Oh my gosh fancy groupsets cost a lot!

[bicycletricycle]

I guess this old news and I am late to the party. All the top end groups cost like 3-4k now?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

I assume if you shop around you can get them for less, these groups have so many options it was hard to get a good understanding of what they "actually" cost. Looks like shimano is the cheaper than record and sram red?

I am helping a friend who wants to do a fancy electronic disc build, can you guys chime in on what these groups actually cost if you shop around for a bit? He has a longish timeline so the current parts scarcity will have hopefully ended by the time he has saved up.

any feedback is helpful, thank

[weisan]

tricycle pal, I am just gonna go out on a limb and say this...you are not the right person to help your friend.

A friend of mine asked me the same thing a few weeks ago. She wanted "top of the line" whatever and asked me for recommendation or if I can build one up for her. I am still using 9 & 10 speed mechanicals on my bike.

I did a bit of research but in the end, I just admitted to her that I know very little about the latest tech offerings, that I will just be learning alongside with her in my research, nothing wrong there...but, the truth of the matter is, I don't know squat about di2, etap or whatever the latest and the greatest is.

[tuscanyswe]

Prices are stupid. Its just ridiculous.

[texbike]

Originally Posted by tuscanyswe

Prices are stupid. Its just ridiculous.

Perhaps we should take Dan's idea and use 3-year leases for groupsets...

I haven't progressed past 10 speed DA groups either.

Texbike

[KonaSS]

The easy button for me is to go to Merlincycles. They usually have some of the best prices for Shimano. As you mentioned, the problem right now is going to be availability. Can possibly shop around and do a bit better, but usually not much.

[yinzerniner]

Originally Posted by bicycletricycle

I guess this old news and I am late to the party. All the top end groups cost like 3-4k now?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

I assume if you shop around you can get them for less, these groups have so many options it was hard to get a good understanding of what they "actually" cost. Looks like shimano is the cheaper than record and sram red?

I am helping a friend who wants to do a fancy electronic disc build, can you guys chime in on what these groups actually cost if you shop around for a bit? He has a longish timeline so the current parts scarcity will have hopefully ended by the time he has saved up.

any feedback is helpful, thank

You can get full electric 11s shimano for less than 1k as long as you got previous gen, which works just as well as the newer stuff with the updated battery

You can get full 12s sram for about 1500 if you’re picky.

Don’t know what’s considered expensive over the last ten years since top end mechanical has always been above 2k for as long as I remember, be it DA SR or red.

[Clean39T]

The level of technology going into the top end groups and the supply/demand forces drives the pricing. Nothing is getting cheaper out there. Top end mechanical groupsets are still reasonable for the level of quality. And Chorus and Ultegra still offer exceptional performance at a lower price point for mechanical. Ultegra Di2 is probably the best bang-for-the-buck for what many would say is "top end" - disc, electro, etc.

[Likes2ridefar]

Originally Posted by yinzerniner

You can get full electric 11s shimano for less than 1k as long as you got previous gen, which works just as well as the newer stuff with the updated battery

You can get full 12s sram for about 1500 if you’re picky.

Don’t know what’s considered expensive over the last ten years since top end mechanical has always been above 2k for as long as I remember, be it DA SR or red.

Where might one get a full sram etap 12s group set for 1500? I’ve only seen that for shifters, derailleurs, calipers. The rest of the required parts easily push it well north of 2k.

[DeBike]

Prices have really gone up in the past 7-8 months. Back in the end of April, I purchased a full 105 7000 groupset for $465. That price included a GS RD, 11-32 cassette and 170, 50/34 crankset, and shipping. The cheapest I have seen that lately is around $700. Even partial group with no crankset or BB is at least $500.

[Clean39T]

Originally Posted by Likes2ridefar

Where might one get a full sram etap 12s group set for 1500? I’ve only seen that for shifters, derailleurs, calipers. The rest of the required parts easily push it well north of 2k.

Made worse by the fact that you have to use SRAM cassette, chain, and crankset if you are using their shifty-bits.

TPC has Force AXS for rim brakes for $899 right now. Add crankset for $200. Cassette for $150. Chain for $50. Brakes and misc for another $150, and you're just under $1500. That requires 25% off retail prices to get there though.

Hydro will set you back a fair bit more.

[joevers]

Originally Posted by Clean39T

And Chorus and Ultegra still offer exceptional performance at a lower price point for mechanical. Ultegra Di2 is probably the best bang-for-the-buck for what many would say is "top end" - disc, electro, etc.

Both of these.

Shimano di2 is actually barely more expensive than mechanical until you add in all the batteries and junctions. Probably close to 500$ for just the batteries, junctions, and wires. Still a way better deal than Sram or Campy for weight/performance/cost imo. I think somewhere around 1,500-2,000 is probably what you should be allotting for a full second tier group, 2,500-3,000 for top end all said and done.

If you're staying mechanical and rim brake at this point any top end or second tier groupset is a great value, but definitely much less so when you're looking electronic/disc.

[bicycletricycle]

I only play a retro grouch in bicycle land, in my real job I interface with technology. That being said, I am not helping him maintain this bike like I do his other bikes but I will set it up for fun.

For now I am trying to just get a lay of the land.

Originally Posted by weisan

tricycle pal, I am just gonna go out on a limb and say this...you are not the right person to help your friend.

A friend of mine asked me the same thing a few weeks ago. She wanted "top of the line" whatever and asked me for recommendation or if I can build one up for her. I am still using 9 & 10 speed mechanicals on my bike.

I did a bit of research but in the end, I just admitted to her that I know very little about the latest tech offerings, that I will just be learning alongside with her in my research, nothing wrong there...but, the truth of the matter is, I don't know squat about di2, etap or whatever the latest and the greatest is.

[robt57]

Originally Posted by texbike

Perhaps we should take Dan's idea and use 3-year leases for groupsets...

LOL

I haven't progressed past 10 speed DA groups either.

Texbike

I have two 7800 bikes left. I did the 11s plunge only last year when it was obvious I could use shimano wheels/cassette on Campy 11s. Also leaned the few 10s Shimano bikes I have left will do 11s shimano wheels/cassette fine with a 11s chain, and an adjustment. And with an 11s chainset even better.

[robt57]

Originally Posted by weisan

tricycle pal, I am just gonna go out on a limb and say this...you are not the right person to help your friend.

Have to agree. If you buy a part wrongly and have to double buy to fix that it gets very much more expensive.


I collect bits used and mint/near mint. Just got Dan's RD-M9080, and month before that a group of connectivity bits from someone else here with cables, A junction, b Junction, DN110 etc.

I've done 8 Di2 groups so far, and by 3rd I understood most of the perils. I also hack the craap outta the system with remote buttons, huge battery capacity, etc.

It is all fun, and the shifting performance is really excellent and then some...

[cgolvin]

Originally Posted by KonaSS

The easy button for me is to go to Merlincycles.

Exactly where I went after reading the OP. Not a single electronic disc groupset in stock.

Of course this may not be possible if your friend has already set things in motion for his frameset, but if the groupset prices are prohibitive then opting for (1) rim brakes and (2) mechanical affords some really good pricing. For example, Record 12 (with SR chain & cassette) for less than $1500.