Need advice on derailleur set. Sram or Shimano?

[iris ji]

Thinking of change a derailleur set for my current road bike, Which one should I choose between Shimano Ultegra and SRAM Force ? or do you have other recommendations ? What factors should I pay attention to ? BTW, has any one bought a Campagnolo? way out of budget and hard to see in the market, but still curious. Does it really deserves its price?

 

[42x16ss]

Long term, Campagnolo is the benchmark. It lasts and lasts and gets better with time. Having said that, shimano makes very good gear too and the new 11 speed ultegra is worth the money.

There's very mixed feelings about SRAM here, most don't like it long term but Force is very affordable for what you get. I'd still prefer Ultegra or Campagnolo Chorus over Force though.

 

[JackRabbitSlims]

i would avoid sram and go the shimano route

11spd 105 is a great groupset and excellent value for money.....if you want to spend some more
move up to ultegra

with respect to 42
i have to say that campy and top shelf shimano are very close
campy has the incredible history, european made (still i think) and a staunch following among many in the road scene
yes
it is pricey
does it deserve it.....well
plenty riding it and campy still in business

i have done chorus and record & ultegra
the record let me down and i am now slowly moving over to da 9000 as a side project
the ultegra was rock solid

+1 for the move to ultegra

ofc all in my most humble of opinions

 

[chiocciolis_calves]

Re:

i would avoid sram and go the shimano route

11spd 105 is a great groupset and excellent value for money.....if you want to spend some more
move up to ultegra

with respect to 42
i have to say that campy and top shelf shimano are very close
campy has the incredible history, european made (still i think) and a staunch following among many in the road scene
yes
it is pricey
does it deserve it.....well
plenty riding it and campy still in business

i have done chorus and record & ultegra
the record let me down and i am now slowly moving over to da 9000 as a side project
the ultegra was rock solid

+1 for the move to ultegra

ofc all in my most humble of opinions

I have had multiple wrenches tell me there is no performance advantage in spending the extra bucks on Ultegra versus 105. You're simply shaving grams, which is fine if you're contending the Tour. I would never go with Ultegra over 105. If I was prepared to pop for a higher Shimano gruppo, I would simply buy Dura-Ace.

I'm also another vote for Shimano over SRAM.

 

[King Boonen]

If you're not racing get 105. If the bike is only for racing get Dura-Ace if you can afford it or Ultegra. If it's for racing and training it's a toss up between 105 and Ultegra, personally I'd go with 105.

 

[avanti]

I ride Shimano Ultegra and 105. I would ride Campagnolo (I have a 1984 set on an old bike and it still works like new) however I do not like the thumb shifter - it gets in the way of my hands.

 

[iris ji]

Thank you guys. Seems that Shimano has a higher reputation. It performs better because the weight or because it's more durable or other reasons? And seems 105 will be a better option for daily training and racing. What factor of derailleur affect mostly to the performance?

 

[lemon cheese cake]

Re:

Thank you guys. Seems that Shimano has a higher reputation. It performs better because the weight or because it's more durable or other reasons? And seems 105 will be a better option for daily training and racing. What factor of derailleur affect mostly to the performance?

You may know about sram using something called double tap. This is where the you push the gear lever a short way for a harder gear and push the lever a long way for an easier gear (both for the rear derailleur). This is however reversed for the front derailleur. That is why many people don't like it. I feel that their products are are more clunkier than Campag or Shimano.

 

[winkybiker]

Re:

Thank you guys. Seems that Shimano has a higher reputation. It performs better because the weight or because it's more durable or other reasons? And seems 105 will be a better option for daily training and racing. What factor of derailleur affect mostly to the performance?

Shimano is better engineered. Works better, lasts longer. 105 is great value-for-money, and I'd guess is all that you need. I wouldn't look elsewhere.

 

[King Boonen]

As Winky says, 105 is superb value for money. Set it up right and you'll never miss a shift into a bigger gear. It can occasionally miss a single gear shift down at the back, but not often and it's much less of an issue. Also, if you crash it the replacement costs are much lower.

The parts they use affect the price. For Campag I think all their shifting from Athena up is meant to be the same and you're paying for lightness. Shimano use some higher end parts on their two top-tier groups (pin bearings instead of bushings in the brakes, things like that) but again a lot of it is lightness.


The one part where an upgrade might be worthwhile is the cranks. I seem to remember reading that Ultegra are significantly stiffer than 105.