The Ultegra groupset from Shimano is something like the VW Golf of road bike groupsets. For almost two decades, the number two in the Japanese manufacturer's ranking has been the undisputed bestseller among the shifting and braking components in the top-selling mid-range of road bikes between €2,000 and €4,000. This applies more than ever to the latest generation of Ultegra presented in 2013. The TOUR tests from March to May 2014, in which Ultegra models achieved a share of more than 80 per cent, provide an accurate picture of the prevailing conditions.
One man's joy, another man's sorrow: What is a good reason for Shimano to pop the champagne corks is a serious problem for its competitors - the traditional Italian company Campagnolo and the US brand SRAM. Their respective groups Athena and Force are in danger of being marginalised. Although this development is not entirely new, Ultegra's dominance in the market has never been as blatant as it is this season.
This is surprising because both the Athena and the Force can stand up to the Ultegra on paper.
In 2010, Campagnolo was the first manufacturer to offer a mid-range groupset with eleven sprockets for a nominal 22 gears in the form of the Athena. The 3 x 11 version, which was added in 2012, even has a unique selling point with its third chainring, although this has not yet attracted much attention from road bike manufacturers or buyers. The Athena is also lighter than the Ultegra - in the version with a double carbon crank, which is offered in addition to a version with an aluminium crank, it weighs around 130 grams.
Lighter than Ultegra
The SRAM Force groupset should also make life harder for the Ultegra. The groupset, which was completely redesigned in 2013 with the exception of the brakes, now shifts just as well as the top Red groupset. Super-short, crisp shifting travel, the optimised ergonomics of the brake levers and a significantly improved function of the front derailleur raise the Force 22, as the correct groupset designation is now due to the newly added eleventh sprocket, far above the performance level of its predecessor. Like the Athena, the Force also weighs significantly less than the Ultegra. Its weight advantage is around 160 grams with the lightweight BB30 crank, which can now be fitted in almost all frames thanks to special bottom brackets.
So although a lot of good things can be said about Athena and Force, both are hardly a match for the Ultegra. Why is that? And are road bike buyers who decide in favour of Athena or Force despite the Ultegra hype making a mistake? To find out, we invited six bikes to the test, which were selected based on the fact that they would go into the race with one of the two Ultegra alternatives.
The test results of these models can be found below as a PDF download:
- Basso Laguna (Campagnolo Athena)
- Bergamont Prime Team (SRAM Force)
- Cannondale Synapse Hi-Mod Athena (Campagnolo Athena)
- Cube Agree GTC SLT (SRAM Force)
- Gios Tornado (Campagnolo Athena)
- Stevens Vuelta Force (SRAM Force)
Downloads:
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