namche

Do you think that the $700 upgrade for Dur Ace and Bontrager x-lite crankset is worthwhile for a performance/ training bike or am I better off staying with Ultegra SL and maybe upgrading the
wheelset in the future? Thanks in advance for your thoughts on this.

Rutnick

some of us remember when 5.5 ment FULL DURA ACE.

The price doesn't justify the difference. Get the 5.2. The 5.5 even uses a Sram 10 speed cassette. The 5.2 usn't even full Ultegra SL. They stuck a 105 cassette on there.

For $700, you can get one heck of a wheel upgrade or $700 buys a bunch of beer.

Love the near $4400 price tag on the 5.5 and no full dura ace and the 5.2 is starting to skimp too.

roy5000x2

Go for the 5.5 pro so you get the SRAM Force goodness

remixity

Save the cash, I can't feel any difference between Ultegra and Dura-Ace. Dura-Ace has that little inline gear indicator and slightly thinner STI brake hoods, but the shifting is almost identical.

If weight is a matter to you, get the SRAM Force as it's lighter than Shimano Dura-Ace.

Approx01

go with another company

NealH

Get the one with the most Shimano parts on it. You'll have a better bike.

rog

Not nearly as much as SRAM would like you to think.

prendrefeu

The difference is .3

RC2

Either - the perfect McBike to go with a set of Ksyrium McWheels. Get Botto's golden tires, and you'll have extra points for actually bringing the golden arches theme into your ride.

cycle17

Get the 5.2 and ask them to replace the 105 cassette with an Ultegra. My 06 Madone SL has full 10spd Ultegra and my 04 5500 with 10spd Dura Ace. The Dura Ace is a tad lighter and more bling, but otherwise, they shift exactly the same in my opinion. So save your money and get the 5.2.

80vette

5.2

Rutnick

you can be as clever as you want until you get McDropped.

BikeDork02

If your talking about the '08 models (which seems you are) biggest difference is that the shifters and brakes are Dura Ace. Despite what the Shimano/Trek haters may say, my experience is that there is a difference.

The bike was spec'd with a Bontrager Race X Lite crank (made by Truvativ with Truvativ rings, which were vastly improved for this years edition) because shimano doesnt make a dura ace compact (yet?). All the Trek Madone performance fit bikes are spec'd with Compact's. The madone pro fit bikes have a 30 mm shorter head tube, so unless you are one of those that rides with a low hand position and/or dont want a compact go with the pro fit. Most people arnt like that so Trek added 30mm to the head tube for '08 since the vast majority of us run a high stack. By putting it into the frame it increases stiffness and sexify's the bike a little

Finally the meaningless difference, color. Heck even color makes a difference sometimes. I hate the white bike trend. Im all about the dark colors.

ericgu

I have an older 5.2 with full ultegra 10. I recently put on a set of wheels from OddsAndEndos (about $600 IIRC), and they had a huge effect on the bike (they're something like 400 grams lighter than the race x lites) - way more than the dura ace would have, IMO.

BikeDork02

With the '08 models, the 5.2 comes with an Ultregra cassette and the 5.5 has a Sram to match up with the Truvativ drivetrain (same company). Make your own assumptions on Sram/Truvativ cassettes.

Personally I love me Shimano, real smooth on my heavy pedaling style. Sram, with its open glide technology, has its merits but to me you can never replace hyperglide, IMHO

cycle17

I really like SRAMS 9 speed cassettes...the 990 I believe. Butlike you...I'm still partial to Shimano. A few folks in my club have the newer SRAM 10 speed Openglide cassettes and the reviews seem to be mixed. I've had two Bontrager cranksets a Race Lite and a Race X Lite. The X lite is good, but doesn't stand up to a 10spd Ultegra let alone a 10spd Dura Ace(still the best crankset on the market IMHO). The Race Light came stock on my 9spd 2005 Trek OCLV and it is decent, but at some point I'm gonna step up to a newer Ultegra.

GuitarWizard

SRAM isn't bad if you know how to shift.

SushiJoe

False.

rcams

That's funny...$4000 to $5000 for a Dura-Ace bike and riders need an inline gear indicator to tell which gear they're in?! Scary.....

psycho-ist

My wifes 5.2 has all Ultegra except the rd which is DA. I think it's an '07. Do you think it came this way from Trek? Maybe parts were changed at the store, no 105, no Bontrager cranks.

Rutnick

is it verified the 5.2 has an ultegra cassette because the website lists 105 and that is the 2008 specs.

Rutnick

that indicator has come with box dura ace shifters for sometime now. My 9 speed brifters came with it too.

It has a place. It's very small and is inline with the cables.

Electric Dura Ace will have digital displays in the hoods (at least the prototype did) and Tiagra now has an optical display built into the brifter.

Rutnick

The key to this post is that the bike is a 2007.

The 2008 specs are disappointing. No shimano cranks unless you want the SL group. No shimano cranks beyond 5.2 until you get into 6.5 or 6.9.

namche

Thanks very much for all of the valuable responses. I went with the 2008 performance fit 5.2 which does have the Ultegra cassette and the Ultegra SL crankset .

kwrides

Good choice. If you want better wheels, you can get a set of ES's to upgrade for a little more than the $700 you saved. A much better upgrade than going from Ultegra to DA.