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Help Replacing/upgrading bicycle components - seeking advise

Let's check:

1) Have you purchased from them?
2) Why is their company information absent from the website?
3) Why have none of the posts been updated in nearly a year?

The domain is set to expire next month - maybe I'll check a little deeper ..

Personal
AKIHIKO NISHIMIYA ([email protected])
+81.09044991554
Fax: -
13-12 Kamihonmachi
Takatuki-shi, OSAKA 569-0073
JP

Status: Active

Name Servers:
dns.netassist.ne.jp
sns.netassist.ne.jp

Creation date: 17 Mar 2008 01:11:38
Expiration date: 17 Mar 2012 01:11:38

By the way - according to the Shimano folks I spoke and deal with - they frown very strongly on ANY 3rd party sales of OE parts. And they work very close with Japanese dealers and distributors to spot grey channels and stomp them out.

That's not to say good deals are out there. Afterall - we are only a 4000 yen trip by EMS from Malaysia. And nothing can really stop 'personal' sales of goods on places like Yahoo Auction, etc.

By the way - according to my Shimano dealer Price List - Dura-Ace Groupset (7 piece) is 169,000 yen (10%) So - 160,000 yen is not really anything special. It would be what most dealers further discount.



Have to disagree on that-

Actually - There are certain store in Japan such as Sagami Cycles and others that have been around so long and sells such a large volume of Shimano product as well as been a technical centre for them that they can get away with the "Super Low" prices - in fact Shimano "reward" them with these low prices.

Last time I was in Sagami Cycles with Yair they were selling the latest Dura Ace mechanical for 160,000 JPY - thats the complete set! (Excluding hubs of course)

MyX in Yokohama is also another store that has crazy low Shimano prices,Mtb only though. So this might be one of these HIGH volume stores.

Also in regards to off shore retailing - well they could be doing what CRC and WIGGLE are doing which is buyying OEM for the shop builds which is totally legitimate.

At the end of the day its pretty easy to tell they are legit..... they are a Campy Dealer and they move faster than anyone when it comes to rogue traders of thier kit!
 
Not sure is this is just a goof on behalf of CRC ---

But : http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=70759 Clearly is a picture of an Ultegra Di2. If it is, in fact available for 88,000 yen - this is a good deal - since all that's required is the battery, charger and cabling kit (around 12,000 yen)

Over at Wiggle - the <real> Ultegra Di2 Groupset is going for about 178,000 yen - which is much more expensive than purchasing it local (around 139,000 yen anywhere)
 
Not sure is this is just a goof on behalf of CRC ---

But : http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=70759 Clearly is a picture of an Ultegra Di2. If it is, in fact available for 88,000 yen - this is a good deal - since all that's required is the battery, charger and cabling kit (around 12,000 yen)

Over at Wiggle - the <real> Ultegra Di2 Groupset is going for about 178,000 yen - which is much more expensive than purchasing it local (around 139,000 yen anywhere)

Unfortunately, Dura-Ace and Ultegra full groupsets are too expensive for me and that's why I'm concentrating on 105.

I have checked both Wiggle and Chain Reaction and neither sells full groupsets. And by buying pieces seperately, I would end up spending roughly Y84,500 at Wiggle and Y57,500 at Chain Reaction.

The company suggested by Zenbiker seems to be legit - http://www.bici-sana.com/ and their deal is amazing - Y52,300 including both hubs and pedals or Y46,800 without hubs. ANd if this does not work out, there's Rakuten suggested by Half-Fast Mike.
 
That sounds good - I come up with 53,000 yen for a 105 7 piece Group (std crank). Compact is 1200 yen more. Add in the 10% discount that most Shimano 'super sellers' will offer and you are on the money.

As an FYI - OE price on the 105 Kit is about 42,000 yen :) - so make sure they are selling you a 5700 series and NOT a 5600 series!
 
105 is good stuff mate.

Yes, it is and I will be very happy with it I'm sure. I simply thought that if I am upgrading my bicycle I should go all the way, add a bit more money and get the higher range upgrade like Ultegra. But unfortunately what I thought would be a little bit is A LOT more. And from all the reviews I have read in the last 2 days, it looks like the quality of 105 groupset and the price it goes for can't be beat.
 
Yes, it is and I will be very happy with it I'm sure. I simply thought that if I am upgrading my bicycle I should go all the way, add a bit more money and get the higher range upgrade like Ultegra. But unfortunately what I thought would be a little bit is A LOT more. And from all the reviews I have read in the last 2 days, it looks like the quality of 105 groupset and the price it goes for can't be beat.

Yeah, I really think it is diminishing returns after 105, especially if you are not racing. I have Dura Ace because I am a devious bugger and a tart. No other reason. 105 would be fine for my needs all day long.

I believe Yamabushi spent a couple of years on 105 doing thousands and thousands of kilometres of massively epic rides and had no complaints at all. 105 gets you on the upgrade ladder too, so if you do find yourself with a spare couple of quid, you can bung Dura-Ace parts on there, and eventually build up, with full compatibility.
 
Shimano does have a knack of building in just enough difference in the groupsets to make it reasonable for the upgrade. But difference between Ultegra and 105 is not so much. Though, the Ultegra cassette is that one- notch up from 105 and one notch down from Dura-Ace. Cranks, shifters and derailers - hardly notice the difference. Brakes are a little crisper on the Ultegra and DA line. DA Cranks, of course, are stiffer and lighter, but most riders (including me) make no difference really. In fact, the Sora's feel fine to me except being a little heavy. As Owen says, once you're in the 105 family - you can easily upgrade or swap in. I've personally found no issues between using different parts even though Shimano <claims> there are incompatibilities. For example, my CX bike has CX-70 Cranks, Ultegra Rear, Bastard Ultegra / 12-30 105 Cassette, DA Front, Microshift Shifters and DA Chain. Even as a mud encrusted CX bike, it shifts perfect, is quiet and basically no issues. According to Shimano - this setup shouldn't really work - but it does, and just fine.
 
That is exactly it.

I come to this from BMX, where we would slide down rails on our chains, they would snap, and we would hammer then back together with a brick.

My best mate won the South Sea King Of Ground contest in 1998 wearing a pair of 4 quid boat shoes. We all sat in the stands shouting at DC to sponser him. They didn't even give him a nod.

105 is excellent.
 
Uh..., I've been thinking to go with a DA cassette on my road bike (along w/new wheels). It's already 6-year old ultegra elsewhere, this is the bump up there.

For another bike, probably the comparable xtr cassette. XT or some mix of that and some road stuff elsewhere on it.
 
Unfortunately, Dura-Ace and Ultegra full groupsets are too expensive for me and that's why I'm concentrating on 105.

I have checked both Wiggle and Chain Reaction and neither sells full groupsets. And by buying pieces seperately, I would end up spending roughly Y84,500 at Wiggle and Y57,500 at Chain Reaction.

The company suggested by Zenbiker seems to be legit - http://www.bici-sana.com/ and their deal is amazing - Y52,300 including both hubs and pedals or Y46,800 without hubs. ANd if this does not work out, there's Rakuten suggested by Half-Fast Mike.

Bicisana is the online site of a well known long established steel frame maker and cycle shop. I and friends have used them. Their after service also gets my thumbs up!
 
Not sure is this is just a goof on behalf of CRC ---

But : http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=70759 Clearly is a picture of an Ultegra Di2. If it is, in fact available for 88,000 yen - this is a good deal - since all that's required is the battery, charger and cabling kit (around 12,000 yen)

Over at Wiggle - the <real> Ultegra Di2 Groupset is going for about 178,000 yen - which is much more expensive than purchasing it local (around 139,000 yen anywhere)

tim - spotted that about a week ago and the response back was - Wrong photo right price its standard mechanical Ultegra.
 
Yeah, I really think it is diminishing returns after 105, especially if you are not racing. I have Dura Ace because I am a devious bugger and a tart. No other reason. 105 would be fine for my needs all day long.

I believe Yamabushi spent a couple of years on 105 doing thousands and thousands of kilometres of massively epic rides and had no complaints at all. 105 gets you on the upgrade ladder too, so if you do find yourself with a spare couple of quid, you can bung Dura-Ace parts on there, and eventually build up, with full compatibility.

Yep, Owen is 100% correct here. Although I'm riding Dura-Ace now as well, I put a lot of miles on 105-5700 and have no complaint whatsoever. It's a solid, high performance, raceable groupset. In the past the perfomance gap between 105 and Dura-Ace was bigger, but with the latest Shimano Gruppos when stepping up the ladder, IMHO, there is only a tiny increase in performance. What you are paying for is lighter components and bragging rights.
 
Bicisana is the online site of a well known long established steel frame maker and cycle shop. I and friends have used them. Their after service also gets my thumbs up!

I'm glad to hear that. Thank you for sharing the link.
 
Wheels do make a noticable difference

I agree with Mike's earlier post that wheels make a noticable difference. As I am new to cycling, I wanted to get into the sport on the cheap. I searched the web for months and found a bike I could use for commuting (sometimes) and training. I got the bike at a 30% discount and paid less than 70,000 yen; it has Shimano 2200 components.

Initially, this seemded fine for me until I began riding hard along Arakawa. It seemded other cyclists worked less than I did to generate the same amount of speed and power. I told a friend, who is a verteran cyclist, about the frustration I felt with getting power to the wheels. He suggested that I change the wheel set, so I did along with the rear cassette.

Well, I began my search for wheels and diecided that I would not buy on the cheap this time. I decided to purchase the Shimano RS-80 C-24 wheel set, which is the top of the line road sport series. Man, they spin up fast!

http://www.bikewheelsets.com/review...site-clincher-wh-rs80-c24-cl-wheelset-review/

I will not change any other components on this bike, as it could be very expensive to outfit it with the latest cranks, shifters and derailers, etc, but the next bike I buy will have decent race components. As for the RS-80s wheels, I will swap them to the new bike.:D

BTW, I got the set via Rakuten for around 58,000 yen

http://global.rakuten.com/en/store/qbei/item/2smwhl_038081/
 
I agree with Mike's earlier post that wheels make a noticable difference.

Well, that is that. I'm currently waiting for Tim to send me all the necessary details regarding the payment for a set of his wheels. I'm afraid the current back wheel won't last long anyway.

In the next step, after saving some money, I will uprade the groupset.

Thanks for all the posts. They were very helpful.
 
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