Originally Posted by
spectastic
Lighter makes me question the durability. That was my point. I've read that ultegra is where durability reaches a plateau. Once you get into dura ace, it's more about weight savings, and less about finishing and those kind of stuff. and as I understand it, Sram uses the same shifting mechanics for their entire lineup. But as you start to use lighter materials, something's got to give, am I right? But from the looks of it, it seems like the equipment fails before any sign of wear actually starts to show.
Anyone ventured to find the causes for these failures? did the bike crash? too much dirt, not enough maintenance? quality control? straight up wear and tear?
Just riding along?
Stuff breaks. Pro stuff is not designed to last forever. Pros do not ride the same stuff forever and parts are readily available due to sponsorships. If you want bike parts etc. to last forever do not buy pro stuff.
that being said, if you are really careful and maintain your bike properly, the really light stuff will do you for a long time. You are not riding a bike like a pro. the problem is that most people do not pay attention and as a result things fail.
I have a Rival and a Red bike. Other than damaging a derailleur because I had the wrong torque wrench, I have had no issues, but I maintain and replace things like cables and chains regularly.