Originally Posted by
Schwinnrider
Years ago, I bought a bike direct from Ibex. It was a flat bar road bike, and the lowest of their three levels. The parts spec was pretty low end, Shimano 2200. I rode that bike for YEARS. Minimal maintenance. Never missed a shift. Never a problem. I'm starting to think the only reason to get higher end parts is bragging rights and weight.
My experience is that while the 2200/Acera level Shimano parts are fully functional and dependable, they aren't as enjoyable to use as the higher end parts. If you're going to buy an entry level bike with the intention of replacing it in a year or two, then I guess the cheaper parts are OK. On the other hand, if you're expecting to put 10,000+ miles on a bike and/or use it for 10+ years, then I think the better parts are well worth the extra cost. With the bikes I was talking about you're looking at $300 to make the jump from 2300 to Tiagra/105 (not to mention upgrades in virtually every other part of the bike). I think it's worth that.
You just have to find you're personal sweet spot in terms of cost versus benefit. Common wisdom says Ultegra/Deore XT is the sweet spot of the Shimano line. Personally, I don't find there to be a lot of difference between 105 and Ultegra or between M590 Deore and M770 XT. I do think there was a noticeable difference between Tiagra 4500 and 105 5600 series. I haven't used the new versions of either of those groups yet (except a 4600 cassette, which I like). YMMV, of course.