icemilkcoffee 

I’m going to stand up for the humble RSX group. It’s the best choice if you want to have a STI / dual pivot brake setup in your older 126mm frame , or even a 120mm frame using an Ultra6 freewheel. The A410 rear hub came in both 126mm and 130mm flavors and can be easily converted between the two configurations. The cranksets came in 3 flavors: 110mm compact (rare in that time frame), triple, and 130mm. And the brifters are unique in that it has no trim function and the narrow 7 speed really doesn’t need it for the most part. Shimano also made the BS50 barcon shifters for the 7 speed drivetrain as well if you prefer.

mstateglfr 

friction- SunTour Superbe series is just so nice looking. A soft satin to some of the components depending on year. Superbe Pro, i think?
indexed- Shimano 600 tricolor. The 8sp drivetrain looks good and is super simple and reliable. It gets my pick too since it was my first high quality indexed road drivetrain so its what I compare everything to.

Salamandrine 

1) Campagnolo Nuovo Record gruppo - Cuz of course it is.

2) Zeuz 2000 black - Cuz it looks like Gaudi designed it, and I've only ever seen one full set.*

3) French Frankengroup - Stronglight crank, Jubilees, Mafac, etc, bonus points for Maxicar

4) Japanese Frankengroup - Sugino Mighty crank, Cyclones, Gran Compe, Nitto etc


*with black center pull brakes

ryansu

Arabesque is so darn lovely its in my avatar but it may also be that it came on my greatest garage sale find ever a Miyata 912 for $25 ...

ryansu

That Miyata 912 is looking sweet!

bikemig 

At $25 for a Miyata 912 with a full shimano 600 arabasque group, it would become my favorite group of all time too,

clubman 

a) Chorus '96 8 speed Ergo
b) Suntour Sprint, 6 or 7 speed, friction or indexed
c) Oddly, the Deore XT M735 drivetrain on my 93 Cannondale T1000. Flawless, loaded touring.

BFisher

Can't say I have a favorite, although anything @rccardr builds gets the salivary glands going. Lots of nice stuff posted already.

I will add an honorable mention for Shimano 6500.

-Nicely finished (shiny)
-5 arm crank can be had in double or triple
-A bit easier to get the pieces than 7700 if you want to go triple
-You can go STI or you can match it with the 7700 downtube shifters. Function is superb. Brakes are fantastic.

(Photo taken pre-cable end trimming )


Full shot 'cause why not

The Golden Boy 

For 70s and early 80s-

It would be a Cyclone/Superbe/Simplex/Stronglight group.

1st Gen Cyclone derailleurs, Superbe brakes and levers, Simplex Retrofriction shifters, and Stronglight 99 crank.

capt_velo

@nomadmax I'm convinced! That's a nice ride!

SurferRosa

It started out as just another $150 bike I was gonna flip. Fell in love and started switching out a few components. I think it might be my favorite rider ever.

texaspandj

Dura Ace 7400 THRU 7700 is a you pick em.
Gun to my head, 7400 series.

RobbieTunes

The RSX also came in a compact (110 BCD) triple, which worked with a symmetrical square taper double BB. Can’t get much more adaptable than that.

embankmentlb

I see a lot of love for 7700. I cannot agree more!

Kabuki12

For my bikes almost exclusively Campagnolo Nuovo Record or Super Record derailleurs. They have the classic look and shift well. I also have had SunTour Cyclone 1st and 2nd gen and they work every bit as well as the Campy stuff but lack the classic look but not by much. Brakes , if set up correctly don’t vary that much for me. I have Campy NR and different types of center pull Mafac Racer or Universal work well. My Medici came with Grand Compe NGC400 brakes and Modolo fiber looking pads that stop better than any vintage brakes I have tried. The bike came with the original Campy NR brakes but they probably are not going back on the bike. The GC’s are too good to change. Brake levers for me are Universal , they have a comfortable stand off from the bars for cruising on top or pacing in the drops.

gaucho777 

Mavic from the early- to mid-80s with the Simplex retrofriction shifters (the group prior to the SSC group). Excellent performance, timeless styling, lightweight, and relatively uncommon.

Runner-up Campagnolo Record/NR, for all the same reasons, minus being uncommon but add dependability.

noglider 

I'm with you, @Salamandrine. We have the same tastes.

noglider 

I think every year of Deore XT has been top notch. A year or so ago, I upgraded my tandem, and it was the first time I didn't cheap out. Rear 11-speed derailleur, flat-bar shifter, and rear hub, bought new. I built the rear wheel with the old rim and spokes. I used a KMC chain and a Shimano XT 11-40 cassette. This 11-speed stuff is really solid and fast. I can't predict durability, but I'm optimistic. Best rear derailleur of any kind I've ever used. Shimano road hubs have always been good, even down to the bottom of the line.

Oh, oops, the question was about classic road. Never mind.

scarlson 

Euh, if I had to pick a whole group? Unfortunately MTB groups are out, because they include brake levers and shifters for 22.2, I can't stand flat bars. So, I guess "Spidel": a beautiful mix of SLJ, Mafac, and Maillard 700. And that way I can keep my taste for (beautiful) mongrel hodgepodges. Or the spiritual (and possibly physical) successor to that, which would be Mavic.

In reality, I'd wish I were on a freehub, centerpulls, and slant-parallelogram mech. Old habits.

Lascauxcaveman 

I'm another 6400 series TriColor 8-speed guy. Dead solid reliable and no muss, no fuss. Coincidentally, so far, that's also the most modern group I've worked with. Perhaps the the 9-speed Ultegra stuff I'm gathering for my next build will supplant it in my affections?

(Yes, the TriColor RD really does shift a 12-32 8-speed cog set just fine - compact double up front.)


Bear with me, I'm a little slow on the uptake. At some point I'm sure I'll get around to dabbling in the shallow end of Campy Ergo.

strangdang

My favorite would be Simplex Prestige/dersMafac racer brakes/Strongligh cranks/Normandy hubs/Rigida dimpled steel chrome rims. Why? Because it all just screams classic and vintage, even though it works like crap.

embankmentlb

I am starting to be a real fan of 6400. I think the gray color works well for some applications, particularly this one! I never had 6400 in the day. I was all in for Campy at that time. Campy from that period is still my favorite but this stuff works real nice!

Dfrost 

I’ve never been a “gruppo” kind of guy, ever since I mixed Phil hubs and BB on my then new ‘72 Masi GC.

But I do love the Sachs New Success Ergo shifting on every bike for the last 25 years, either as 7-speed when I was still using a freewheel, and now 8-speed with custom cassettes assembled from loose Shimano or SRAM cogs. The Sachs RD’s feature a floating upper pulley like Shimano’s that make adjustment extremely easy and long-lasting. Every Ergo shifter of that era works as a triple front, and doesn’t care what FD is on the other end of the cable. I’ve tried Shimano, several Suntour, and prefer Campy Racing T’s. The only “trick” is determining whether the rear shifter needs Campy 5.0mm spacing or Shimano 4.8mm. I’ve got some of both and appropriate cassette spacing kits. Sachs Ergo shifters use the same Campy Ergo rebuild parts on the rare occasion that a shifter rebuild is needed.

Another valuable feature is the lever QR combined with dual pivot caliper QR, making it easy to open the brakes enough for fat, comfy tires, like the 32’s here:

gomango

Tri-color is way overbuilt and I love it.

I have a 600/Velocity wheelset that has been around seemingly forever.

Likely, it will outlast its current owner.

However, my favorite all time groupset has to be 9 speed Chorus.

nomadmax 

I'm a Campy man right down to my tattoo, BUT, I can see beauty in all brands of components. The Sante group always looked great to me but it never really caught on.