This is a topic I'm interested in. Has reliability gone down with Shimano groupsets in the last decade?
I have been hearing bad things about the latest 10/11/12 speed gruppos, things like glued crankset arms, chains and cassettes that wear faster than ever before etc.
I know at least some of this is true, because not only the price for 11/12 speed chains and cassettes are very high, I have 3x7 and 3x8 STX and XT groupsets that look and work like new, parts are cheap and they wear out slow when maintained.
But the new stuff? I'm skeptical. Shimano seems to be giving durability for lightness, not to mention custom hub/spoke designs and proprietary mounts for their shifters that change every generation.
Bottom line, I think Shimano quality has started to go downhill while prices have gone up.
In these circumstance, I am more tempted by their lower end gruppos because I hate 1X setups, I don't want to pay for 12 speed cassettes that are huge, ugly and expensive while also lasting less than the older stuff and I tend to believe with the cheaper parts, quality isn't sacrificed for saving a few grams off each part.
Is low end the new high end or should I keep riding my vintage bikes? Because i'm pretty sure the old iron horses with their now vintage groupsets can last me until I retire(maybe not used daily, but).
Wish I could still buy brand new 3x8/2x8 XT and Ultegra stuff, that's all I'm saying.
Anybody else feel the same or I am growing old too soon?