I agree with that 100%. I was never happy with the shifting of 7900.

Stuff that has worn out for me on lower end groups that doesn't wear as fast on higher end:
- jockey wheels
- cable fixing bolts (actually the threads in the aluminum body of the derailleur - the bolt was fine)
- bottom bracket bearings
- hub races
- pedal bearings

I figure cassettes, chains, chainrings and cables are consumables anyway, so comparing wear rates on them is not really germane to the discussion.

My first nice road bike had 105. I performed exactly zero maintenance on the bike and I never replaced anything and the bike worked perfectly aside from a noisy chain. I did eventually oil it eventually after a few years. Zero maintenance for 7 years, no problems except a noisy chain, until, sadly, the bike was stolen.

That sucks big time. 6800 shifting is flawless, ridiculously smooth and extremely fast.

I wouldn't recommend riding a bike for 7 years without performing any maintenance on it. To me, cleaning and oiling etc is part of owning a bike--like changing the oil on your car. That being said, a lot of people do more maintenance than needed (i.e. changing cables more frequently than needed).

To quote another bike forums member, I think we are slicing the baloney a little too finely here. So much depends on how you ride, in what conditions, and how many miles you ride as to make the only meaningful answer to the original question as, "it depends". There are folks who ride their road bikes only in good whether, and only for a few months out of the year. Such a bike, if maintained even minimally should be fine not just for 10 years, but quite possibly 20 years. Other riders subject their road bikes to such hard use that they can expect to replace some drivetrain parts in a couple of years.

One more thing. Off the shelf bikes usually don't come equipped with a complete groupset. Rather, the bike companies mix and match, putting a Shimano Tiagra rear derailleur with a Sora Front derailleur, with some non Shimano parts, like FSA cranks, or Tektro brakes.

There are no differences in durability between shimano groups, as long as the group is installed properly and maintained regularly (chain lube, replacing chains before the chain, rings, and cassette all wear etc) and not abused.

Durability is a tricky word.

High end groupsets perform better over the long haul, than low end groupsets, but I wouldn't say that they are "stronger".

Low end components wear out quicker(with the exception of DA cassettes).

Given current Internet prices, both 105 5800 and Ultegra 6800 provide an amazing amount of bang for the buck. I have 5800s on my 'cross bike and 6800s on my roadie, both are silky smooth and durable as hell. The 6800 set definitely has the edge in smoothness and is about a 7 ounces lighter; you decide if that's worth an extra $200; if you shop around, a complete 5800 will run you around $400, the 6800 about $600. This isn't to say Tiagra isn't a fine group. In fact, for casual riding you really don't need much more.

Care to provide your sources?

I disagree in the sense that the lighter weight material chips easier (teeth) and derailleurs seem to break easier if they hit something, etc. If you are only talking about normal wear under perfect conditions I could agree that there isn't a lot of a difference. Jut my opinion...

Like I said before, you nor anyone else have evidence to this effect.

I challenge anyone to produce a paper or source of any kind comparing durability between groups.

That's not just for larry77, that's for anyone. The evidence doesn't exist, so don't bother.

Source? Personal experience.

That's one anecdote among millions of groups sold.

17.4 million bikes sold last year in the US alone. A sample of one doesn't cut it.

I'm guessing you don't put a lot of miles on your equipment. There is a reason that Shimano uses multiple ceramic coatings on the link pins in their higher level derailleurs. Also, ball bearings in jockey wheels rather than bushings. The reason is the same as why you want high quality bearings in your wheels and bottom bracket: longevity.

Prove me wrong.

Low end components last just as long when maintained to the same standard as high end components.

Source? Tens of thousands of miles on Sora/Claris/Microshift/etc.

One case is not representative of tens of millions. Done.

That does nothing to discredit my experience, or help prove your point.

I am going to copy and paste my response each time, because, science says, sample of one.

This is called the null hypothesis, and it is correct until proven false. :-)

He doesn't claim to have any experience with high-end components, so it's very flawed logic.

I'm just amazed you didn't parrot yourself again. :-)

But yeah, like I said, no one has any evidence one way or the other. Null hypothesis holds (no difference). Case closed.

Greetings,

My experience is primarily with SRAM Force and Red groupsets. There is one difference between Force and Red that can have an effect on longevity and that is the type of bearings used. With SRAM Red, ceramic bearings are used more often. They are used in the bottom bracket and in the jockey wheels of the rear derailleur. With SRAM Force, steel bearings are used throughout.

If current Shimano Dura Ace groupsets use ceramic bearings also, they will require more frequent maintenance and they can wear out quicker than the cheaper groupsets with all-steel bearings. This may seem counter-intuitive but it happens this way because most bicycle ceramic bearings still use steel races. When ceramic bearings are used with steel races, the much-harder ceramic balls can score the races more quickly than steel balls if any dirt gets into them. So you have to clean and regrease the ceramic bearings more frequently than steel bearings. Failure to do this can result in the bearings of the higher-quality groupset wearing out before the lower-quality groupset. And ceramic bearings are not cheap to replace!

Like I said above, I don't know if a similar situation exists with Shimano groupsets. But if it does, Dura Ace will probably wear out before Ultegra or 105 if Dura Ace uses ceramic bearings and they are not serviced as frequently as required.

Kind regards, RoadLight

If there are different materials used to get better performance that are also more finicky and cost more then I would not include them in this discussion. Often when pushing the limits things cost more and break more. To the extent that Dura Ace and SRAM Red and Super Record do that - I forgive them.
The Dura Ace / Red stuff is a bit on the edge, but I buy stuff farther on the edge. It works very well, is supportable and generally does what is expected. It is what I choose.
I also have Ultegra on my wife's bike and Dura-Ace - 105 on mine. Then I have generations of Campy.
11 speed does not last as well as 9 speed. Teeth are thinner, take more pressure per area and are more prone to break. The DuraAce big ring is hollow and made from multiple pieces. The cheap older stuff is one single piece, as is the current inner ring on DuraAce.

So in general I believe in the same design, the better more expensive stuff lasts longer. But in my groupo experience - design changes as you go higher. The very expensive weightweenie stuff is not the most reliable. But it is the most cool - IMO - of course.

Off topic, but maybe important is year to year compatibility. It used to be that a Campy groupo had interchangeable parts for the better part of a decade. Now there are major groupo changes every 4 years. But my SRAM Red brake hooks will not use the clamps of the prior year's brake hoods. That is a reason I don't like having SRAM on multiple bikes where most the Shimano stuff I can use similar parts between lines and years. I expect I could do that with Campy, but I left Campy a while ago.