Shimano Dura-Ace 7800

Price Paid:  $1200.00 at LBS

Favorite Ride:
Mt. Tam - stinson beach

Bike Setup:
2007 Trek 5000: 7800 Dura-Ace, Mavic Ksyrium SL, FSA bars k-wing, Ritchey wcs

Cervelo R3-SL Sram Red, Zipp 303, 3T ltd bars, seatpost, stem.

Summary:
Dura-Ace 7800 is a awesome groupo. It is smooth as butter and stays tuned unlike some other groupos. The front shifts are quick and responsive and the trim is an awesome feature. The rear shifts are fairly fast, not as fast as sram, and smooth once you become familarized with the system. Breaks have superior stopping power compared to everything else i've used, especially campy. Finally, the crankset is a work of art worhty of a museum. That aside, the crank is easily the best aspect of the groupo; rock solid, no flex, good q-factor, and durable.

Strengths:
shifting is quick and smooth
crankset is stiff
nice finish on components
price
stays tuned
trim in both fd positions

Weaknesses:
Chains are not that durable ~1500 miles
hoods are a little skinny
weight (for those that need to save 100g or so)
shifting not as fast a Sram Red

Similar Products Used:
Ultegra, 105, Sram Red

Price Paid:  $0.00 at Gran Fondo Cycles

Bike Setup:
Bianchi 928L, D-A (duh), Zipp 404 tub race wheels

Summary:
Great group. It does what you want, when you want it to, without you having th think about it at all. That is as high a praise as I can give, and something that can not be said for many other groups out there. Shifting is fast and spot on. The group has been very durable for me with one exception (see below)

Strengths:
weight
looks
flawless shifting and braking

Weaknesses:
the shift cables tend to fray inside the shifter after a while. If the cable breaks, the small, metal head on the end of the cable then drops into the shifter and you are hosed (according to LBS)

Similar Products Used:
Ultegra 9
SRAM Rival