bwilli88 

So I have my forever bike built, my 72 gugieficatizion Witcomb. It has mostly Dura-ace for the shifting. RD and barcons, but a decent Ultegra FD.



So I was rebuilding my Fuji Stratos because I took the barcons and down tube cable stops off to put on the Witcomb. Then I realized that the FD on my Fuji was a Dura-ace and the Witcomb had that "lowly" Ultegra FD. It did not matter about the Fuji as I had to adjust the FD because I changed the chain rings to 48x38.

This dilemma popped up, do I remove the Ultegra FD from the Witcomb, well setup and running smooth, and put on the Dura-ace one so I have matchy-matchy for the group set or leave it alone and just finish the Fuji?


Do you "have" to have groupset match or can you ride Frankenstein style?
Particularly if you have the part on another bike?

smd4

I’m a matching group set kind of guy. Drove me crazy that I initially had to build my bike with a combination of Dura Ace and Ultegra to save money. Eventually replaced all the Ultegra with DA, except for the BB, which is more robust and virtually invisible.

beicster 

I match groups if I can but it does not bother me to have a variety of parts on a bike. In this case, I would move the FD because I would have the chance to do it. If I did not have the matching FD, it would not bother me at all.

RustyJames 

bwilli88 It sounds like long-term the Ultegra would stick out like a sore thumb. If that is the case, swap it.

52telecaster

Typically I'm a suntour guy so the matchiness is not that important, but with Shimano I think it looks cool to have the mech match.

Pompiere

I don't case so much that the parts are from the same group, but they have to be of the same brand and look like they came from the same era.

fender1

Metal polish will remove the Ultegra branding on the cage. Problem solved. You know that once you swap a part that is working well for simply aesthetic reasons, the new part will never work as smoothly as the original. Its the universe punishing you for your vanity......

El Chaba

IMHO, parts matching is more important on a racing style bike. On a Randonneuse or camper, you are almost forced to do *some* parts mixing. This is not to say that there are not “rules” or more accurately guidelines. The point is that the line between clever, well thought out component selection and a dog’s breakfast can be a fine one. By way of example, whether most of the other components are Shimano or Campagnolo, I don’t think that anybody questions the aesthetic of using Mafac centerpulls ( extra points for braze ones); TA ( any model), Sun XCD, or Rene Herse crankset; etc. I don’t think that using a component from the same maker from a different tier even moves the needle on the aesthetics meter on this type of bike.

microcord

Either the Dura-ace RD says "105" (to match the crankset) or my eyesight is deteriorating.

In my part of the world, groupset match is expensive, in time, money or both. It might look odd if left and right brake levers didn't match; that aside, the more manufacturers the merrier. (And defunct manufacturers are particularly welcome.)

Yesterday I encountered an ancient Sekine with "Dura-ace" centre-pulls. They didn't look any more glamorous than the Mafac Racers on my bike; and now that I look them up, I learn that they never had been. But I'm happy with my Dura-ace seatpost.

uncle uncle

I'm in Pompiere's peloton.

bwilli88 

That picture is the Fuji Stratos I have, it is almost all yellow label 105 except that Dura Ace FD.
The first picture is of my Witcomb with the Dura-ace. It is a bit of a Franken-bike with the SR Crankset (for the 86mm BCD), Mafac Brakes (because that is what gugie recommends when he puts on studs) Shimano 105 brake levers because they just work.


At least you live in Japan that has a decent bike culture, trying to find anything that works let alone matches here in Cambodia is normally in a second hand shop of bikes from Japan. All my C&V parts have to come from the USA when I get someone to bring them for me or when I visit there and I bring them back or I get them thru Ebay Japan or Australia. For example the Witcomb was all sourced from the USA and brought here as an extra suitcase, $200 each extra suitcase.

microcord

Oh, right. Sorry. I plead stupidity.

Surprisingly, my "old bike" (old frame and bits, newish assembly) has Mafac brake levers to match its Mafac brakes. The former are a stretch for my hands. I'm sporadically on the lookout for more petite replacements, but mostly I see brifters, very crusty old stuff, the same Mafac levers that I now possess, and ridiculously expensive goodies branded Campagnolo. But that's at flea markets -- somehow I've lost the energy to participate in auctions. Come to think of it, I already possess a spare Dia-Compe pair, somewhere.

Wot no Zunow in your sig?

bwilli88 

I took the Zunow back to the States to get it repaired and realized that this Witcomb and a Geoffrey Butler I have fill the space it would occupy. So I sold it to another BF member, with full disclosure as to the need for repair.


I did move that Dura-Ace FD over to the Witcomb.

scarlson 

I'm super in favor of mixing and matching. My rando style Trek with 650b wheels on it has a homemade Herse style lever front derailleur and XTR M952 on the back, controlled by a Simplex retrofriction bar-con! And I've got MKS fake ATAC pedals screwed into a TA Pro 5 vis mounted on an Origin8 bottom bracket. No sweat. My Vitus 979 is worse: Simplex shifter on the right, drillium Campy on the left, Dura Ace cranks, Superbe FD, Cyclone M2 RD. DiaCompe centerpull on the front, Scott Superbrake on the back, Superbe brake levers, Time TBT pedals. Hi-e aluminum MTB hub in front, Hope Ti road hub in back. It's light, fast, and fun!

Are those Mafac Raids on your bike? Do you like their performance? Particularly interested in how they play with the SLR shimano levers.

Also, how do you like that Racing Ralph tire? Is it supple?

bwilli88 

Yes they are RAIDS and they work well with those SLR levers. I still get a bit of brake squeak on the front, so I need to do a bit of adjustment. It does act as a bit of an early warning system.
Those Racing Ralphs are nice, I like them pumped up to about 55+ in the rear and front so they are not real supple, but they work well here in Cambodia with my mixed riding, road, gravel, bits of mud and or sand. I am a Clyde with about 235lbs on the seat, anything less would allow pinch flats.

scarlson 

Cool, thanks for the intel!

Can the front brake stop the bike hard enough to lift the back wheel up? I'm debating brazing on some posts for Raids on one of my bikes and this is my requirement.

bwilli88 

At 235 lbs, I find it hard to do a stoppie, but they with the Kool-stop pads they stop me quite well. I do not have a lot of KMs under this bike, but it really is super.