Originally Posted by
spinconn
I would venture a guess that the pro bikes of 10 to 20 years ago were probably not much better than my cheap entry level bike of today.
That would be a bad venture. There are minor things that have improved but say comparing my Dura-Ace Cilo to say the bottom end Specialized Allez, the Cilo would win heartily really smooth reliable shifting, fairly lightweight, much nicer looks and a more comfortable frame made from high end steel. No it doesn't have Claris STI levers but I much prefer at least on the front end friction shifting and the DA 7400, which is over 30 years old, didn't need much adjustment and still doesn't on a new bike (aside from some minor stuff when installing it on a different frame which you would do with any bike.
If I had to choose between the bottom end of what is available today and the top end from 10-20 years ago I would choose the old stuff but if I had my druthers I would rather have say 105 of today and get a good solid entry level groupset that will work well and last a long time and cost a little more upfront but less in the long term.