[Closed] Which is the best looking groupset ever?

I think the best looking groupset ever was Campagnolo Record from the late 80's early 90's. Beautifully made as well.

What he said

XT M737

I agree with you on the looks of Dura-Ace but I'd never consider it worthy of purchase on looks alone.

Personally, I like the look of Ultegra and that is about as high up the spec. rankings as I practically need to go (and ever will, unless I win the lottery), but who said this was all about practicality?

XTR M900, jewellery

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I would love a current Dura Ace chainset based on looks alone. The rest of it makes no odds to me.

XTR 970.

Colour, light and solid. Still have it on a old Zaskar.

Although those old XT twin pots looked great.

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Yeah it's the Dura-Ace chainset that does it for me. The brake calipers are rather lovely too.

The new DA cranks are better looking than the Ultegra ones, but that's like saying Hitler was more of a pacifist than Genghis Khan.

Off road: M900, middleburn cranks & Hope M4 brakes (the old silver ones, not the newer one piece calipers)

On Road: Suntour VX
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I'm recently starting to have impure thoughts of the 7800 Dura Ace - it's simple & shiny enough to be vaguely retro but still modern enough to be usable without any compatibility issues (unless you're totally set on 11spd...)

But yeah, 10 speed Record Titanium.

XTR M960 for MTB

Dura Ace 7900 for road

Best would be Cmapag Record on the road or Suntour XCPro MicroDrive offroad.

Nothing by Shimano ever, they are all about function not form.

M900.

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When mass market looked better than boutique bling.

Downtube shifters look elegant to me, especially the Dura Ace 9 speed one. Function is form in this case.

For me it's the blend of form and function coming together that makes all of this generation's shimano road groups look good. Knowing that it performs flawlessly just adds to the appreciation. I think I always preferred the look of campagnolo until this round of shimano but my bias may have been swayed by having swapped from campag to shimano and sworn never to go back.

SUrely it can only ever be Campag Record with the beautiful but useless Delta brakes?

Off road - well, Campag Record O.R. - I still remember the deep shine of a crankset I handled once, and the hubs, man, the hubs - sheer work of art.

Ugliest? Mektronic

Got to be Campag Nuovo Record, very pretty and beautifully made. Shimano 600 'Arabesque' is quite pretty too, especially the shifters:

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M960 chainset was nice..

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PITA to get rings for though. Was that the start of silly BCD? The v-brakes were lovely too...

[img] http://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/download/file.php?id=162585 [/img]

Rest of the groupset wasn't quite as nice.

SLX M675
The cranks and rear mech look really good to me, but I am a simpleton.

Whilst I love old Campag there are certain items that I've always had a thing about.

Old 9-speed SRAM X.O best groupset SRAM ever made IMHO.

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And The XTR 985 chainset, lovely lovely thing.

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Old 9-speed SRAM X.O best groupset SRAM ever made IMHO.

I've a box in the shed with about three shattered carbon cages from those old X.0 mechs 🙁

M900 - thread over IMHO.

Yep that xtr 985 chainset is the version I like. Can't see how you could improve on that.

For some reason I can appreciate some of the older road stuff but not the mountain bike equivalent.

I've a box in the shed with about three shattered carbon cages from those old X.0 mechs

Yeah, the original alloy versions were tougher, but we're talking pretty here.

Especially sram x.o in green mmmmmmmm!

Early 90's Campag Record.

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Ever since Shimano decided to take a more European slant with their road groupset design in the 90s they've churned out some gorgeous DA. Not so keen on the four-arm chainsets, but there's otherwise very little to dislike (visually. Not in including the price, obviously)

Second FunkyDunc's 90's Campag Record. The calipers and rear mech are exquisite.

The current Campag Chorus, Record and Super Record look pretty tasty!

Cheers, Steve

In concert with Skankin_giant, this rear mech looks pretty darn nice:

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I'm not sure about that carbon. I personally don't like the look of it but can see its appeal as it does scream lightweight and rigid. There's something nice about things that look like they're just built to perform but I think that campag mech looks a bit like it's been made like papier mache.

Currently produced? Campagnolo Athena in silver. Especially on anything made of steel.

Currently produced? Campagnolo Athena in silver. Especially on anything made of steel.

If you just look at it and never have to change the b/b bearings, then yes.

[IMG] [/IMG]
's pretty

Shimano 600 Arabesque.

[no I didn't have time to fix the cable before I used it]

mtb? - M900, as above.

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Road? Not sure...

bmx?

This melted my 14-year old brain...

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I think I'm the only cyclist I know that doesn't like Campag kit Just doesn't do it for me.

Heresy according to some... 😆

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That BMX looks awesome but a being able to see my face in the reflection of components does nothing to help their aesthetics 😀

Just looked at the home page of another popular cycling website and saw Chris Froome's lovely Dura-Ace group ruined by a horrible 54 tooth oval ring. Now there is a definite case of form following function. Obviously it must work well but it looks awful (not that he should care.)

One of these Dura-Ace cranks on a classic singlespeed frame with a White Industries freewheel.

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New DA...?

http://road.cc/content/tech-news/193724-video-shimano-dura-ace-9100-groupset-mechanical

Doesn't look to be in the running for best looking!

25th Anniversary Dura Ace is pretty damn nice.

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I think really, that the thread was over with the first post! Nothing as beautiful in the MTB world, before or since.

Campanolo had a good go at it though:

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"25th Anniversary Dura Ace is pretty damn nice."

I almost bought that whole groupset from a shop in London many years ago. I didn't, because I'm not into road bikes much, and it really wouldn't have ever been used. Which perhaps is better in order to preserve it's value, but would just have sat in it's box somewhere gathering dust. I think they ended up breaking it up and selling individual bits, which was pretty stupid in my opinion.

Purists will always say Campag Nuovo Record. Personally, I think Dura Ace 7400. After this, cycling was never the same again. The 25th anniversary is a reissue of the same.

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I like DA900 because it is nicely designed to be half black and half silver, so one set compliments both (just). Cranks mark by feet rubbing though 🙁

Personal favourite is Shimano 600EX/6200 series stuff, just before the grey of Ultegra took over. There's a beautiful functional simplicity to it.

Plus there's the bonkers headset lock ring pattern too..

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1999 or 2000 XTR for a mtb groupset for me - the matt black 9 speed one [img] [/img]

Or possibly (if this counts) a Paul's Components setup, I know they did mechs, shifters and brakes - not sure about cranks though.

Going against the grain I know, but I have a bike with a full M900 group and also a full M9000/9020 and I think (after a 10 min gawp at both side by side) that I prefer the look of the newer stuff.
Partial to Ultegra 6500 on the road, love the cranks.
Oh and +1 Euro 😀

PixelNorks are winning for me atm.

Mirror finish XTR M950 off a Cannondale

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Nice XTR that. I quite like a SISL crankset too...

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XX1

-----this is the end of this thread -------

I quite like a SISL crankset too...

had a couple, they always creak, great weight though

need to make a mid-compact spidering too

nice anodized too

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Campagnolo Record 10 speed for me. Here it is in its natural habitat (sorry, I couldn't find a Master Olympic with it on):

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Anything with a gunmetal finish, so XTR M960 and perhaps more recently, the 'Ice Grey' Ultegra groupsets.

More obscure would be the late 80's Shimano Santé groupset, finished in pearlescent white.

Suntour Superb Pro was lovely too, better than Dura-Ace.

Also, I won't say no to the gold plated C-Record groupsets done for various Italian framebuilders, e.g. Colnago's 35th anniversary:

http://zkahlina.ca/eng/2014/08/08/colnago-master/

Dura Ace track has to be up there for sheer simplicity and elegance:

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XTR M950

Road:
Maybe not the overall best looking but my favourite chainset and hubs at least was the 1990 Mavic groupset [img] [/img]

Well, that's pretty much every top end groupset ever made covered in this thread. Beauty is clearly in the eye of the beholder. DA9000 FTW in my opinion, I'd have to say that as I bought one!

Didn't shimano once do a limited edition pearlescent white groupset in the 80s? That was pretty.

Onzadog - Sante

It's maybe not the best aesthetically but this gets me going for being of the golden eta (my first 'proper' groupset except it came with a DX mech)

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Jimmy, I had that Deore LX on a '93 Orange Clockwork. My favourite bike ever. Just sold the XT thumbshifters last year.

Magic. My pal had the same era clockwork, still in his dad's garage with the groupset, Pace Rc36 forks, smoke lite comps etc... Great times.

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+1 for dura ace 7700 and Suntour superbe pro, lovely, light and worked well

I tend to agree with the 90s Record suggestion - though the 2010 version I have on my bike with lots of carbon is also quite nice. As is the 7700 DA I have on another bike - effectively the same bits as that 25th anniversary group.

I'm a dura ace whore 😆

Currently running it across 3 bikes

7400 very very good
7800 excellent
9000 sublime

Ran 7700 lovely stuff
Also 7900 bit woolly

7400

[url= https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7364/16553617705_166ab5df3f_b.jp g" target="_blank">https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7364/16553617705_166ab5df3f_b.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/rdMBPP ]image[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/54931015@N07/ ]Plus one2010[/url], on Flickr

7800

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9000

[url= https://c6.staticflickr.com/6/5772/22079822341_c16322235f_b.jp g" target="_blank">https://c6.staticflickr.com/6/5772/22079822341_c16322235f_b.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/zD7RW6 ]Vitus Zenium Pro SL[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/54931015@N07/ ]Plus one2010[/url], on Flickr

Love those, especially the last 2. Dura-Ace looks spot on through every era.

[quote=plus one ]I'm a dura ace whore
Currently running it across 3 bikes
7400 very very good
7800 excellent
9000 sublime

Are we still doing looks? Because whilst the 7400 is OK (if not a patch on the same generation Campag, or even the later, smoother 7700), the 7800 and 9000 are quite ugly, especially the chainsets.

i think the XTR chainset has got prettier and prettier every generation.

Except for the latest. I just don't like it.

Sante, that was it. Not as pretty as I remember. I think ridgeback had a bike in the old freewheel catalogue with that group and a matching colour on the frame. First road bike I ever had a hankering after.

9000 are quite ugly, especially the chainsets.

You're definitely not going to like the new DA then!

"i think the XTR chainset has got prettier and prettier every generation."

Really? I think the opposite. The current M9000 version is particularly ugly. The M985 wasn't so bad. M950 was a very radical design shift from M900. Set a trend for matte anodised components (many of which looked shit really). I'm much more a fan of shiny polished alloy, but M950 was very good. Love that polished M950 set above; that, I definitely would have bought!

Deore XT M730 cranks were very nice in a utilitarian, functional way. Very good quality metal.

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M737 cranks were slimmer and more elegant:

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I still don't think you can beat the M900 cranks for sheer beauty though.

M900 XTR has to be the best looking with M732/5 XT close behind. Some of the M960 XTR kit was gorgeous too.

The new 9100 Dura-ace has been revealed and it doesn't look as good as the current range which is good news as I could be tempted by a cut price groupset. I think it's gone too stylised and black which is not helped by the fact that it's presented on a black Pinarello which doesn't do anything for me either. Nice web presentation though.

http://duraace.com/global/en#intro