Since the Ultegra SL was released after the Dura Ace 7800 series came out, is it better technology/design/craftsmanship than the DA series? Reason being, I am looking at a bike spec’d with Ultegra SL front der. and DA 7800 rear der. Should I spend the money and replace with DA 7800 front der?
Pretty much one FD is just as good as any other FD. In our blind folded triathlete riding test I doubt that anyone could tell the difference between DA, Ultegra, or 105. There’s not much difference in any of them. A lot of dealers do the upgrade from Ultegra to DA RD but I don’t see any real world benefit to that one either.
Not worth the trouble or money. I have one bike built 7800 and another with Ultegra SL and the groups are functionally identical. If you don’t think your SL FD is working right, it just needs to be adjusted better.
In the official groupset hierarchy Dura-Ace ranks above Ultegra SL, but based on my experience this should be inverted in the case of the following components: the cassette (Ultegra cogsets last me way longer, more than compensating for the tiny weight penalty), and the FD. My Dura-Ace FD broke after only 400 miles: the outer plate caved out. I replaced it with a spare Ultegra SL FD, and I cannot detect any difference. If I were in your shoes, I wouldn’t waste the money. In this instance going to DA isn’t an upgrade in any meaningful sense of the term.