Originally Posted by
spectastic
yea I know they're made from more expensive alloy. And I will interject and say that cost/benefit is a matter of opinion. I've never ridden ultegra or 105, but something tells me I'm not going to notice the difference, unless I'm doing time trials or riding cross country. I don't really care about smooth shifting or 3 pound differences. If the bike can get from point A to point B and allow me to enjoy the ride, then it's good enough for me.
What I would like to know more is how do these more expensive alloys compare with lower end components. As far as I know, durability and light weight are the only factors weighing in.
Your followup post makes me wonder why you are even asking this question on this forum especially since you state you don't care about shifting performance. There are a few general reasons one would change/upgrade components on there bike:
1. part broke and need to replace.
2. part worn out and needs to be replaced.
3. parts not broke or worn out but rider looking for improved performance.
4. parts not broke or worn out but rider looking for lighter weight.
5. rider looking to change aesthetics of bike.
6. rider trying to keep up appearances with others they ride with.
You can put any company's top of the line stuff on any bike and if it is not maintained properly it will not perform well and there will be no benefit to the rider other than they have spent a good deal of cash on some high end bike parts.
Many riders who change parts to lighten their bikes usually would be better off by reducing the weight of the nut on top of the seat.
For those changing worn out or broken parts, compatibility with the rest of what they have can often be a deciding factor.
For performance benefits one needs to look at things from a long term picture. Lower end components tend to work well when new but tend to wear out/lose tolerance quicker which make adjusting the bike a bigger headache as the parts age with use. Higher end parts tend to hold there tolerance better and wear out less quickly. But there are caveats to this as others have mentioned such as titanium cog vs. steel cog cassettes. And while cost/benefit might be a matter of opinion there is usually a general consensus among avid riders about where the cost/benefit breaking point is within each manufacturers component lines...but this consensus of opinion is usually out the window if price of a part is the primary driving factor.
Regarding durability...the most durable bike/parts are the ones that are properly maintained. A bike with a dura-ace or super record groupset will not be durable if not maintained properly....neither will a bike built with Alivio or any of the other lower end components.
The most expensive upgrades are often (but not always) those that are meant to reduce weight.
-j