Ultegra vs Dura Ace brakes (6800 - 9000)

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iliedanila
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by iliedanila

I decided to go with ultegra groupset for the spring bike upgrade.
It's just that since braking is important to me (I'm a good descender, control and modulation is important to me) I want to have a look at Dura ace brakes.
Almost everybody said shifting of ultegra is similar in performance to Dura ace, with a weight penalty.
What about the brakes?
What makes the price difference between these two? (~200 vs 90 euros)

If it matters: I will run tune schwarzbrenner 38T with black prince pads.

Thank

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fromtrektocolnago
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by fromtrektocolnago

I have a different opinion. I cannot tell a difference in braking performance between 9000 & 6800, but to me 9000 shifts marginally crisper and quicker. I'm also using Dura Ace C-24 wheels. The metal strip may be helping brake performance as well.
Colnago C-59 (Dura Ace)
Firefly(Ultegra)
Colnago C-64 disc(ultegra) with Bora 35 wheels

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iliedanila
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by iliedanila

fromtrektocolnago wrote:I have a different opinion. I cannot tell a difference in braking performance between 9000 & 6800, but to me 9000 shifts marginally crisper and quicker. I'm also using Dura Ace C-24 wheels. The metal strip may be helping brake performance as well.

Thanks.
I would still like to know that makes the DA brakes worth more than twice the price of ultegra. (beside the name [emoji1])
Obviously, the aluminium strip is still the gold standard in braking performance..

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11.4
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by 11.4

The 9000 brake set is cosmetically the top of its game while cosmetically the 6800 brakes are very plain. That's cosmetics. There's weight savings on the 9000's. Performance-wise they have the same leverage and same braking ability with the same cable pull. If your question has to do with whether the 9000's can brake any better than the 6800's, they don't. I did find very slight differences between bikes set up with 9000 and with 6800, but the differences disappeared with 9070 and 6870 and frankly, I think there are more differences caused by matters like chain stay length, chain alignment, position of the rear derailleur, distance from the chainrings to the chainrings (which affects how far extended the front derailleur has to be to be in its working range), and so on.

Nothing about the Ultegra line in several generations has been any less durable or more failure-prone than Dura Ace. The opposite is true, if anything. I think that you may lose a millimeter or two of clearance under the brake calipers for tire clearance when yo go to the 6800's, but I don't have both in front of me to try on the same frame -- I ran into that problem with a pair of 6800 calipers? but it could always have been the frame they were on. Someone might check them both out and see if there's any difference.

fromtrektocolnago
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by fromtrektocolnago

Dura Ace sounds Italian 'Duracci'
Last edited by fromtrektocolnago on Sat Mar 05, 2016 10:41 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Colnago C-59 (Dura Ace)
Firefly(Ultegra)
Colnago C-64 disc(ultegra) with Bora 35 wheels

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iliedanila
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by iliedanila

11.4 wrote:The 9000 brake set is cosmetically the top of its game while cosmetically the 6800 brakes are very plain. That's cosmetics. There's weight savings on the 9000's. Performance-wise they have the same leverage and same braking ability with the same cable pull. If your question has to do with whether the 9000's can brake any better than the 6800's, they don't. I did find very slight differences between bikes set up with 9000 and with 6800, but the differences disappeared with 9070 and 6870 and frankly, I think there are more differences caused by matters like chain stay length, chain alignment, position of the rear derailleur, distance from the chainrings to the chainrings (which affects how far extended the front derailleur has to be to be in its working range), and so on.

Nothing about the Ultegra line in several generations has been any less durable or more failure-prone than Dura Ace. The opposite is true, if anything. I think that you may lose a millimeter or two of clearance under the brake calipers for tire clearance when yo go to the 6800's, but I don't have both in front of me to try on the same frame -- I ran into that problem with a pair of 6800 calipers? but it could always have been the frame they were on. Someone might check them both out and see if there's any difference.

My wheels are between 25 an 28mm wide at the brake track.
Intend to run 25mm wide tyres.
You think ultegra brakes will fit ok?

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Dez33
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by Dez33

iliedanila wrote:
11.4 wrote:The 9000 brake set is cosmetically the top of its game while cosmetically the 6800 brakes are very plain. That's cosmetics. There's weight savings on the 9000's. Performance-wise they have the same leverage and same braking ability with the same cable pull. If your question has to do with whether the 9000's can brake any better than the 6800's, they don't. I did find very slight differences between bikes set up with 9000 and with 6800, but the differences disappeared with 9070 and 6870 and frankly, I think there are more differences caused by matters like chain stay length, chain alignment, position of the rear derailleur, distance from the chainrings to the chainrings (which affects how far extended the front derailleur has to be to be in its working range), and so on.

Nothing about the Ultegra line in several generations has been any less durable or more failure-prone than Dura Ace. The opposite is true, if anything. I think that you may lose a millimeter or two of clearance under the brake calipers for tire clearance when yo go to the 6800's, but I don't have both in front of me to try on the same frame -- I ran into that problem with a pair of 6800 calipers? but it could always have been the frame they were on. Someone might check them both out and see if there's any difference.

My wheels are between 25 an 28mm wide at the brake track.
Intend to run 25mm wide tyres.
You think ultegra brakes will fit ok?

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Yes, they will fit ok.

eaglejackson
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by eaglejackson

I have 2 Parlee Z5 SLi bikes, one with Dura Ace Di2 (9070) and one with Ultegra Di2 (6870). When riding, I cannot tell the difference between the two. Braking is the same, shifting is the same, as far as I can tell. DA looks nicer and is a little lighter. And a lot more expensive. My wheels are either alu rim clinchers or C-24 (Carbon with Alu braking strip).

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iliedanila
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by iliedanila

eaglejackson wrote:I have 2 Parlee Z5 SLi bikes, one with Dura Ace Di2 (9070) and one with Ultegra Di2 (6870). When riding, I cannot tell the difference between the two. Braking is the same, shifting is the same, as far as I can tell. DA looks nicer and is a little lighter. And a lot more expensive. My wheels are either alu rim clinchers or C-24 (Carbon with Alu braking strip).

Thanks, man.

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headwind816
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by headwind816

My rear wheel is I9 TL25 with a 32-Gravelking with no clearance issues with my 6800 brake.

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LouisN
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by LouisN

Happy to have read this topic, as my Sram brake calipers aren't very effective on wide rims.

I'll swap for Shimano, probably 6800. And find some place else to shed the extra weight...

Louis :)

sjdong
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Joined: Mon Mar 07, 2016 3:20 pm

by sjdong

If you compare the price and the performance of 6800 would be better?

6800 I have used a long time, but I do not have any problems.

Wookski
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by Wookski

I personally wouldn't bother with anything other than dura-ace if I am running shimano. The price difference in $ is negligible compared to the PITA of upgrading once the (inevitable) regret of not running the top grouppo sets in.

11.4
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by 11.4

Wookski wrote:I personally wouldn't bother with anything other than dura-ace if I am running shimano. The price difference in $ is negligible compared to the PITA of upgrading once the (inevitable) regret of not running the top grouppo sets in.


I can sympathize, Wookski. Your wife has the same regrets about you every day. Lol.

Some people just don't feel the need to ride the top tier equipment. And I find I'll ride an Ultegra bike harder -- more dirt, more rain, harder cornering in races, you name it -- than I'll ride a Dura Ace one. I'm increasingly not into expensive bikes, partly because the intermediate grades (Ultegra 6800, Specialized Allez Sprint, CAAD12, and so on) are all getting so damned good. Call it a reminder that it's all really about how I ride, not about how the bike does.

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Wookski
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by Wookski

11.4 wrote:
I can sympathize, Wookski. Your wife has the same regrets about you every day. Lol.

Some people just don't feel the need to ride the top tier equipment. And I find I'll ride an Ultegra bike harder -- more dirt, more rain, harder cornering in races, you name it -- than I'll ride a Dura Ace one. I'm increasingly not into expensive bikes, partly because the intermediate grades (Ultegra 6800, Specialized Allez Sprint, CAAD12, and so on) are all getting so damned good. Call it a reminder that it's all really about how I ride, not about how the bike does.


Haha- you're probably right about the wife, especially when she gets a whiff of my upgrade'itis!

It's a personal choice. However good the intermediate components are, I know myself too well and will more often then not end up spending more upgrading rather than just doing it properly the first time.

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