Ultegra upgrade

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by vault
I've been really considering upgranding the drive train shifters and brakes to ultegra from Tiagera. I've had the phone in my hand a couple of times.

I keep hesitating b/c with 10spd comming out will it significantly ($50) drop the price of nine speeds in the next year?

$50 might be a bit of a reach, but I'll bet it will be lower. 😉

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by vault
I've been really considering upgranding the drive train shifters and brakes to ultegra from Tiagera. I've had the phone in my hand a couple of times.

I keep hesitating b/c with 10spd comming out will it significantly ($50) drop the price of nine speeds in the next year?

G'day,

As with everything, once its superceded by something better,(presumably), the demand & the price will drop. personally, I won't bother upgrading my Ultegra 9 to 10, I'll just go straight to the DA, (hey what's a few $$$...lol). I reckon there will be a lot of good 2nd hand Ultegra 9 stuff about if you look hard enough. (like mine for instance!...make me an offer),

cheers,

Hitchy

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by vault
I've been really considering upgranding the drive train shifters and brakes to ultegra from Tiagera. I've had the phone in my hand a couple of times.

Why?

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by boudreaux
Why?

Are you asking why upgrade?
why ultegra?
or why to shimmano and not campy?

These are my reasons:
1) I was a dumb a$$ and road in slop for about a month when they were sanding the roads with out cleaning the drive train well enough. There is noticable chain ring wear and shifting into the bigger rings has suffered.

2)less wieght

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by vault
Are you asking why upgrade?
why ultegra?
or why to shimmano and not campy?

These are my reasons:
1) ..... and shifting into the bigger rings has suffered.

2)less wieght

1) adjust the derailer, and 2) train harder, and pack no excess bacon.

"pack no excess bacon" Super point. People worry too much about a gram here and there, when going out to ride and dropping a few pounds will do far more to lighten the overall load than any new components will.

boudreaux, I think you may be missing the point - for time triallists and elite racers, of course it pays to be as physically light as possible and it makes no sense to spend a fortune shaving grams off the bike while carrying kilos of excess body mass, but maybe vault just wants a lighter bike because he/she would enjoy riding it more. I don't think "train harder" is a very helpful response here.

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by mjw_byrne
,.... but maybe vault just wants a lighter bike because he/she would enjoy riding it more. I don't think "train harder" is a very helpful response here.

Well, it works for me.Also check capwaters response. I have light bikes,and heavy ones. Riding the heavier ones is good training. And if someone is looking for a weight advantage, money is better spent on tires and wheels first.

The some of the teeth are worn to a sharp point on both the rear cassette and front chain rings. The derailer is dead on with the old chain on. With a new chain the rear cassette won't pick up the chain consistantly. I assume this is b/c of excessive wear so If I'm going to replace the cassette etc.. I was going to do it with lighter components.

Another point along the lines mjw_byrne made about the weight savings is -It's hard to explain but when Ive ridden lighter road bikes even within brands they generally "feel" better. I don't know if they actually handle better, fit me better, or if it's just in my head. As far as my MTB I notice a huge difference in the responsiveness of the bike when I but XTR on it. Compairing weight savings on a road and MTB are two diff things how ever b/c you are not often bunny hopping your road bike etc...

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by vault
The some of the teeth are worn to a sharp point on both the rear cassette and front chain rings. The derailer is dead on with the old chain on. With a new chain the rear cassette won't pick up the chain consistantly. I assume this is b/c of excessive wear so If I'm going to replace the cassette etc.. I was going to do it with lighter components.

Another point along the lines mjw_byrne made about the weight savings is -It's hard to explain but when Ive ridden lighter road bikes even within brands they generally "feel" better. I don't know if they actually handle better, fit me better, or if it's just in my head. As far as my MTB I notice a huge difference in the responsiveness of the bike when I but XTR on it. Compairing weight savings on a road and MTB are two diff things how ever b/c you are not often bunny hopping your road bike etc...

If stuff is wore out and it's not an adjustment issue, then replace it with what spins your beanie. The main weight saving is going to be in the crankset,but every part accounts for a few more grams. Biggest improvement is still in the lighter wheels and tires.

What about performance of the Tiagra vs the Ultegra (minus the issues discussed above)? I've been told by several folks that if you are going to spend some money on a less expensive bike to upgrade, that the ultegra is a significant upgrade from the Tiagra package. Is this a bunch of hot air or is there some advantage of going to ultegra in pure mechanical performance over the Tiagra?

Thanks

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by TomKC
What about performance of the Tiagra vs the Ultegra (minus the issues discussed above)? I've been told by several folks that if you are going to spend some money on a less expensive bike to upgrade, that the ultegra is a significant upgrade from the Tiagra package. Is this a bunch of hot air or is there some advantage of going to ultegra in pure mechanical performance over the Tiagra?

Thanks

It's lighter, and may have more precision when the lever clicks. If that's a mechanical performance advantage, then yeah. If you are gong to spend your $$ then 105 is somewhat pointless, but DA is where the real performance is. Dropping the excess bacon is still the most cost effective performance upgrade. If you have not done that you are just kidding yourself.

It's also said that Ultegra cranks are stiffer than Tiagra, and that this makes front shifting performance better and makes the bike more efficient. But I dunno how much of a difference (if any) there actually is.