Hi all. My wife and I are shopping for a bike for her. One of our LBS's has a couple of 2003 Allez dolces in stock. One of them has the stock spec (full Ultegra and Shimano 540 wheels). The shop wants $1200 for it. They also have an identical frame built up with a full 105 group (the older silver one with yellow "105" logo, not the new black one) and a Gipiemme Grecal Parade wheelset. This bike is going for $1000. Which bike is a better deal? This will be her first road bike. Do you guys think that she would notice a difference between 105 and Ultegra in the long run? What about the Gipiemme wheels? I have scoured the net for reviews of them, most of what I have found is positive. They are a little lighter than the 540s (the 105 bike is actually like 1/3 pound lighter than the Ultegra one), but I am unsure about their durability. Basically, is the Ultegra bike worth the extra $200?

I've not ridden either wheelset, so I can't help there. As far whether a full Ultegra group is worth $200 more than 105 on the same frame, my definitive answer is probably.

I have both an Ultegra and a 105 bike, simply because that is what each bike came with. Can I discern a substantial difference in performance between the two? Not really, but I've not put in 10,000 miles on both either. Both groups function fine, both are easy to maintain. The Ultegra looks a little nicer, weighs a little less.

In general, though, I think the perceived improvement in performance and "name value" is worth the small incremental price increase from 105 to Ultegra. The jump from Ultegra to DA is when you really have to start weighing the performance/price trade off.

When I buy new/replacement componenets, I go with Ultegra over 105. If nothing else, I feel the bike will "hold value" better should I decide to sell it to finance my next bike - just MHO, don't know if it holds true or not.

Either bike will be fine - the question you may want to ask yourself is what else could you do with that $200, and is it worth foregoing that and splurging for the Ultegra just to insure you don't have any lingering doubts down the road.

I hope that helps, and good luck.

I agree with the previous post. The question to ask is whether or not your giving up on something else to get the ultegra, and if so, which is more important to you.

I just bought my first road bike. I went for a women's specific design, and debated on the 105/ultegra issue for a while. I ended up buying ultegra. My logic was that I have mountain biked for a while and new that I was really going to enjoy road riding as well. I also knew that if I really got into the sport I would end up wanting the higher quality components, so it would be cheaper just to splurge on them now rather than buy the ultegra later. That said, one of my closest friends has raced on her 105's for a couple years and is completely happy with them. I can not keep up with her, so the quality of the rider is clearly more important than the quality of the components!

Good luck!