/n/ — Is riding on top end groupsets if you're not a top end cycli

There's no need to be ashamed of enjoying nice things OP. Even if you're not a top level rider you can appreciate having a light bike with top-tier performance.

To your question, I'm privileged so this isn't an abstraction for me and I already own bikes with my top groupset choices:
Road: Dura Ace Di2
Gravel: GRX Di2
MTB: Eagle AXS (not Transmission since that's compromised by being designed for abuse on e-bikes)

I won't even consider SRAM for my drop bar bikes until they switch all of their brakes to mineral oil. And I test rode and declined to buy SR WRL at a big discount last year because I didn't like the switches (and lack of a thumb button). In a world where electronic shifting didn't exist I'd go back to Campagnolo in an instant since they offered the best ergonomics and ability to sweep the cassette in both directions, but we live in the Di2 timeline...

Anything shiny and silver with friciton shifters
>no I mean modern
campagnolo 8-10 speed super record.

>>2038740 (OP)
I drive a full ultegra Di2 groupset and love it. Test drove a 105 Di2 and you can feel a difference in shifting performance so i went for the Ultegra one.
Is it wasted on me? Probably. But look out there who drives 500hp sportscars. Stinky old boomers who never went to a single track and cant even park properly.
A bike is a toy compared to that so i dont mind blowing 1k more on something i enjoy.

>>2038750
Quite a while ago I rented an sworks roubaix with dura ace di2 for a full 24 hours, wooo boy was that bike so nice. I appreciate having that experience but I'm poor so my every day bike is an aluminum shitter fixed gear

>>2038740 (OP)
There's no valor in it. This is what this retarded industry wants of you. To buy useless overpriced shit every now and then.

>>2038748
This. is not very expensive.

>>2038941
True, but at this time I like what I like, and most of the modern stuff isn't it. Maybe sram red 10 speed or 11 speed mechanical, since I heard that was the lightest and it looks cool.

I wanted to go retro and shiny. barcons, mech dicks, silver crankset and chainrings. Turns out buying a complete mid-modern groupset online is cheaper and easier.
>grx600 2x11 400€
>includes rotors, bb, cranks, hoses, cables, the whole thing.

If I had unlimited money I'd try out different stuff. 3x cranks, paul klamper disc brakes, growtacs, bar ends, down tube shifters, rim brakes. 110/74 (hollowtech II) cranks and try different chainrings.

>>2038746
Same here, i started going for a Dura-Ace groupset and a Basso Loto Frame when i was 15 years old back in the late 80's, went from junior to Amateur to GS2 to GS1 and i am still (52 years old now) building my bikes with top tier components as i always did.

Why should i go for 105 or Ultegra? As long as i can afford the top tier groupsets and frames, i will go for it.
I have a shit ton of good bikes built and given over the years to ride and i'm still adding new ones to the collection.

I think that most people that are against having a top tier bike are just salty fags.
Their issues can have various reasons from case to case though.

>>2039091
Well for one, dura ace cassettes come in fewer gearings and wear out faster than ultegra or 105

>>2039095
They do indeed, Nothing wrong with using 3rd party or lower tier cassettes that shift equally as good.
On my older 8-spd Dura Ace, i still use my original cassettes, since you can change every gear seperately and i have boxes full with these in all combos and tooth numbers for all variations (positioning is relevant here).

I also still have old NOS SRAM chains of the type PC89-R. These work perfectly well with not only 9-spd but also 8-spd systems.
Got huge boxes full with them from our former sponsor.

>>2039098
but if you want to run an 11-34 with a dura ace RD can you even get a long cage version or do you have to downgrade to a part from another tier again?

>>2039100
I have no reason to do this.

I currently run a 11-21 8-spd for flat terrain and a 13-23 8-spd for mountaineous terrain (Black forest region here.) Gets me up everywhere i want.
Front is either 39-52 or 42-55 depenind on use case. Crank is 172,5mm

I see no reason to go for MTB drivetrains here.

>>2039101
I respect your freedom to choose your gearing but do you really have grounds for being a groupset snob if you're riding an antique frankenbuild?

>>2039102
>frankenbuild
No frankenbuild.
The cassettes are Dura Ace, the chainrings are Dura Ace, only the chain is from Sram. But that's pretty normal to use a different one.

Same goes for my 9-spd, 10-spd and 11-spd equipped bikes.
Even the most new bikes i own are no frankenbuilds.

>>2039109
I would personally rather ride 12, 11, hell even 10 speed 105 than 8 or 9 speed dura ace but maybe I'm just a broke and salty loser who wishes he could afford a groupset that was top of the line 30 years ago

>>2039118
It's not that i don't have such bikes. Newest one is a Super Record EPS Colnago, built october 2024.
But i still like to ride my older bikes. Lots of good memories .

You should stop being salty. Helps you a lot.

I have a folding bike but no job, is that stolen valor?

>>2039127
Ask the staff of Rarlabs (Winrar) if they feel you are stealing their accomplishments by using a "compressable" bike.
If the answer is yes, buy a normal bike.

>>2039109
I got a dura ace chainring for my 11 speed 105 and holy moly those things are beautifully engineered. I wouldn't have noticed except that I looked at the old and new side by side

it's too bad they don't make cassettes and RDs in the right gearing for my slow boomer ass because otherwise I'd exclusively ride groupsets that were top of the line 8 years ago and be really smug about it

>>2038740 (OP)
>What groupset would you ride if you could get any groupset you wanted for free
Unironically, Miche Pista

>>2040688
also I got a bunch of PRs today after upgrading the chainring to DA and the cassette to Ultegra so anyone who says nice things are a scam is trying to make you slow

>>2038740 (OP)
I'm perfectly happy with my 105. I don't think my ride experience would be better with Ultegra or DuraAce.

Bump I guess because I'm tired of /pol/ tourists screaming about pajeet coders and flooding the catalog

If it shifts well then no reason to upgrade.
A bike feels "quality" if it's reasonable stiff, light, and the controls do what you want them to.

Out of all the things to "upgrade" the group set on your bike should be one of the lowest priority. Even modern Claris gives a pleasurable shifting experience.

>>2038740 (OP)
If pure efficiency is what you are after, then 1972 Campy Record is just as efficient as 2025 Dura Ace. Put those on the same frame/wheel/tyre combo, you'll go at the same speed. Chain drives are like that.
Modern equipment offers vastly better ergonomics, more gears in both range and granularity, and is mechanically more refined.
That being said. Those are consumer goods. They are meant to be bought, used, and recycled when they are no longer necessary or usable. Halo products exist solely for anchoring and conspicuous consumption.

That being said. Having experienced all ends of the bike stuff spectrum, I aim for cheap and reliable. Sora/Tiagra/105, chink shit. Frankly - modern bike stuff is so good that it only differs by cog count and weight. For me personally ( being a fat fuck ) weight is irrelevant, and anything past 10 speed at the back becomes progressively worse performing.

I am curious about electric shifting, tho. Not $500 curious, especially since all my shit just werks, but still. Once chinks iron the bugs out and this dead-simple servo becomes mainstream, I'll switch one of my bikes to it.

>>2039100
If 34 is indispensable to your riding, then DA level of performance, as slight as it is, is completely wasted on you.

>>2044329
I thought the point was the finer things in life though?

>buy a bike with latest generation super record
>ride it until it don't shift so good
>throw it out and buy a new bike
This is the way and you can't refute this without sounding like a jealous brokie

>>2038740 (OP)
>cyclist stolen valor
that would be something like claiming wins you didn't take, buying trophies or medals second hand or outright faking them, showing off super randonneur, BRM, RRtY... stickers, patches and medals that you didn't earn.
That's 'stolen valor'.
Cruising to the cafe on Dogma F becauae you got fuck you money? Why not?

>>2044328
>cheap
>105
Check your privilege.

>>2046491
yeah but you have to be able to appreciate them. Pearls before swine.

>>2049843
Because what if someone sees the bike and makes the very reasonable assumption that you are Chris Froome and/or a member of Team Sky. It would be very humiliating if they later realized they had been mistaken and the fault lay entirely with you for riding a bike that only Chris Froome or members of Team Sky are allowed to ride. People shouldn't have nice things. They just shouldn't ok????

>>2038740 (OP)
What if I casually let it drop to all my friends and acquaintances that I've been on 4chan since 2009 and let them assume that I'm constantly dispensing memes and holding hands with lolis and participated in over 30 raids on Scientologist churches when all I really do is post a reasoned take on urban planning issues every once in a while? Is that stolen valor?

>>2049900
>Team Sky
anon, I...

>>2050190
Nobody posting anything about urban planning on /n/ is reasonable or has reasoned takes, neckbeard

>>2038740 (OP)
If I had a lot of money I would ride one of those pinion gear boxes because I’m a lifelong /o/tist and i like it when my bike is like my motorcycle but with pedals, I adopted disc brakes very early for that reason

I'd probably try a modern top end campagnolo groupset or dura ace just to know how different the performance is compared to what I have right now.

I'll probably just build a chink carbon road bike with chink groupset just to see if they are even close to top end big brands desu.

>>2038740 (OP)
High end groupset will consume faster than low tier since they are designed for short competitive life of the bike (like 5 or 6 years).
I have ultegra on my road bike, and except for some weird component Im happy with it. (the fine adjustment on the rear derailleur is a shit piece of plastic).

>>2050195
Trek/USPS and Lance Armstrong then?

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component technology has peaked and there hasnt been anything better since the top end 9 speeds which has trickled down already

iv ridden current ultegra and current sora and they both never miss a shift and practically need the same.
bike technology stopped advancing in the 90s
only thing left is muh grams which appeals to smoothbrains, dentists, and SEA

>>2050602
Sora doesn't even use bearings on the pulleys, they use bushings like a the pulleys on your kitchen curtains. Maybe you can't tell the difference but others can

>>2050604
they cant, and neither can (You)

>>2050606
I can tell the difference when they start screeching and I need to take them off for greasing

>>2053348
man, I've had a lot of bikes with bushings in the pulleys but they've never started screeching. this includes bikes that were ridden in the rain regularly.

>>2053348
again this happened. less than a month. I guess it's no big deal to take the pulleys apart and slather on more grease but this just seems like it ought to work differently?

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>>2038740 (OP)
What do these words mean?

>>2038740 (OP)
Stolen valor sounds like some dumb reasoning. Only a retard would not choose the top end groupset if they got free pickings. The argument has always been about value. 105/Rival to Ult/Force is only like a 5-10% gain, and then that to DA/Red is only 5-10% gain on top of that, so it's why it's very commonly recommended to save $2000 and just get 105/Rival. For the vast majority of people, 2 grand isn't anything to scoff at. Even if you kept that money in the hobby, 2k can still get you a lot of bike to buy a 2nd, 3rd, etc. Or to put it more realistically, most people would be waaay happier with two $5000 really damn good bikes than one $10k+ top spec bike.

>>2056809
>moar expensive = good
DA didn't even go above 11-28 until recently, you sound like the kind of dentist who buys a frame with a 520mm of stack because it's what the pros ride and then throws 50mm of spacers on it and a 45 degree riser bar

>>2056839
I currently only have one bike and it's a 105 10 speed. But you'd have to be an absolute retard to not realize that the higher tier sets ARE better. They just generally aren't worth the price for any person to actually buy. Pros get the bikes/gear for free.

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>>2056866
You don't know what you're talking about but that's ok, posting intentionally stupid stuff to provoke someone into an autistic wall of text is a tried and true way of learning things on the internet

>>2056867
ok retard

Is pretending to be retarded stolen valor?

why does everyone think that the differences are just about weight?

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>>2058488
It is what every piece of marketing for high end cycling components make sure is your main takeaway.

>>2058488
Additional features are getting fewer and fewer. Dura Ace of ages past might have a totally different bearing design in its hubs to the everyday rubbish but now it’s just as likely to have another click on the shifter

>>2058528
it's more than just that. up until recently people would create multi-page manuals on what DA parts could and could not work with non-DA parts. there were differences in pull ratios, some derailleur cages wouldn't work with some cassettes, etc. it goes beyond "just one more click"

generally, 105 and ultegra have been fully cross compatible as long as the number of speeds was the same but DA being aimed at a totally different use case sometimes had totally different characteristics that made it undesirable for normal applications

>>2058528
105 di2 is actually missing a lot of stuff compared to ultegra and DA.

>>2058546
Yeah that’s what I said, you just restated it. There used to be lots of differences and now there are fewer.
>>2058573
I didn’t know this, what features is it missing?