Ultegra 9 Speed vs Dura Ace 11 Speed
 

I have two road bikes - a Trek 5200 circa 2000 with 9-speed Ultegra and a 2015 Giant Propel with 11-speed Dura Ace that I just acquired a few months ago.

I love them both but...the weather in the northeast US turned glorious this week so I have had the Trek out for a quick (22 mile) ride at lunch time each day this week and I have to admit that I like the Ultegra drivetrain better. It is virtually silent, runs silky smooth and even the shifts are more crisp than the 11 speed.

I am afraid this might come off a little troll-like but I have to ask...am I the only one that thinks the older drive trains are better?

I have two bikes with Ultegra 11 speed drivetrains. One is mechanical, the other Di2. Both shift flawlessly. You may want to have your derailleur cable adjusted to fine tune it.

I'll agree with Bald Paul : Your newer bike probably just needs new cables or a tweak here and there to shift as well as the old one.

Though I will say that my Shimano 11sp bike (105 groupset) doesn't get more than about 3500 miles before the RD shift cable breaks inside the STI. My old 9sp and 10sp bikes, with the cables outside of the bar wrap, go nearly forever on a set of cables.

Is there any chance the newer bike might need some adjusting to the shifting components? If they don't shift perfectly and cleanly, then that is the first thing I'd check no matter what tier group set it is.

As for noise, the different materials that the components of your drivetrain and shifting components are made from might alter the sounds you hear. Also a well used bike might just be more gunked up with sound deadening grease and goop. As well the more used and worn things are the smoother and quieter they might be.

And if the noise difference is when coasting.... well, I so very much wish my Tarmac came with quiet Shimano freehub instead of the noisy and probably made by DTSwiss axis freehub. So for now I just think of it as a reminder not to coast.

Of course this is a lot of if's. And one or many if's might contribute to your experience.

Well, I'm pretty happy with the 2x7 groupset on my bike (7 sp freewheel shifted with ST3300 Sora brifters). With 7 speed there is less need to trim, compared with the 2x10 bike I had last year. I imagine the 11sp cassette, being wider than the 10 speed cassette, would require even more trimming. IMHO the 11 speed groupsets should really be used with Di2.

One factor you might keep in mind is frame construction. Your Trek 5200 is made with carbon lugs connected to carbon tubes while the Propel is monocoque. The lugs in the Trek tend to dampen resonance in the frame while the Giant has no lugs resulting in much bigger interior spaces which can act as an echo chamber and amplify drivetrain noises. Years ago I had a titanium bike with a Campagnolo 9 speed drivetrain and it was really noisy. I replaced the titanium frame with a lugged carbon fibre frame and using the same drivetrain components noise was reduced to the point where I could hardly hear any noise from the chain. As for shifting precision, it may be that you have some worn parts which could make for sloppy shifting. Any idea how much mileage there was on the bike when you bought it?

Speaking of the effect of frame construction on the sound of bicycles, you should hear the SIS downtube shifters on that big aluminum downtube on my 1994 Cannondale - *PING!* *PING!* Rings like a bell!

I think I may have created a false impression - it's not that the 11-speed shifts like a dog...the 9 speed is just a little more crisp. The noise is really different...the theory of frame construction amplifying it is interesting - I never would have considered that.

It does come off a little troll-like, mostly because it is a contrarian hot-take that will likely enflame passionate responses from people who own 11sp drivetrains and will feel defensive about their purchase, or from people who own 9sp drivetrains and want to believe newer stuff is not as good as everyone thinks.

Well done.

The fact that this thread appears to contain your 9th and 11th posts ever is the chef's kiss.
I am truly impressed.