My recommendation would be..
hardtail6 said:
I am bulding up a bike and I am trying to decide between the two. I need the drivetrain + brakes. I have looked and the diference between the two pricewise is about $250.
Is there a noticable diff between the two or does it come down to affordability vs. decadence?
How about mix/match ideas?
Use Dura-Ace shifters. They are much more crisp than the Ultegras and don't tend to rattle. Something many here are aware that Ultegra's do. They also have bearings in the shifters where the Ultegras use some bushings instead. Minor differences at first, but major differences in the longevity of the shifter's life.
You can pretty much go Ultegra on everything else, and even non-Shimano on some parts like chain, cassette, brakes, crank...
I would use a SRAM chain and cassette over the Ultegra stuff. I like the performance and I can get it cheaper than Shimano's stuff right now. Also, there are a bunch of really nice cranks on the market that are not Shimano. I like the Truvative Rouleur or FSA Energy, but you may have to use an ISIS BB with them. I have heard all the negatives about ISIS, but I am pretty convinced the issue is with the first several runs of MTB bottom brackets. I have an FSA Platinium Ti and have had no issues with it in the year I have owned it. As for brakes, you can get a set of Tektro brakes pretty cheap and some say they are as good as at least 105 brakes. So there are plenty of options out there, just look around and check out the reviews here on whatever you are looking at. There is no law that says you must use all the parts in a groupo. Also, if money is a concern, stay away from boutique wheelsets as they often don't offer anything more than an inflated price tag to most riders. Stick with traditional wheels and invest that money in better tires instead.
Russ