Is riding on top end groupsets if you're not a top end cyclist stolen valor? Or is this sour grapes?

What groupset would you ride if you could get any groupset you wanted for free, but when/if you sold the bike you would have to price it as whatever groupset you ride now. That is, if your financial circumstances were no different and you were subject to the same "rules" as you currently as in terms of other people judging (because we all know unlimited wealth begets shamelessness), what do you choose?

There's no need to be ashamed of enjoying nice things OP. Even if you're not a top level rider you can appreciate having a light bike with top-tier performance.

To your question, I'm privileged so this isn't an abstraction for me and I already own bikes with my top groupset choices:
Road: Dura Ace Di2
Gravel: GRX Di2
MTB: Eagle AXS (not Transmission since that's compromised by being designed for abuse on e-bikes)

I won't even consider SRAM for my drop bar bikes until they switch all of their brakes to mineral oil. And I test rode and declined to buy SR WRL at a big discount last year because I didn't like the switches (and lack of a thumb button). In a world where electronic shifting didn't exist I'd go back to Campagnolo in an instant since they offered the best ergonomics and ability to sweep the cassette in both directions, but we live in the Di2 timeline...

Anything shiny and silver with friciton shifters
>no I mean modern
campagnolo 8-10 speed super record.

>>2038740 (OP)
I drive a full ultegra Di2 groupset and love it. Test drove a 105 Di2 and you can feel a difference in shifting performance so i went for the Ultegra one.
Is it wasted on me? Probably. But look out there who drives 500hp sportscars. Stinky old boomers who never went to a single track and cant even park properly.
A bike is a toy compared to that so i dont mind blowing 1k more on something i enjoy.

>>2038750
Quite a while ago I rented an sworks roubaix with dura ace di2 for a full 24 hours, wooo boy was that bike so nice. I appreciate having that experience but I'm poor so my every day bike is an aluminum shitter fixed gear

>>2038740 (OP)
There's no valor in it. This is what this retarded industry wants of you. To buy useless overpriced shit every now and then.

>>2038748
This. is not very expensive.

>>2038941
True, but at this time I like what I like, and most of the modern stuff isn't it. Maybe sram red 10 speed or 11 speed mechanical, since I heard that was the lightest and it looks cool.

I wanted to go retro and shiny. barcons, mech dicks, silver crankset and chainrings. Turns out buying a complete mid-modern groupset online is cheaper and easier.
>grx600 2x11 400€
>includes rotors, bb, cranks, hoses, cables, the whole thing.

If I had unlimited money I'd try out different stuff. 3x cranks, paul klamper disc brakes, growtacs, bar ends, down tube shifters, rim brakes. 110/74 (hollowtech II) cranks and try different chainrings.

>>2038746
Same here, i started going for a Dura-Ace groupset and a Basso Loto Frame when i was 15 years old back in the late 80's, went from junior to Amateur to GS2 to GS1 and i am still (52 years old now) building my bikes with top tier components as i always did.

Why should i go for 105 or Ultegra? As long as i can afford the top tier groupsets and frames, i will go for it.
I have a shit ton of good bikes built and given over the years to ride and i'm still adding new ones to the collection.

I think that most people that are against having a top tier bike are just salty fags.
Their issues can have various reasons from case to case though.

>>2039091
Well for one, dura ace cassettes come in fewer gearings and wear out faster than ultegra or 105

>>2039095
They do indeed, Nothing wrong with using 3rd party or lower tier cassettes that shift equally as good.
On my older 8-spd Dura Ace, i still use my original cassettes, since you can change every gear seperately and i have boxes full with these in all combos and tooth numbers for all variations (positioning is relevant here).

I also still have old NOS SRAM chains of the type PC89-R. These work perfectly well with not only 9-spd but also 8-spd systems.
Got huge boxes full with them from our former sponsor.

>>2039098
but if you want to run an 11-34 with a dura ace RD can you even get a long cage version or do you have to downgrade to a part from another tier again?

>>2039100
I have no reason to do this.

I currently run a 11-21 8-spd for flat terrain and a 13-23 8-spd for mountaineous terrain (Black forest region here.) Gets me up everywhere i want.
Front is either 39-52 or 42-55 depenind on use case. Crank is 172,5mm

I see no reason to go for MTB drivetrains here.

>>2039101
I respect your freedom to choose your gearing but do you really have grounds for being a groupset snob if you're riding an antique frankenbuild?

>>2039102
>frankenbuild
No frankenbuild.
The cassettes are Dura Ace, the chainrings are Dura Ace, only the chain is from Sram. But that's pretty normal to use a different one.

Same goes for my 9-spd, 10-spd and 11-spd equipped bikes.
Even the most new bikes i own are no frankenbuilds.

>>2039109
I would personally rather ride 12, 11, hell even 10 speed 105 than 8 or 9 speed dura ace but maybe I'm just a broke and salty loser who wishes he could afford a groupset that was top of the line 30 years ago

>>2039118
It's not that i don't have such bikes. Newest one is a Super Record EPS Colnago, built october 2024.
But i still like to ride my older bikes. Lots of good memories .

You should stop being salty. Helps you a lot.

I have a folding bike but no job, is that stolen valor?

>>2039127
Ask the staff of Rarlabs (Winrar) if they feel you are stealing their accomplishments by using a "compressable" bike.
If the answer is yes, buy a normal bike.

>>2039109
I got a dura ace chainring for my 11 speed 105 and holy moly those things are beautifully engineered. I wouldn't have noticed except that I looked at the old and new side by side

it's too bad they don't make cassettes and RDs in the right gearing for my slow boomer ass because otherwise I'd exclusively ride groupsets that were top of the line 8 years ago and be really smug about it

>>2038740 (OP)
>What groupset would you ride if you could get any groupset you wanted for free
Unironically, Miche Pista

>>2040688
also I got a bunch of PRs today after upgrading the chainring to DA and the cassette to Ultegra so anyone who says nice things are a scam is trying to make you slow

>>2038740 (OP)
I'm perfectly happy with my 105. I don't think my ride experience would be better with Ultegra or DuraAce.

Bump I guess because I'm tired of /pol/ tourists screaming about pajeet coders and flooding the catalog

If it shifts well then no reason to upgrade.
A bike feels "quality" if it's reasonable stiff, light, and the controls do what you want them to.

Out of all the things to "upgrade" the group set on your bike should be one of the lowest priority. Even modern Claris gives a pleasurable shifting experience.

>>2038740 (OP)
If pure efficiency is what you are after, then 1972 Campy Record is just as efficient as 2025 Dura Ace. Put those on the same frame/wheel/tyre combo, you'll go at the same speed. Chain drives are like that.
Modern equipment offers vastly better ergonomics, more gears in both range and granularity, and is mechanically more refined.
That being said. Those are consumer goods. They are meant to be bought, used, and recycled when they are no longer necessary or usable. Halo products exist solely for anchoring and conspicuous consumption.

That being said. Having experienced all ends of the bike stuff spectrum, I aim for cheap and reliable. Sora/Tiagra/105, chink shit. Frankly - modern bike stuff is so good that it only differs by cog count and weight. For me personally ( being a fat fuck ) weight is irrelevant, and anything past 10 speed at the back becomes progressively worse performing.

I am curious about electric shifting, tho. Not $500 curious, especially since all my shit just werks, but still. Once chinks iron the bugs out and this dead-simple servo becomes mainstream, I'll switch one of my bikes to it.

>>2039100
If 34 is indispensable to your riding, then DA level of performance, as slight as it is, is completely wasted on you.

>>2044329
I thought the point was the finer things in life though?