Ive been told Dura ace is less "dura"ble" bc of the less weight more designed for racers to replace more often.... not sure but that's what ive been told...

---

Age grouper Coached by ZenTri

I've heard the DuraAce crank is stiffer than the Ultegra crank

thanks for the post, had a similar question, now I have an answer

---

http://www.toughmantri.com

https://robinsonsstrengthandendurancecoaching.wordpress.com/

I think I have heard similar. Not sure if it is ultimate stiffness or the STW since it is a little lighter?

Bump for any other info?

I would defy any triathlete to tell a difference between the two.

Actually, it's the opposite. The Ultegra is measureably stiffer than Dura-ace.

-SD

---

https://www.kickstarter.com/...bike-for-the-new-era

I'm assuming you guys have tested it and seen the results in person, my quick google search showed the dura ace always being commented as stiffer (especially with its special chain rings which are ultra stiff)

Are you talking previous-gen 6700/7900 or current 6800/9000? Because my measurements with the newest gen (sample size of ~5 for each) are that FC-9000 driveside is about 30% stiffer than FC-6800 with the non-driveside quite close. FC-7900 however was a wet noodle, and also the 105 cranks are stiffer.

---

ZONE3 - We Last Longer

Seems in the UK you can only get up to a 53/39 setup in Ultegra if you want to use Shimano cranks. If you wanted to go to a 54/42 I have only seen these in Dura-Ace. I may be wrong on this, but it's all i've been able to find.

Shimano 105 5800? Stiffer than which groupset? 7900? This is interesting info to know as I am deciding between 5800 and 6800 and leaning toward 5800 because I have yet to see the value (for the cranks at least).

@Xplombier, I think you are right but with the BCD you can plunk any chainring on any crank. It might not look very nice with the different colorways but its definitely interchangeable. Of course, DA chainrings cost about as much as an entire Ultegra chainset, might be possible to find third party chainrings. Not really sure what that one extra tooth will offer you. Inner ring I can understand, those are relatively inexpensive even for DA, you could look into that. Dura Ace do offer more crank lengths although mostly on the long end.

105 (both 5700 and 5800) stiffer than 7900. The differences between the FC-5800 and FC-6800 are negligible as far as stiffness is concerned. The 105 teeth look a bit more coarse than the Ultegra rings, though I haven't noticed any change in shifting quality.

---

ZONE3 - We Last Longer

Thanks for your reply and sharing your test results. I've seen this video by Art's Cyclery: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdPefZ27Ne4 and am kind of shopping creatively. Seems like they think the coarser rings might hurt longevity and shift performance slightly but I'm thinking 5800 is probably one of the best bang for your buck cranks out there right now.

Which part of the crank is measurably stiffer? Did you guys run it through some kind of stress analysis program? I'm really curious as to how you measured a cranks stiffness as this would help greatly with my current projects.

The whole 5800 grouppo is fantastic value-for-money. Brilliant groupset... Though I'm still with 7800 and not about to switch soon.

---

ZONE3 - We Last Longer

I'm pretty sure thats why I haven't been winning races....too much flex in my cranks.....lol. All that power we are losing to these 'noodle' crank arms...

Wow, you guys must be sprinting like Djamolidine Abdoujaparov..... :)

One great feature of the new version of the DA Cranks is that you get away from the whole standard vs compact issue - it will take a wide range of outer and inner rings - problem solved. That right there is enough for me to go with the new DA if I was shopping around for a new crank set.

Why? For me where I ride now at home, I am for the most part fine with a standard crank. However, I am starting to travel more to places with bigger longer climbs and that, coupled with declining strength and fitness as I get older, necessitates a better range of gear options for these bigger climbs that a compact typically offers. With the new DA Crank I can just change chain-ring sets around in a matter of minutes, and have everything dialed in!

---

---

Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog

That's true of all the 4 bolt shimano designs though, you don't have to go all the way up to DA.

Thanks. I thought that only applied to DA.

Good to know.

---

---

Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog

If that's your issue, why not just get a compact crank and pick up a set of 53/39 rings in 110BCD? Much cheaper option than spending so much on an expensive crankset that tests so poorly.

I heard that marketing departments at corporations have figured out that a certain segment of the population will pay a lot more for very little to obtain the best, or at the very least, better than their friends.

---

_______________________________________________

A couple of minutes, that is, apart from lowering your front derailleur, re-attaching your FD cable, removing a couple of links from your chain and re-tuning the whole FD. Not as simple as you might think.

If I was to buy a Shimano crankset... 105 over both Ultegra and D-A.

Is there anyone here who would actually measurably benefit from the stiffness difference between Dura-Ace and Ultegra?