Is it a sin to mix groupsets?
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If my Excel Sports and US.Ritchey links to the Ritchey Road Logic complete bike were paperbacks they'd be dog-eared lol. Comes with:
- Ultegra R8000 50-34 crankset, threaded external bottom bracket, braze-on front derailleur, medium cage rear derailleur, dual caliper brakeset, mechanical Dual Control STI levers
- 105 R7000: 11-32 cassette, chain (some bikes may ship with KMC 11s chain)
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Cool.. I'm covered. I put a Stages Record left crankarm on my otherwise Chorus crankset. I justified it in a few ways.. 1) crankarm + powermeter done in Record = net no additional weight to original Chorus; 2) The Record arm was on sale and was actually cheaper than the Chorus version; and 3) I figured out there's no way to tell there's a mismatch from any one vantage point.
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Why sure it is! But all sins are equal in God’s eyes! Hey, I have Force and Red mix on my bike. Just improve each component as you can or are allowed by financial means.
#32
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Forgive me father for I have sinned:
- one of my bikes has SRAM eTap shifters and derailleurs, SRAM Force cranks & cassette, and Shimano Ultegra 6700 brakes
- another of my bikes has Shimano Ultegra 6600 everything except for a Shimano DuraAce rear derailleur -- horror of horrors, it came from the factory that way! -- and a SRAM Force cassette.
- yet another of my bikes has Camagnolo Record everything, except for the cassette, which is Camapgnolo Chorus.
[edit: jesus, two different typos of the same word in the same sentence? I need to proofread more...or revert to "Campy"]
- one of my bikes has SRAM eTap shifters and derailleurs, SRAM Force cranks & cassette, and Shimano Ultegra 6700 brakes
- another of my bikes has Shimano Ultegra 6600 everything except for a Shimano DuraAce rear derailleur -- horror of horrors, it came from the factory that way! -- and a SRAM Force cassette.
- yet another of my bikes has Camagnolo Record everything, except for the cassette, which is Camapgnolo Chorus.
[edit: jesus, two different typos of the same word in the same sentence? I need to proofread more...or revert to "Campy"]
Last edited by Bob Ross; 08-31-20 at 07:56 AM. Reason: typo
#33
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Forgive me father for I have sinned:
- one of my bikes has SRAM eTap shifters and derailleurs, SRAM Force cranks & cassette, and Shimano Ultegra 6700 brakes
- another of my bikes has Shimano Ultegra 6600 everything except for a Shimano DuraAce rear derailleur -- horror of horrors, it came from the factory that way! -- and a SRAM Force cassette.
- one of my bikes has SRAM eTap shifters and derailleurs, SRAM Force cranks & cassette, and Shimano Ultegra 6700 brakes
- another of my bikes has Shimano Ultegra 6600 everything except for a Shimano DuraAce rear derailleur -- horror of horrors, it came from the factory that way! -- and a SRAM Force cassette.
#36
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It's possible to mix components in a way that makes the bike far cooler, but the key is there has to be a good reason for it. Extra bonus cool points if fettling (not kludging) was required.
For instance, BITD of Shimano's ugly external cables, Shimergo bikes had an extra reason to be cool; aesthetics. But they were also cool because Campy's Exadrive felt like crap through the lever compared to Hyperglide, and the result was a shift feel that IMO was superior to either pure Shimano or Campy. But a big part of it was surprising people and starting conversations. Best I ever saw was Sachs New Success levers running a bizarre old Suntour derailer (no cable loop, and I couldn't find it on Disraeli Gears), with no correction for cable pull required, allegedly shifted great.
Another cool reason for mix and match is weight weenieism, but just usually means Red with a few bits swapped out for parts that cost as much as a whole low end groupset... I have a bike with full Red except for Dura-Ace brakes, 9000 front and 7400 rear - the brakes are cool because DA uses thrust bearings and the vintage rear is cool because a dual pivot on the back is dumb overkill.
IMO the coolest thing you can do in this area is improve on what's available, like say, 11s on a 10s wheel - it wasn't necessary to increase dish to go to 11, so why cop it? Hell, I squeezed 10s onto a 10s wheel that I retrograded to a 7s cassette body; that was cool.
Speaking of wheels, here's something I haven't seen that'd earn mad props - something built around Shimano's wheelset hubs. If you ask me, Shimano hubs are the duck's guts. Cup and cone, and cassette body as stressed member; pretty sure the only other brands that have both are cheap Shimano copies from Alex and Joytech. But if you want to buy some Shimano hubs, you can have what, 32h traditional flange or... stuff-all. Bust out some 16/20 straight pull hubs from a trashed wheelset and have at it.
For instance, BITD of Shimano's ugly external cables, Shimergo bikes had an extra reason to be cool; aesthetics. But they were also cool because Campy's Exadrive felt like crap through the lever compared to Hyperglide, and the result was a shift feel that IMO was superior to either pure Shimano or Campy. But a big part of it was surprising people and starting conversations. Best I ever saw was Sachs New Success levers running a bizarre old Suntour derailer (no cable loop, and I couldn't find it on Disraeli Gears), with no correction for cable pull required, allegedly shifted great.
Another cool reason for mix and match is weight weenieism, but just usually means Red with a few bits swapped out for parts that cost as much as a whole low end groupset... I have a bike with full Red except for Dura-Ace brakes, 9000 front and 7400 rear - the brakes are cool because DA uses thrust bearings and the vintage rear is cool because a dual pivot on the back is dumb overkill.
IMO the coolest thing you can do in this area is improve on what's available, like say, 11s on a 10s wheel - it wasn't necessary to increase dish to go to 11, so why cop it? Hell, I squeezed 10s onto a 10s wheel that I retrograded to a 7s cassette body; that was cool.
Speaking of wheels, here's something I haven't seen that'd earn mad props - something built around Shimano's wheelset hubs. If you ask me, Shimano hubs are the duck's guts. Cup and cone, and cassette body as stressed member; pretty sure the only other brands that have both are cheap Shimano copies from Alex and Joytech. But if you want to buy some Shimano hubs, you can have what, 32h traditional flange or... stuff-all. Bust out some 16/20 straight pull hubs from a trashed wheelset and have at it.
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I use Ultegra chain and cassette on my Dura Ace bike. I use 105 chain and cassette on my Ultegra bike. Saves money and works flawlessly. Ultegra chain lasts longer than Dura Ace IME.
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105 11sp crankset
105 10sp shifters.
Ultegra 10sp cassette
Ultegra 9 speed RD
105 10sp FD
KMC 10 speed chain.
Avid brakes.
I am going to have a lot to answer for at those pearly gates.
105 10sp shifters.
Ultegra 10sp cassette
Ultegra 9 speed RD
105 10sp FD
KMC 10 speed chain.
Avid brakes.
I am going to have a lot to answer for at those pearly gates.
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My tandem has a Franken-crank. The for the stoker, final drive side is a Truvative Descendant aluminum with a 30 tooth Hope chainring and the timing drive side is a Bontrager carbon. Captain's crankset is pure Bontrager. Box 9 speed RD, cassette, and chains. Long story why. Works perfect.
I also have a very nice vintage Peugeot CFX-10 with Campagnolo derailleurs, Simplex shifters, a Mavic Starfish crankset and modern Dura Ace brakes because I like to be able to stop.
I also have a very nice vintage Peugeot CFX-10 with Campagnolo derailleurs, Simplex shifters, a Mavic Starfish crankset and modern Dura Ace brakes because I like to be able to stop.
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My best bike:
Early '80s Sugino 5,6-speed crankset with completely different Shimano outer and middle rings, Salsa or no-name inner. Dura-Ace 9-speed FD
SRAM 9-speed chain, edit: Phil Wood BB, Performance LOOK style pedals.
Campy rear hub and 9-speed cassette and Campy Mirage RD. SunTour Superbe friction DT shifters. Front hub either Ultegra or Chorus.
Shimano dual pivot brakes, Tektro V-brake levers
Custom seatpost and stem, Nitto handlebars. (Custom stem= just because Geo.W gave us that $600 loan from China and I elected to spend it locally.)
Front rim - Open Pro, rear- either Open Pro or Velocity Aero.
I generally have matching tire types but rarely both sidewall colors and widths.
I DID NOT nix gruppos. All but the custom parts (and seat and handlebars) were bought used, Somebody else did the separating long before my hands touched them. I haven't owned a "gruppo" since my SunTour/NItto/Diacomp/Sugino Fuji Professional in the '70s.
Most of the gruppos out there have had one or more parts I don't like and wouldn't ride (sometimes for safety reasons). Examples - brifters where touching the brake lever from the side can cause unintended shifts. (The company that makes those levers also makes the best brakes.) The "classic" Campy NR brakes that for my hand strength offered minimal wet braking power. The next level of N+1 cassette cogs at multiple hundreds of dollars for each upgrade and obsoleting my existing rear wheels. I choose handlebars for shape and hand fit. Stems for length and height. Only occasionally do I even see those two as a package. (Especially since my stems run long. For me, 130 is short.)
Like I said on the previous page, if mixing is a sin I won't see the other side of those pearly gates. But I'm not sweating it.
Ben
Early '80s Sugino 5,6-speed crankset with completely different Shimano outer and middle rings, Salsa or no-name inner. Dura-Ace 9-speed FD
SRAM 9-speed chain, edit: Phil Wood BB, Performance LOOK style pedals.
Campy rear hub and 9-speed cassette and Campy Mirage RD. SunTour Superbe friction DT shifters. Front hub either Ultegra or Chorus.
Shimano dual pivot brakes, Tektro V-brake levers
Custom seatpost and stem, Nitto handlebars. (Custom stem= just because Geo.W gave us that $600 loan from China and I elected to spend it locally.)
Front rim - Open Pro, rear- either Open Pro or Velocity Aero.
I generally have matching tire types but rarely both sidewall colors and widths.
I DID NOT nix gruppos. All but the custom parts (and seat and handlebars) were bought used, Somebody else did the separating long before my hands touched them. I haven't owned a "gruppo" since my SunTour/NItto/Diacomp/Sugino Fuji Professional in the '70s.
Most of the gruppos out there have had one or more parts I don't like and wouldn't ride (sometimes for safety reasons). Examples - brifters where touching the brake lever from the side can cause unintended shifts. (The company that makes those levers also makes the best brakes.) The "classic" Campy NR brakes that for my hand strength offered minimal wet braking power. The next level of N+1 cassette cogs at multiple hundreds of dollars for each upgrade and obsoleting my existing rear wheels. I choose handlebars for shape and hand fit. Stems for length and height. Only occasionally do I even see those two as a package. (Especially since my stems run long. For me, 130 is short.)
Like I said on the previous page, if mixing is a sin I won't see the other side of those pearly gates. But I'm not sweating it.
Ben
Last edited by 79pmooney; 08-31-20 at 11:21 AM.
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The Colnago Mapei with Dura Ace doesn’t get a pass? That’s the way they were set up from the factory.
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You can do anything you want with one exception. Campy, Campy is sacred. If you don't understand that please use something else.
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^^^ I used to love reading Peter Egan pieces.
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I'm rocking Campagnolo 9-speed (old) Ergopower shifters that drive Simplex SX630 derailleurs with a Suntour 7-speed Winner Pro freewheel and a Shimano IG71 chain. The wheels are Campagnolo C-Record freewheel hubs using Campagnolo Omega clincher rims. Works great.
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For all the Campy purists our there, get your stones ready.
On the Storck, I’ve got Record 11 shifters, derailleurs, brakes. Praxis Zayante carbon crankset and a KMC XL11 DLC chain. The Shamal Ultra C17s has the shimano freehub. Finally, a SunraceCSRX11-28 cassette.
On the N+1, I’m building it up with Centaur 11. KMC XL11 DLC chain, Calima and Zonda wheelsets with shimano freehubs. AND another Sunrace CSRX 11-32 cassette.
On the Storck, I’ve got Record 11 shifters, derailleurs, brakes. Praxis Zayante carbon crankset and a KMC XL11 DLC chain. The Shamal Ultra C17s has the shimano freehub. Finally, a SunraceCSRX11-28 cassette.
On the N+1, I’m building it up with Centaur 11. KMC XL11 DLC chain, Calima and Zonda wheelsets with shimano freehubs. AND another Sunrace CSRX 11-32 cassette.