Let the arguments begin…
In terms of who makes what, it’s something like this:
Campag: Super Record, Record, Chorus, Centaur, Veloce
Shimano: Dura Ace Di2, Dura Ace, Ultegra SL, Ultegra, 105, Tiagra, Sora
SRAM: Red, Force, Rival
In terms of what beats what, it’s a very different story. Super Record is surely the wishlist groupset right now – 11 speeds, lovely components. Functionally better than Record though? Certainly you’re paying a lot for the Super tag, whichever way you look at it. Di2 is a technical marvel, but a lot of reviews (we haven’t had it to test yet) are suggesting that it’s been rushed out a bit, and certainly there are some big questions, the biggest being: why isn’t it wireless? Mechanical Dura Ace, which we have had to try, is very, very good. Is it better than Record? Take sides now! Is it better than Red? Again, we haven’t had a fully Red equipped bike on long term yet but I have ridden it, and it’s an excellent system – very intuitive when you get used to it. However, we did speak to one pro using Red who reckons it’s a bit of a pain to keep in trim – and they should know, because they put in about 1,000 miles a week…
Further down the ranges Campy and Shimano can fight it out at each price point, and SRAM are a real player too. My personal opinion? Campag’s top end kit edges it performance wise, Shimano’s middle order groupsets (105, Tiagra) are better value.
Who’s going to make the definitive list we can all argue over? >:)