What is the best groupset over the past 25 years (1998-2023) in your opinion?

[otherself]

I'm gonna have to say Dura Ace 7800. Beautiful, light, stiff, no fuss, shifts like butter and could still win Grand Tours today.

2. SRAM Red 1st Gen - super.
3. Tiagra 4700 - excellent, shifts like top end groups.
4. 5800 shimano 105 - the best all rounder.
5. Ultegra 6500.

Campagnolo - not much experience from me.

 

[pigman]

I'll drink to DA 7800, probably the best ever combining looks with performance

 

[jim haseltine]

Campagnolo - Record Titanium 9 speed. Not too much carbon, chain rings with 5 mounting bolts, 9 speed so still a decent thickness chain and second series 9 speed so all the bugs were worked out. Best of all - a square taper BB axle.

 

[Sir Neil d'Menture]

Might be outside your time limit but Shimano 600 Tricolour effectively finished off Campag for road use.

 

[eri]

I'll drink to DA 7800, probably the best ever combining looks with performance

It’s got to be 7800. Extremely well made and the standards it introduced all aged really well.

I also about the tricolor 600.

Would be nice to know the personalities and inside stories of the people that developed these grouppos.

 

[wynne]

10 speed Record and for pushing the boundaries of what could be done with a single ring Sram Force cx1.

 

[legrandefromage]

the 'best groupset''? anything I can buy cheap

 

[Splatter Paint]

Whilst I’ve owned and ridden 7800 series, the first generation 11 speed 9000 gets my vote.

 

[FiveAlpha]

Dura Ace 7700. After that, Shimano chainsets get progressively uglier - first with the 7800 being so 'bulbous' in the middle, and then moving to 4 bolts, and the final nail in the aesthetic coffin being assymetrical 4-arm.

If it weren't for the chainset, I might say 7800.

 

[nickyburnell]

No Shimano with exposed cables, yuk. 4700 was indeed a bargain and great for upgrades due to pull ratio. (think youngster buying new stuff etc) but now 7000 so cheap.
Potenza for me, got three sets, all cobbled together from eBay separate purchases and it very solid in a way 5800 could never achieve with age (have had lots)
Looks, anything Campag late 80s early 90's, no contest, it ages well unlike the other sides discouloured peeling plasic levers etc. To be fair though, mechanical 7000 is such value it's hard to ignore. All hydraulic levers are ugly IMHO. Hard to admit, but 7000 has hit the spot (stupid cassette 11-32 ratios aside).