So, what do you get for your money? Weight, performance and durability
So, what do you get for your money? Weight, performance and durability
Less is more, and a top-flight groupset, such as Shimano Dura-Ace, Campag Record/Super Record and SRAM Red will be significantly lighter than an entry-level gruppo.
Needless to say, performance also rises as you climb the ladder, with crisper, more refined shifting, increased braking power and feel, and more stiffness as far as the chainset is concerned, converting more of your power into speed. Often there’s very little to call between the top two tiers (be it Shimano Ultegra and Dura-Ace, SRAM Force and Red, or Campagnolo Record and Super Record), with weight the most significant factor in driving up the cost.
Durability is another consideration, and while it’s easy to assume that a more expensive groupset should outlast a more affordable option (and that is usually the case), the very best groupsets, are crafted with performance and weight at the top of the agenda. Top-flight groupsets are designed for racing rather than everyday use, and therefore may not be the best option for long-term durability, especially if you train using this kit through the long winter months.
For most of us, somewhere in the middle sits the groupset that strikes a balance between weight, performance and durability. These are the 105s, Ultegras, Rivals, Force, Chorus and Athenas of the groupset world.
You really can have you cake and eat it now because the technologies developed by manufacturers alongside pro teams and riders has drip-fed down to the lower castes. For example, Dura-Ace was Shimano’s first groupset to go to 11-speed, but Ultegra and, now for 2015, 105 have followed suit, sharing many of the top-tier gruppo’s flagship features, including a stiffer, four-arm chainset.
And with only relatively minor weight penalties to contend with, those mid-priced groupsets can offer almost just as much riding joy as the mouth-watering pro versions.