Groupset choice
 

I am building up my Ti frame and haven't quite decided on the groupset. My choices, are SRAM Red, Shimano Dura Ace and Campy Chorus.

I have ridden the SRAM and Shimano Groupsets and like both but have no experience with Campy.

Thoughts?

Call me a cheapskate- Why go that high? Only used Shimano but on the road- the lowest you can use is 105. For not much more then Ultegra is better. For a lot more money but not corresponding performance- then go Dure ace.

As I said- call me a cheap skate- but on the Tandem- parts do need replacing on a regular basis. It started off as LX equipped and as it failed I replaced with XT. Then I started to see a few deals on XTR and got them. Have to admit that although performance is no better- the life of the parts has been worth the little bit extra I paid for the better quality stuff on the special deals I bought at.

Unfortunately- Or fortunately- I have not had to replace many parts on the Road bikes and still have some 105 and lots of Ultegra fitted to them. So no chance or requirement of hunting down the deals on Dure-Ace.

I voted, but really, whichever you like better. They are all very good, but they have different ways of shifting, they have different ergonomics and different styling. Different individuals have different tastes. If you can afford to buy and maintain components WAY beyond what you could possibly need, then go for it. I'm happy at the 105 to Ultegra / Rival to Force / Centaur to Athena level myself. Tiagra and Veloce are also perfectly good components and even lower levels work very well.

Only top level pros really "need" the top end stuff and their choices are usually made by their sponsors. For most of us it is more about what we can afford and what status level we are comfortable with.

For various reasons, I am not a big fan of Shimano, so I voted for the Campagnolo. I have also had very good luck with SRAM chains, but I have not tried their other components.

SRAM X.0............not in the poll...............:D

You mean XX?

I've used SRAM Red and it worked fine. There are some differences from DA in how the Front der. trims and generally I like how DA does it better. Other than that either group is good. I personally stay away from Campy because I travel with my bike and it is easier to find a Shimano/Sram compatible part out in the sticks than a Campy part. I have DA on all three of my road bikes. I made the decision several years ago that I use my bikes enough to justify the added expense over Ultegra or Force. DA is just a bit smoother and lighter than Ultegra and it makes for a more pleasurable ride.

I've used some SRAM components but not enough to offer feedback.

I have experience with both Shimano and Campy and I've gotten better performance from Shimano. My Campy is tempermental-needs more attention that I gave the Shimano. Not sure how much truth there is to it, but it sounds like Shimano has not worked out all the kinks with the 7900 Dura Ace stuff. Some folks are not satisfied with the shifting quality while others are okay. I've had really good luck with the Dura Ace 7800/7801 10 sp (older 10 sp version) and you could probably put together a great setup using that modle and at a lot lower cost than the newer 7900. The major difference is you still have the exposed cable housings on the 7800 versus the cleaner looking 7900. I would highly recommend the 7800 53/39 crank or the R700 (or latest version) 50/34 crank. Outstanding components.

I'm a SRAM fan. I don't have experience with the Red grouppo, I've got Force on my Guru, and Rival on the Litespeed.

My biggest issue has been with the Force setup, it's had some problems. My Force group was 1st generation, so perhaps I set myself up as a guinea pig for some kinks being worked out. I had a front shifter that had a "sticky" return spring, and a front dérailleur that I sheared off the inside cage plate on (and trust me, I'm not THAT strong). That being said, my LBS spoke to SRAM and they replaced both parts free of charge, and replacements have worked flawlessly.

The Rival components have been completely bullet proof, no issues what so ever. Once you get used to the shifting change from Shimano or Campy, I think you'll prefer the setup. The components on both are quiet, braking is good, with the feel and application more "linear", not at all grabby. Shifts are confirmed with a more mechanical click in than Shimano, that's personal preference. Just my $.02.

I voted for the Sram. When I was test riding a lot of bikes, most had DA and to me it felt pretty much the same as 105. The shifts on the DA were much quieter than the Rival that I bought. I have read where a lot of people change the chain to a KMC or DA chain on the Sram and it shifts a lot quieter.

Ergonomics would be the deciding factor for me. (Shattered knuckles on the right hand make this a very important factor, given I ride on the hoods about 85% of the time.) They are all excellent products, and as others have pointed out, there are group sets less expensive that will work as well. Because of the ergonomic factor I use Dura Ace on my Ti bike and Ultegra SL on my other road bikes. I switched to the Dura Ace 7900 chain on the Ti bike and it has been remarkable in how well it shifts, how quiet it is and has been holding up over the miles. As the other chain wear and need replacement they will get the 7900 too.

My 2¢, I personally like Ultegra. I don't think the difference in performance (if any) is worth the price to go with Dura Ace. The higher level components are lighter, if that is a high priority for you. I would save on the components and spend a little more on the wheels, if it were me (but it's not).

I've got Rival on one of my bikes. The shifting is a little noisier and not as positive on the SRAM and requires more pressure on the levers. But lots of people prefer SRAM, it is largely personal. I like SRAM fine, I just prefer Shimano. No trim on the small chainring on the SRAM is another small annoyance to me.

One place SRAM really shines is braking. It has a really nice light feel and the configuration of the levers makes braking from the hoods much easier on the Rival than my 2002 or 2010 Ultegra.

All excellent posts all with valid points. Thanks very much guys. I had Force on my Roubaix, have Rival on my Tricross and XO on my Epic. Last time I had a mixture of SRAM and Shimano bikes, I was blowing shifts with frequency. I was thinking Red to keep SRAM but upgrade from Force. The difference is only 400 dollars but I have heard the gains are negligible.

The down side to Campy is their poor parts and service support in Canada. SRAM and Shimano excel in support.

Yes, I could do it cheaper but this is my dream bike thus the selection of higher end group sets. I may however, stick with Force and spend the extra money on wheels. Decisions, decisions..

Thanks for the great input guys.

You probably read this already, but if not, the Force is the same as the Rival, but lighter. Sounds like your going to have a nice bike when done.:thumb:

I voted for Campy. One of my road bikes has Ultegra and the other Chorus. The Ultegra is great but the Campy is smoother. Not so much in the shifting but in the pedal feel. I would not worry about local support as much because Campy is well supported on the internet stores. You can also repair Campy more often. I have no experience with SRAM so cannot judge that.

I wonder if the shifting quality issues are directly related to the switch to routing the cables under the bar wrap on the newer model. The cable routing on Shimano setups has always been a negative for me compared to SRAM or Campagnolo (along with shifting gears with the brake levers). The move to the cleaner look is a big improvement imho, but Shimano might need a little more time to work out the kinks with how it affects the shifting performance.

That seems to be the the line of thinking from the limited research I've done. The best overall performer I've had thus far has been the 9 speed Dura Ace-hands down. I'm keeping the components as I could easily be persuaded to put that on a new bike-not that need one or am thinking of one!!

Update. I have done a lot of reading, spoken to a few LBS's, spoken with friends and I keep wondering why indeed do I need to spend top money to do this.

As other posts pointed out, I am not racing, not a real weight weenie and just want a nice groupset. I have taken RED, DA equipped bikes out and am impressed by both but when it comes down to it, I really liked the 2010 Ultegra ergonomics and performance.

I find the lack of trim on the small chainring an annoyance as well and find the throw to be pretty big on the SRAM group as well. At least for my battererd and aging hands.

I just purchased the Ultegra groupset and wheels from Ribble as it was hands down, the best pricing. I don't think the DA offered enough to warrant the pricing difference.

Once again, thanks to all for the input. I will post pics when complete.