Road Cycling - Dura-Ace? Ultegra? 105? or a combo?

Folks! I need your help in deciding how to equip my next bike.
Some background info: The bike is going to be steel frame, I am a big guy so weight of components is not an important factor. I ride an average of 60 miles a week and with more and more hills as part of my route, and top speed is not important to me. (the fastest I have ever ridden was 40 mph)..
I prefer Shimano simply because I know it. I ride bikes with Sora, and 105 and I am comfortable with the way they feel, and with the maintenance.

So my next bike I would like to equip with mixed group of components made of 105/Ultegra/Dura-Ace. I would like to keep the cost down, so I will not consider a full DA groupo.
I will be happy with a 9 speed triple chain ring where the lower chain ring is a bailout gear. So I was thinking a cassette of 13-27 (is it available?) and a small chain ring (smaller then 30?).

from my experience with the 105 group I am very happy with the 105 brakes, so unless someone here tells me that Ultegra or DA are way better, Ill stick with the 105.

what I need help with is a good combo of shifters, cables, crank/chainrings/BB, Cassette, rear derailleur, and front derailleur.

what group should I get each of the components, optimizing on durability, shifting quality, and ease of adjusting/maintenance.. and trying to get the best bang for the buck



BB ?
Crank ?
Chainrings ?
front derailleur ?
Rear derailleur ?
Cassette ?
STI shifters ?
cables ?
anything else I am missing?

thanks in advance,

shifters: DA 9 speed, just for the metal paddles, but 105 or ultegra would work fine as well.
cables: doesn't really matter
crank: go for ultegra.
BB: 105.
cassette: ultegra, lighter weight and i believe the cogs are grouped in a way that makes it stiffer.
FD: 105. they're damn near all the same anyway...
RD: 105. i have no problem with mine.
headset: if you plan on riding in bad weather, go with either a high-end SEALED cartridge number, or a high-quality, low cost loose ball that you can maintain yourself. (105 cartridge bearings die fairly quickly, and it's almost as much money to replace them as it would be to buy a whole new headset).

i've been using 105 parts with an FSA gossamer crank for a while, and i gotta say that i've gotten a lot of bang for my bucks. the only thing i want to change is the shifter/levers, but really, the 105s are fine. 105 brakes are great, btw. you'd probably get along fine with full 105, but if you wanted to upgrade down the line, spending a little more on some ultegra parts now will probably save a little $$ later.

Well, I was going to post some answers here but I think OneTinSloth has pretty much nailed it although I might substitute an Ultegra BB for the 105. I understand a lot of long distance riders and touring folks swear by the Ultegra BB. I second the FSA cranks as an alternative. If going that route, I would go ISIS spline with an FSA, TruVative or Race Face BB. Make sure you get your spindle length correct though.

I would have to go with the group on this one. Ultegra cranks and Ultegra BB is the way to go. Everything else looks alright with me.

You've already stated that weight isn't an issue , but that function and performance is important. Each response so far has had good solid advice, and I'm just goin to add my experince to the pile. For price and performance I don't believe there's anything that beats the Shimano 105 equipment. In my garage there's two Treks, an Italian race job from late 80's that's been completely "frame off" restored, an old Raleigh, and a nice Reynolds 853 race bike. They're all eqiupped from virtually pure DuraAce to pure 105. The 105 stuf is just great bang for the buck!

If you are set on mixing and matching, do it smart. Example, the HolloTech 105 crankset is about 60 grams heavier than a DuraAce but the DuraAce cost about $100 more! Is it really worth it to save 60 grams? But you can recover the same weight with DuraAce bb and cassette for a whole lot less than $100 difference.

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If you are set on mixing and matching, do it smart. Example, the HolloTech 105 crankset is about 60 grams heavier than a DuraAce but the DuraAce cost about $100 more! Is it really worth it to save 60 grams? But you can recover the same weight with DuraAce bb and cassette for a whole lot less than $100 difference.

you must understand the I weigh 210lbs, and I can lose a lot more then 60 grams by just going to the toilet more often.. :D Also, my frame is going to be an old school, custom built steel, which is not the lightest frame to begin with.. so to my original point weight of components is not that big of an issue for me. Weight of the wheels will be an issue, but thats a separate thread.. :)

I'd agree with the rest of the group. But, if price is an issue the 105 stuff will serve you very well. I've used both Ultegra and 105 a great deal and both receive great marks. 105 is a great value.

you must understand the I weigh 210lbs, and I can lose a lot more then 60 grams by just going to the toilet more often.. :D

Yes, but remember, weight in rotational areas like the cranks and wheels counts much more than weight that's just along for the ride. (I agree with you, btw, that it won't make a difference with the type of riding you're doing. I just have a compulsive need to make the above clarification).

Also, I would highly recommend not getting a 13-27 casette with a triple. Your standard small ring will be a 30. Unless you want to be spinning up hills at speeds that barely keep you upright ( ;) ) I would think that a 23 or 25 biggest cog would be more than enough.

Currently I have a Specialized Allez Elite Cro-Mo with full 105. It is a triple with a 12-25 cassette.

I think the 105 components are good for the most part.
I have heard the DA shifters are worth the extra cash over the 105.
I think the triple and 12-25 provides too low of gearing I will never use. I am personally considering going to a closer ratio cassette like a 11-21 or 12-23. The ultegra cassettes should only be a little more expensive than 105, so consider them.
Other than that 105 is good. As 105 stuff fails I might upgrade to Ultegra though.

I would suggest the Ultegra BB as well. I've had DA and 105 BB's as well as Ultegra and Ultegra provided the longest and most reliable performance. In all honesty, if you want to keep the cost down a bit but still get years of great performance, don't go with any DA stuff. The shifters are negligibly better feeling than Ultegra stuff any more. IMHO, Ultegra offers the reliability that people usually get from 105 with the feel of DA, minus the premium you'll pay for DA.

So, simple answer, Ultegra full group. Or, if you're interested, I've got used DA stuff that I might sell you. Not a full group, but shifters, derailleurs, crankset and a nice Ultegra BB that was pretty new when it came out of the bike.

I would not recommend the Dura-Ace BB. Granted I do have 12,000 miles so far on my DA BB without problems but I'm not a big rider. I keep hearing stories about DA BB failures especially from bigger people. These same folks end up swapping in Ultegra BBs on an otherwise full DA bike.

I did a similar thing with my bike. I started with a full Ultegra group, and to be honest, the only thing i think was worth upgrading was the shifters. I upgraded them to DA, and I have to say there is a definite improvement over Ultegra. Expensive, but worth the upgrade.
Otherwise, the advise here has been pretty solid :D . I reckon you could run the rest as 105 except the BB and maybe the rear derail where an upgrade to Ultegra would be worth the money. That would get you a lot of kudos.
Also, depending on where you buy it, some places give discounts for full groups, so be careful you're not overspending by trying to be too clever.

Full Ultegra. Smooth, durable, nice looking and way cheaper than DA.

Either go with 105 or Dura Ace, there is not enough differences other than in the finish to justify the Ultrega. I know people that race on 105 so it's decent stuff with pretty good reliabilty. In fact the 105 or Ultrega bottom brackets have been lasting longer than Dura Ace-at least last years stuff, this year is too new for a comparsion yet. Dura Ace has a nicer feel to the brakes and shifters, but big deal you can live with the not so nice feel; and of course Dura Ace will be lighter but if your not a racing weight wiennie why bother?

Truvativ Elita Double crank with FSA or Truvativ ISIS bottom bracket.

Shimano 105 shifters (I like the black version) or Dura Ace.

For chain and cassette go for the SRAM R9 cassette (renamed to PCG970 for this year) and PC89R chain.

Ultegra front and rear derailleurs.

I have used Shimano 105 and I put quite a few miles on a bike. The 105 components perform well and are pretty durable. I don't recall anything wearing out or breaking before 20K miles except chains, tires and brake pads.

105 up and you cant go wrong so get what you can afford.

Why would you mix and match? Buying the individual pieces will cost a lot more than a complete groupset. Chooose the gruppo that you wan't/can afford/meets requirements and go with it. It will be cheaper than your approach.

That being said just split it up the middle and buy a complete Ultegra gruppo. Personally I would not match 105 components with DA unless I was replacing something busted/worn out and the price difference was minimal, which it never is.

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