bike build questions...

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izz012
Posts: 2
Joined: Sat Dec 31, 2016 1:19 am

by izz012

Road Cycling for a year now, I have recently acquired an S-works SL5 Frameset.
i am abit on a strict budget, initial plan was to build it up with an R8000 ultegra groupset.
i mentioned it to one of my cycling friends, who wasnt impressed... he said a high end frameset deserves a high end groupset..
just wondering what other cyclist think? Should i save up some more to get the Dura ace or is the R8000 ultegra good enough and stop being a bike snob?
if i do go with the ultegra will i want to go for the dura ace eventually??
Background: i generally do group rides and fondos... but want to eventually do some crits and road races...

thanks in advance...

gravity
Posts: 657
Joined: Sat Feb 25, 2012 10:01 am

by gravity

Ditch your friend. He’s talking nonsense.


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by Weenie


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wheelsONfire
Posts: 6283
Joined: Mon Jul 07, 2014 8:15 am
Location: NorthEU

by wheelsONfire

I wouldn't care what he says. Buy the Ultegra and ride the bike.
Bikes:

Ax Lightness Vial EVO Race (2019.01.03)
Open *UP* (2016.04.14)
Paduano Racing Fidia (kind of shelved)


Ex bike; Vial EVO D, Vial EVO Ultra, Scott Foil, Paduano ti bike.

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TonyM
Posts: 3376
Joined: Thu Jan 22, 2015 4:11 pm

by TonyM

Buy the Ultegra and be faster/ better than your friend!

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havana
Posts: 454
Joined: Tue Jan 09, 2007 5:04 pm

by havana

Let's be honest, Ultegra IS high end...
Editor-in-chief CycloWorld.cc - the largest database of gran fondo's and sportives in the world.

junchen
Posts: 348
Joined: Fri Jun 12, 2015 6:21 pm

by junchen

TonyM wrote:Buy the Ultegra and be faster/ better than your friend!
+1 to this

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Kayrehn
Posts: 1776
Joined: Thu Mar 24, 2011 6:06 pm

by Kayrehn

I honestly find the ultegra cranks looking way better than the DA cranks, which looks hideous. Save yourself some money and get the Ultegra.

charlieboy52000
Posts: 111
Joined: Wed Jan 08, 2014 5:43 am

by charlieboy52000

izz012 wrote:Road Cycling for a year now, I have recently acquired an S-works SL5 Frameset.
i am abit on a strict budget, initial plan was to build it up with an R8000 ultegra groupset.
i mentioned it to one of my cycling friends, who wasnt impressed... he said a high end frameset deserves a high end groupset..
just wondering what other cyclist think? Should i save up some more to get the Dura ace or is the R8000 ultegra good enough and stop being a bike snob?
if i do go with the ultegra will i want to go for the dura ace eventually??
Background: i generally do group rides and fondos... but want to eventually do some crits and road races...

thanks in advance...


It only matters if you think about it. Personally it all depends on what do you want to accomplish with the bike.
Ultegra when compared with other groups can be considered heavy.
I use ultegra chains and cassettes always because of their durability and reliability.
My go to build group is the one that gives me the best weight to price ratio. Why buy DA brakes for $290 or Red Aero for the amar when Force brakes cost half and the weight difference is less than 20gm? Actually force is lighter than DA in some components.
The cranks is the same. I dont like ultegra cranks because they are heavy WHEN compared to Red BB30. Same with force and DA.
But this is just how I approach the bike building. I want the most cost effective lightest posible bike. I recently had a friend look at the bike and said. "This is a very well thought out bike." And the bike looks bad ass.
I even created a spread sheet with weights and prices and then went shopping alternating parts between sram and shimano where it was permisible.
The bike is 15.8lbs. One hater called it a franken bike. I told him it was a 10k bike and that it was made by me with a lot of thought. But he is still entitled to his opinion. My opinion...the bike is bad ass.
Do what works for you man. I never buy any particular group because there are advantages if you combine them. If you put effort in research and combine ideas with a goal in mind instead of buying just a group already thought out for you, the bike carries your thought process and knowledge.
If you are already building that means you have some knowledge already about putting it together. Why not go for more?

This is the franken bike.

Image




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topflightpro
Posts: 829
Joined: Tue Jan 13, 2009 2:35 am

by topflightpro

That's not a frankenbike.

Buy the Ultegra. It's a great groupset and option.

alcatraz
Posts: 4064
Joined: Mon Aug 29, 2016 11:19 am

by alcatraz

If you are looking for lightness (tarmac = light) then maybe Sram Force could be interesting. Score a Sram red crank from ebay and you will have a very nice climbing bike.

/a

charlieboy52000
Posts: 111
Joined: Wed Jan 08, 2014 5:43 am

by charlieboy52000

alcatraz wrote:If you are looking for lightness (tarmac = light) then maybe Sram Force could be interesting. Score a Sram red crank from ebay and you will have a very nice climbing bike.

/a


Yeah I agree. Sram force all over plus a $200-230 bb30 sram red crank and you are good.
Force is the lightest when compared to ultegra.
I'm running force with DA CRANK but just because the crank was grabbing dust on The shed. My choice would be a sram red crank. About 100gm lighter.



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Asteroid
Posts: 222
Joined: Tue Jul 26, 2016 8:43 pm
Location: Los Angeles, California

by Asteroid

Force cassette = heavy. The red cassette is the bomb.
You can find deals on DA9000 still. Probably hundreds more than R8000, tho.
Heck, you can still find 6800 for a great price. Save the money and buy a killer wheelset.
Oldbie

moyboy
Posts: 492
Joined: Thu Aug 18, 2016 12:19 am

by moyboy

r8000 is just as good, if not more durable with the materials they use.

bilwit
Posts: 1526
Joined: Sun Apr 03, 2016 5:49 am
Location: Seattle, WA

by bilwit

DA9000 is a bargain right now IMO ;). Ultegra is very good and raceable but if you can get DA9000 for the same price then why not.. the 9100 series isn't exactly major steps forward in comparison to 9000 (sideways if anything unless you're talking about the new hydraulic or disc stuff or the new tubular wheels).

by Weenie


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mark4321
Posts: 1
Joined: Sun Oct 01, 2017 9:08 am

by mark4321

Agreed, I mean I'm on the same page as other guys who replied. Well, this is a hobby thing so there is a certainly way of thinking like your pal. If you can afford it, it is better to have the lightest thing you can get and this will give you a full satisfaction. But at the same time, some pros who are not as rich as sponsored professionals use ultegra because they use it a lot so it will eventually break and they have to buy them again. Or they want to upgrade it to the latest model because a new ultegra is as good as the old DA. But that is a small difference. I would say if the small difference means a lot to you, either you are good enough to tell the difference and have the better result for the money or you want to pay extra cash for the vanity (like want to tell your friends 'mine's the top of the line everything bike loaded with all the cutting edge stuff), go for it. Or else you'd rather spend extra cash for wheels.


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