Originally Posted by Sawtooth

I have both tiagra and Dura Ace 9 speed on a couple of my bikes. I used to have Dura Ace on my cyclocross bike but when it wore out I put tiagra on it. Honestly, for commuting, road riding, cx racing, and pretty serious off roading, I really can't tell a difference. I love the Tiagra. I have never had a single thought of ..."this shifter sucks compared to my other ones" when I am riding the bike with the tiagra on it. Just today I had it out at lunch climbing away from a mountain biking buddy in the steep Boise foothills. Then after work I hammerd all the way home pretending I was much faster than I have the strength for (strong tailwind). The Tiagra shifted like a champ each and every time!!

The only downside I can really think of is weight...most tiagra level bikes have parts hanging on them that are relatively much heavier than the difference in shifters when compared to their higher end counterparts. Oh, and wheels, I am a sucker for high quality wheels and I think price point bikes rarely come equipped with them.

I can't really comment on the Tiagra maybe not lasting as long except to say that my tiagra shifters are still alive and the $400 Dura Ace shifters they replaced died without as much as a "shucks, we're sorry" from Shimano.

That being said, most of us (and sometimes myself) are more driven by pride than we would like to admit. Would I put Tiagra on my nicest road bike?.....probably not...but it has little to do with actual performance, just the stupid kind of pride that causes roadies to pay $400+ for "carbon soled" shoes or $700 for a "stiffer" crankset or $1200 for a wheelset they will never race. We shell out the money and then try like mad to convince ourselves and others that we can notice a difference. Many among our ranks are a bunch of insecure suckers with more money than confidence in their bike skills and the vendors know it.

A writer for Bicycling Magazine once said that fantasy is as much a part of this sport as actually riding...we love to pretend that we look like or ride like or have the same gear as our favorite heros. I think that is pretty true...and I reserve for myself the right to fantasize all I want about being faster than I am or riding nicer stuff than I do.

Now, where did I put my Colorado Cyclist catalog**********