What components is it worth spending extra money on

[Nigelnaturist]

Er... what's wrong with it? The knot?

The knot's perfect, nice double Windsor.
@phil-b components the same frame can be a few 100 price difference depended on level of components, these comes down to two things weight and durability, when I rode on cheaper components they either did not last long or I was forever fixing things, my bike these days is kitted with 105/Ultegra kit compared with the Sora it started with and in 6,000 miles (105) I have had very little issues, the sora always seemed to be more finicky, tyres I general ride Gatorskins the last front never had a visit in 12,000 miles the current rear 6,500 without a visit, not the lightest or fastest but halfway round the world I guess sort of makes it durable, wheels well the Weinmann it was fitted with broke a spoke in 600 miles, the cheaper shimano wheels I ride generally last at least a season (approx 6-7,000 miles), though I did have two broken spokes on the RS10's in 7,000 miles one front one rear, the RS11's and R501 (current) never/hasn't broke a spoke, other components like bearings and how durable they are and how they protect from ingress of water/grit push up cost.

 

[winjim]

Depends on what you're using it for....on a road bike I'd say Shimano*105 or Ultegra. Dura ace is a bit too much for a rag arse like me!

*Don't know about other brands.....

But why? What's so good about it?

 

[Tin Pot]

on bikes for racing it is pretty easy to see on high end bikes what the extra expense goes on. mostly kit that is lighter or designed in some way for speed.

But I am not a racer so I'm not looking for out and out speed. low maintenance, comfort, reliability and durability matter more.

the fit of the bike and correct gear range are important to get right but these are not necessarily linked to cost.

so what do you look for in a non race bike. touring/ audax/ hybrid/ commuter styles

I'm not sure it is so easy - I'm looking to upgrade my road bike for races. I can't figure out whether it's worth going from Veloce to Athena, or Chorus. The group sets cost ~£250, £500 and upwards of that. The performance difference? Difference in durability? No idea.

Wheelsets - Khamsin, Scirocco, Zonda, Planet X 60/60...Performance? Durability? <shrug>

The whole industry is designed not to inform, so that consumers buy stuff they don't need.

 

[ayceejay]

So Phil, what do you have now?

 

[mjr]

The whole industry is designed not to inform, so that consumers buy stuff they don't need.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Market_for_Lemons

 

[Nigelnaturist]

The whole industry is designed not to inform, so that consumers buy stuff they don't need.

Try the legal system about a missing person for 30 years, bikes become easy after that

 

[Dave 123]

But why? What's so good about it?

Well built, quality and Durability.... A bit like me!

 

[MichaelW2]

For everyday riders, the most effective upgrade are tyres. Spend money-> go faster/more comfortably/more reliably as required.
Brake upgrades, esp brake blocks are effective.
Lights are still in an arms race for power, size, battery life, but cheaper models are still way better than ones of 10 years ago.
Most riders underspend and buy low quality in a way they would never consider when it comes to shoes or TVs or mobile phones, yet a bike ridden daily saves money.

 

[winjim]

Well built, quality and Durability.... A bit like me!

Can you be any more specific? What's well built about it? What are the specific differences that make one better quality than the other? Do you claim that Dura-Ace is more durable than 105 or Ultegra? That seems unlikely to me.

 

[phil-b]

So Phil, what do you have now?

a Carrera vengeance mtb with 26 inch slick tyres. the gears are my biggest bug bare on this bike. I can get them to run smooth after some adjustment but 2 or 3 rides later and its chain grinding time again. my previous bike was a road bike with sora kit but I had no such problems with that. the mtb has needed a new bottom bracket and new rear wheel after it all bent from the force of me turning the pedals

 

[winjim]

I'm not sure it is so easy - I'm looking to upgrade my road bike for races. I can't figure out whether it's worth going from Veloce to Athena, or Chorus. The group sets cost ~£250, £500 and upwards of that. The performance difference? Difference in durability? No idea.

Campagnolo groupsets were until recently so similar that they had to de-spec Athena and Veloce, hence the arrival of Power Torque, and discontinue Centaur. At least now there's a definite difference in functionality and materials. A good compromise if you want Campagnolo 11sp is a NOS Athena UT chainset, Athena mechs and Chorus shifters. That way you get the benefits of Ultra Torque and Ultra Shift but you don't need to pay out for expensive carbon fibre mechs.

 

[Tin Pot]

Campagnolo groupsets were until recently so similar that they had to de-spec Athena and Veloce, hence the arrival of Power Torque, and discontinue Centaur. At least now there's a definite difference in functionality and materials. A good compromise if you want Campagnolo 11sp is a NOS Athena UT chainset, Athena mechs and Chorus shifters. That way you get the benefits of Ultra Torque and Ultra Shift but you don't need to pay out for expensive carbon fibre mechs.

Thanks. Interesting - the double shift is nice on my Veloce, triple shift I guess more applicable to the crits and other short distance races.

Right now if I had £500 for group sets Id rather have two Veloce sets, one as a backup, than one Athena.

 

[CaadX]

More money doesn't always mean better, when it comes to tyres rubinos and zaffiros out perform tyres twice the price.

 

[Dave 123]

Can you be any more specific? What's well built about it? What are the specific differences that make one better quality than the other? Do you claim that Dura-Ace is more durable than 105 or Ultegra? That seems unlikely to me.

Never said Dura ace was anything.
I would suggest that the OP go for 105/ultegra over sora/tiagra if they can afford it.

 

[winjim]

Thanks. Interesting - the double shift is nice on my Veloce, triple shift I guess more applicable to the crits and other short distance races.

3-up 5-down with Ultrashift.

Right now if I had £500 for group sets Id rather have two Veloce sets, one as a backup, than one Athena.

Sensible.