I will get.

Hopefully, the paint job will be finished this weekend so I can have the bike built up. I'll update everyone by then.

Thanks again! :thumbup:

davidalone
Posts: 622
Joined: Fri Feb 10, 2012 4:27 pm

by davidalone

from my experience ultegra pays off in the durability stakes. I agree Sram feels nicer and is lighter, but ultegra is much more robust and can take a hit. simply lasts longer than sram, from a mechanical design point of view. Personal choice, but I hate the light lever feel of sram brakes. shimano brakes give much more solid stopping power and modulation.

for my money, it would be ultegra.

if it's a triatlong frame, personally, just get the full aero cockpit. you're giving up a big buch of watts and you'll get used to it in no tie.

by Weenie


Visit starbike.com Online Retailer for HighEnd cycling components
Great Prices ✓    Broad Selection ✓    Worldwide Delivery ✓

www.starbike.com



Tenlegs
Posts: 289
Joined: Wed Jul 16, 2008 10:37 am

by Tenlegs

jaibautista-

If you plan on training and racing on the same bike then consider Shimano 105, you'll get same performance as Ultegra, then use the savings to invest in two wheelsets, cheap alloy clinchers for training and deep carbon (tubulars?) for racing, it would make more sense if you want to go full aero in the future and/or have separate race/training bikes.

jaibautista
Posts: 38
Joined: Sun Nov 04, 2012 1:17 pm

by jaibautista

@davidalone

Thank you very much for the feedback. Your reply to the thread comparing Rival 22 and Ultegra 6800 helped a lot in leading me towards my current preference (Ultegra 6800 > Force 22). I've also been a victim of the wonky Rival 10-speed shifter blade. When I brought the defective right hand shifter to my trusted mechanic, he opened the shifter; lo and behold, the teeth on the ratcheting mechanism got worn out. That said, I have yet to hear similar complaints with SRAM Red and Force shifters (at least for the 10-speed variants); perhaps they have different shifter internals than Rival?

For the meantime, I am willing to eat the aero penalty for improved bike handling with the drop handlebar. As I've read in another forum, one reason for sticking a road handlebar with a tri-specific frame is for better handling without having to sacrifice the specific muscle groups that typically work around a tri bike's geometry. I'll try this "hybrid" setup for quite some time and then change to a full-on aero cockpit if that setup doesn't work out as intended.

Thanks again for the feedback! :)

@Tenlegs

One reason for me to go with Ultegra 6800 is the higher resale value compared to 105 5800. Also, I already have a capable pair of aluminium wheels (Fulcrum Racing 3) that I will interchangeably use between the two bikes. As stated in an earlier reply, I plan to use the savings I will get from buying Ultegra 6800 to purchase a pair of unbranded deep carbon clinchers for race day. When that time comes, I will again solicit WW's opinion as to which rim depth I should get. Haha :)

Thank you very much for the feedback!

Post Reply