If its a new BB then the only difference is the finish (of the BB)

The link appears to not be working Tom.

As a matter of fact, I can't even get to your shop's main page.

---

---

Portside Athletics Blog

It won't open on either computer. Other links will. Is it supposed to be a secure site? I can't figure it out;

That's an excellent question. We decided to address that one with the shifter portion of the feature. Coming soon...

---

Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com

Tom, is your server back online?

So what did you conclude from your article? It seems you favored Dura Ace.

Fiddlesticks. Darn thing loooks like its out of whack right now. Thanks for mentioning it. We're working on it.... Stand by please.

---

Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com

The pictures appear to be new items out of the box (very clean), after a few miles of real life use they get exposed to plenty of road "grime". Do you think one set of components would work better then the other with "grime" on them and how big of a loss in watts are we in for with dirty components? Also what is the best way for the "every day tri guy" and not a real bike mechanic to keep these things cleaned and lubed during the biking season? Thanks again for your insight. Tim

OK, fixed. Here it is:

https://www.bikesportmichigan.com/...ra-ace-ultegra.shtml

---

Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com

Good questions. I think the flourine link pins and forged construction of the Dura-Ace RD-7800 rear derailleur along with the addition of the pusher plate at the guide pulley would help a dirty/poorly maintained rear derailleur shift better.

Keeping the derailleurs and drive train in general clean is key to insuring optimal performance. You can keep this stuff clean with a mix of diluted Simple Green, which I like since it is biodegradeable. Be careful with citrus degreasers especially on Ultegra rear derailleurs since citrus can exert a negative affect on some bushings.

Here's a look at the guide plate on Dura-Ace:

---

Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com

I gotta ask, how long until the plastic pusher plate wears through, and how easy is it to replace?

---

This is your life, and it's ending one minute at a time. - Fight Club
Industry Brat.

I have one that is four years old and is showing no signs of real wear. I don't think the chain rubs against it too vigorously. It is not listed as a seperate part in the 2008 Shimano Total Information manual so I don't think it can be replaced seperately, I think you'd have to replace the entire inner cage.

---

Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com

Fixed now. Sorry about that.

---

Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com

We're doing the shifters soon. That is a big job.

---

Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com

The funny thing about investigating this was how little some people knew about the differences. There were peope in the industry who had only a very vague understanding of the real distinctions between component groups.

On the flip side, the people at Shimano were tremendously helpful and, quite obviously, very knowledgable. Also, coupple bicycle company product managers- who could not be named because of their affiliations- were incredibly knowledgable about the equipment and provided many valuable insight not only for this piece but for the future installments. I was even afforded a sneak peak at some '09 product on the condition I wouldn't mention the equipment, so I won't...

The issue for us is that this sort of project opens a huge can of lworms- now we are interested in doing something similar with Campagnolo and the SRAM groups... Lots of work and long nights.

Here's the link:

https://www.bikesportmichigan.com/...ra-ace-ultegra.shtml

---

Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com

I thought there was a difference in bottom bracket material- I think the spindle on Dura-Ace is titanium and on Ultegra it is cro-moly. ...I think.

---

Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com

Great article! Thanks for the writeup!

Beautiful job Tom, thanks!

While dura-ace may be more durable theoretically, wouldn't you agree that it is virtually impossible to wear out either derailleur from normal usage? I suppose the pulleys would need to be serviced at some point...on either type. I think the extra durability would have no practical application.

Thanks for posting this very very detailed and helpful information!!!This will help me decide not only which bike to upgrade to but also the components as well.

---

------------------------------------------------

Trying to find ways to pass the time.

That's a great product review. If Triathlete Magazine or Triathlon Magazine did stuff like that instead of 'put em on the glass, sugah' I might still have a subscription.

Would love to see it expanded to the other lines of the Shimano (sora, 105, etc.) and also to Campy.

I wasn't sure if the poster was talking about old octalink stuff, but on the new stuff (hollowtech), there is no spindle on the BB (is just that plastic shell). The BB is just the bearing cups. [I know that you know that]. There may be a material difference in the axle of the crank (no idea), but the BB cups are identical, with the exception of the finish on the cups.

What BB spindle?

---

Swimming Workout of the Day:

Favourite Swim Sets:

2020 National Masters Champion - M50-54 - 50m Butterfly

Another very good question. Truthfully, I have never seen a derailleur worn out. The only time I've really seen any Shimano rear derailleur rendered no longer workable was by a crash, a knock-down, the limit screws being intkered with and then the derailleur shifted into the rear wheel destroying the wheel, the derailleur and sometimes even the frame (derailleur hanger damage).

In general, it would be pretty tough to simply do enough gear shifts on any Shimano rear derailleur to wear it out, even if it was Shimano 105. The stuff is well designed, well built and incredibly reliable- there is a reason they have over 80% of the bicycle component market share...

---

Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com

Fantastic stuff, Tom. I'm currently looking at the Ultegra P2C and this article makes me think even more that it over the DA version is the way to go for me.

I figured you might want to go the other way to Ultegra after you read that...

---

Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com