#Speed racer the next generation upgrade
#Speed racer the next generation series

But given that these parts are consumable and can easily be swapped in to a modern Tiagra system, I'm going to hand the win to Tiagra вЂ“ and that's just considering the performance, not factoring in the (relative) price difference.Another session, another Italian putting a Next Generation bike on top, this time it was Nicolo Bulega with the Ducati holding off Stefano Manzi on the triumph.

#Speed racer the next generation series

There are some areas where Ultegra 6700 retains an edge over Tiagra 4700, the braking performance and gearing options being the main ones. An animated TV series centered on the child of the legendary Speed Racer - a young talent named after his father who enrolls in an academy for the fastest kids on Earth. In all, there are quite a few points where modern Tiagra 4700 series has an edge of 10-speed Ultegra 6700 series вЂ“ namely, regarding the lever ergonomics and shifting performance.

So, like with the brake pads, this isn't really a road block for Tiagra, but also it is worth noting. The good news is you can still track down cassettes with the Ultegra ratios and fit them to a Tiagra specced bike. The introduction of an 11вЂ“32t cassette is great for boosting the gearing range and a welcome introduction, but it still leaves quite a hole where the Ultegra cassettes once were. Instead, these get replaced with an 11вЂ“25t cassette which doesn't have a 16t sprocket like the 11вЂ“23t and doesn't have the range of the 11вЂ“28t.ДЄlternatively, there is a 12-28t, which at least provides an easier bottom gear, but loses some of the top end and overall range compared to an 11-28t. Sadly, modern Tiagra loses both those cassettes. But as is commonly pointed out вЂ“ bigger gaps at that end of the gearing range aren't so noticeable. Then there was the 11вЂ“28t, which had the same number of single tooth jumps as an 11-speed 11вЂ“28t cassette, just with slightly larger jumps between easiest gears of the cassette. Some people don't mind that gap, but there are others who seem to always find themselves on the wrong side of it. You had the 11вЂ“23t for flat riding/racing, with a 16t sprocket smoothing out the jump between the 15t and 17t sprockets. This is another area where the stock options from the Ultegra 6700 series are (were) quite a bit better than what you get with Tiagra 4700. The hydraulic braking version of Tiagra is excellent and delivers a huge amount of power along with great modulation, the mechanical discs require a bit of tinkering to get the best out of the system. Still, the fact is that these days, you're most likely going to see Tiagra specced on a disc brake bike. Putting some better pads on Tiagra calipers can transform the performance,

#Speed racer the next generation upgrade

The flipside to this is that brake pads are a relatively inexpensive upgrade and, as a consumable, itвЂ™s a part youвЂ™re going to have to replace at some point.

The basic one-piece brake blocks of the Tiagra stoppers result in quite a spongey and underpowered performance in comparison. The compound of the pads and the presence of brake shoe gives a more positive braking feel with more power and greater control. Taking the stock rim brake setups for each of the groupsets, Ultegra is the clear winner here. Here we start getting a little closer to apples and oranges territory: ItвЂ™s pretty rare that you see a Tiagra rim brake build these days and there wasnвЂ™t a hydraulic disc brake version of 10-speed Ultegra.Д«ut with that said, there is still enough crossover to draw out a few comparisons. Ultegra 6700 feels quite wide on the hoods where your palms tend to sit and the way the front of the lever rises up just doesn't 'lock you in' quite as well as on the more recent designsДЇeeling relatively skinner and kicking up at just the right angle, the Tiagra 4700 levers give a greater feeling of security (at least for me) than those of Ultegra 6700. Perhaps a more subjective are the ergonomics of the levers. With Tiagra 4700, on the other hand, that lever grows in size and makes the shifts just that much easier. Often its not a issue, but when wearing bulky gloves or when reaching for that next gear in the heat of a sprint, it was always quite easy to fumble the shift. 181 Star Trek: The Next Generation - Future's Past, 181 Stargate. The shifters represent perhaps the greatest divergence between modern Tiagra (4700 series) and Ultegra 6700 вЂ“ and it's the cheaper gruppo that comes out best.ДЄ perennial issue of this generation of Ultegra is that the lever for shifting into smaller sprockets is itself just a bit too small (something the brand addressed with its latest launch). 157 Rap Jam: Volume One, 157 Realm, 158 Red Alarm, 253 Redline F-1 Racer.