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Do you know the REAL difference between Ultegra and Dura-Ace?
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We've heard and seen so much confusion over the difference between the two most common triathlon component groups, Shimano Dura-Ace and Shimano Ultegra.

Few people- even in the industry- know the real nuts-and-bolts differences between the two common component groups and the benefits they do/don't provide. We hear a lot of vague things like "Dura-Ace is lighter" and "Dura-Ace shifts better". As with most generalizations, many of these are either wrong, exagerated or otherwise inaccurate.

We decided to look under the hood of the two most important components of Shimano Dura-Ace and Shimano Ultegra for a new feature. We played this one a little differently and just shot some photos, asked some questions and let the differences speak mostly for themselves.

For people deciding between an Ultegra or Dura-Ace Cervelo P2C or a Felt B2 or B12 or any of the many bikes differentiated by the differences in these components this will be of interest. Check it out.

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

Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com
Last edited by: Tom Demerly: Nov 5, 07 17:55
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Re: Do you know the REAL difference between Ultegra and Dura-Ace? [Tom Demerly] [ In reply to ]
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Good god thats comprehensive !
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Re: Do you know the REAL difference between Ultegra and Dura-Ace? [cougie] [ In reply to ]
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You couldn't have read the entire thing that fast- we go molecular on the two parts. Wait until we get to the crank!

Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com
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Re: Do you know the REAL difference between Ultegra and Dura-Ace? [Tom Demerly] [ In reply to ]
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How much faster will I go with Dura Ace?

Swimming Workout of the Day:

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Re: Do you know the REAL difference between Ultegra and Dura-Ace? [JasoninHalifax] [ In reply to ]
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Aw man....

Did you even read it?

Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com
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Re: Do you know the REAL difference between Ultegra and Dura-Ace? [JasoninHalifax] [ In reply to ]
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In Reply To:
How much faster will I go with Dura Ace?
ooo boy.....
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Re: Do you know the REAL difference between Ultegra and Dura-Ace? [Tom Demerly] [ In reply to ]
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Great job as usual!

"Oh you hate your job? There's a support group for that, it's called EVERYBODY and they meet at the bar."
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Re: Do you know the REAL difference between Ultegra and Dura-Ace? [Tom Demerly] [ In reply to ]
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thanks for posting this, interesting.
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Re: Do you know the REAL difference between Ultegra and Dura-Ace? [Tom Demerly] [ In reply to ]
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I read every word. Great stuff about the differences between the groups. I liked how you explained what duraluminium was vs plain old aluminium, benefits of an anodized finish, and so forth.

So how much faster? Less than detectable ;)

Swimming Workout of the Day:

Favourite Swim Sets:

2020 National Masters Champion - M50-54 - 50m Butterfly
Last edited by: JasoninHalifax: Nov 5, 07 18:17
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Re: Do you know the REAL difference between Ultegra and Dura-Ace? [Tom Demerly] [ In reply to ]
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Thanks for working through all of that stuff. It is intersting. In particular, thanks for taking a position in your conclusion. Did you ask your interviewees if they agreed? How many do you think would get fired if they did? ;-)
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Re: Do you know the REAL difference between Ultegra and Dura-Ace? [Tom Demerly] [ In reply to ]
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Where do you find time to do crazy in depth stuff like this? I guess the bike shop can suffer a bit now that your wife is a world famous (to Break.com visitors) model...

Well done.
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Re: Do you know the REAL difference between Ultegra and Dura-Ace? [Tom Demerly] [ In reply to ]
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I just finished it, Tom. Great stuff, as usual. Now I've got to go home and see what's on my bike. As you said, I know my 10 speed bar end shifters are Dura Ace... now for the rest of the story.
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Re: Do you know the REAL difference between Ultegra and Dura-Ace? [Tom Demerly] [ In reply to ]
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Great review, but would also love to hear your opinions on the STI's.
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Re: Do you know the REAL difference between Ultegra and Dura-Ace? [Tom Demerly] [ In reply to ]
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"The Dura-Ace rear derailleur is cold forged out of a high quality aluminum known as “Dura-Luminum” whereas the Ultegra is made of standard aluminum. Shimano would not disclose specifics of the differences in materials and bicycle company product managers did not know the differences between the two types of aluminum..."




http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duralumin






.

Tech writer/support on this here site. FIST school instructor and certified bike fitter. Formerly at Diamondback Bikes, LeMond Fitness, FSA, TiCycles, etc.
Coaching and bike fit - http://source-e.net/ Cyclocross blog - https://crosssports.net/ BJJ instruction - https://ballardbjj.com/
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Re: Do you know the REAL difference between Ultegra and Dura-Ace? [Tom Demerly] [ In reply to ]
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Great write-up Tom! I always appreciate your insight on stuff like this. Looking forward to the crank review!

Fred
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Re: Do you know the REAL difference between Ultegra and Dura-Ace? [Tom Demerly] [ In reply to ]
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Thank you for an excellent presentation. What is your opinion when replacing a dura-ace chain? I understand the ultegra chain and cassette will fit and they are a lot cheaper. Keep up the good work. Don.
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Re: Do you know the REAL difference between Ultegra and Dura-Ace? [Tom Demerly] [ In reply to ]
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Nice write-up Tom, this is the kind of thing that I appreciate most about your website!

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Ann Arbor Triathlon Club

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Re: Do you know the REAL difference between Ultegra and Dura-Ace? [Tom Demerly] [ In reply to ]
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As usual, great job Tom!

Best wishes,

Sergio
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Re: Do you know the REAL difference between Ultegra and Dura-Ace? [Sergio Jr] [ In reply to ]
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In Reply To:
As usual, great job Tom!

Best wishes,

Sergio

Ooops! That was me, not Jr. He is already in bed and it seems that he used his computer a while ago.

Sergio Sr.

-------------------------------------------------------------------
Note: English is not my first language. Please read this translated post considering that.


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Re: Do you know the REAL difference between Ultegra and Dura-Ace? [Tom Demerly] [ In reply to ]
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A really thorough job, thanks, we want more! Bottom line looking only at cost and weight, the front + rear derailleurs together DA is 42 grams lighter than Ultegra 6600 (1.1 gel or using your comparison) and $90 more expensive. That makes the gram at $2.14.

Francois-Xavier Li @FrancoisLi
"We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." George Bernard Shaw
http://www.swimrunfrance.fr
http://www.worldofswimrun.com
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Re: Do you know the REAL difference between Ultegra and Dura-Ace? [Tom Demerly] [ In reply to ]
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Great job , thanks !

"You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream" - Les Brown
"Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment" - Jim Rohn
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Re: Do you know the REAL difference between Ultegra and Dura-Ace? [Tom Demerly] [ In reply to ]
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what if you are using Ultegra STI's-would you then see a difference between an Ultegra or DA RD? Or will the RD's shift the same no matter the shifter?
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Re: Do you know the REAL difference between Ultegra and Dura-Ace? [TRIA3SM] [ In reply to ]
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All good things come to those who know how to wait ... Tom's review starts with 'Ultegra vs. Dura-Ace: Part 1.' Expect part 2, 3, etc. He already mentionned the they went a bit crazy with the cranks. Shifters must come soon.

Francois-Xavier Li @FrancoisLi
"We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." George Bernard Shaw
http://www.swimrunfrance.fr
http://www.worldofswimrun.com
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Re: Do you know the REAL difference between Ultegra and Dura-Ace? [Tom Demerly] [ In reply to ]
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When you do mention that Dura-ace cranks have the 180mm option, the only reason why I go for Dura-ace.

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http://www.nasvik.se
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Re: Do you know the REAL difference between Ultegra and Dura-Ace? [Tom Demerly] [ In reply to ]
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Many thanks for an outstanding comparative review of these two products. I own a carbon fiber (Trek) road bike with Ultegra components and a carbon fiber Tri bike (Cervelo P3C) with Dura Ace components and have been very happy with both set ups. The only Shimano failure I have had was with the bottom bracket (not reviewed) on the Trek road bike (Ultegra component). Do you also have a review of 105 components somewhere? I very much like this style of product review and hope that you do more of this type in the future. Thanks Tim
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