New Shimano vs. Old

melslur said:

I am curious - what would you guys prefer: 10 spd Ultegra or 9 spd Durace? 10 spd 105 or 9 spd Ultegra. How about 10 spd 105 vs Durace from say 10 or 15 years ago? I'm just wondering how much better do the components get every iteration.

Personally, if I had assurance that 9 speed Dura Ace stuff would remain available for the next few years, I would chose that group set over the 10 speed Ultegra. Everyone I know that has used Dura Ace 9 has nothing but good things to say about the smooth and precise shifting, light weight and durabilty. I'm not 100% sold on the outboard bearings of the 10 speed group and I'm not sure that the overall quality has really improved. I use Campy Record 10 though, so I'm not the best person to ask. I can say that on my older bike I have been using 9 speed Ultegra for 4 years and it has held up very well. The Record 10 blows it away though.

I have 105/Ultegra 9 speed and I can't say enough good things about them. I can't imagine 10 speed being better than what I am used to riding.

Cheers,

Brian

one thing i've noticed, lots more racers are riding 9spd d/a, not switching over to 10 yet, than was the case 3 yr.s after d/a went from 8spd to 9...

melslur said:

I am curious - what would you guys prefer: 10 spd Ultegra or 9 spd Durace? 10 spd 105 or 9 spd Ultegra. How about 10 spd 105 vs Durace from say 10 or 15 years ago? I'm just wondering how much better do the components get every iteration.