Originally Posted by
bradtx
Al, labratmatt's reply is pretty much on the mark. There isn't any way a direct comparison can be made between those early groups and what's available now except the relative position in the product line.
Here's a direct comparison:
Find out how it rides. What does "unpainted 105" mean?? I rode RX100 hubs, brakesets, cranksets, derailleurs and downtube shifters on my 90s era Panasonic and Bridgestone steel bikes for two years (during 2007-2009). Never had a single problem, hubs easy to service, rock solid shifting, braking. I have ridden Sora and Tiagra and in my experience RX100 is certainly superior. I have ridden newer 105 as well as newer Ultegra (pre 6700) and I would peg RX100 right between those two. That's how good I think it is. RX100 also looks good and is fun to tinker with.