Whether you’re looking to upgrade, refresh or update, a new groupset can breathe new life into your bike. This week’s edition of BikeRadar Bargains collates the best deals we can find for mountain and road bike groupsets on the web.
- Road bike groupsets: everything you need to know
- Mountain bike groupsets: everything you need to know
Take your pick from the 12 speed SRAM XX1, X01 or more value conscious GX, or look at Shimano’s mountain bike offerings in the form of the proven XT or more value-minded SLX groupsets.
On the road side, there's a definite Shimano bias, with the pro-level Dura Ace, high performance Ultegra and value 105. For some Italian flair, consider the Campagnolo Potenza groupset and if you just want something different consider the Rotor UNO hydraulic shifting groupset.
SRAM XX1 Eagle groupset — £1,215 £850
XX1 is SRAM's top-tier, high end groupset aimed at XC riders looking for the best performance. SRAM is undoubtedly king of mountain bike drivetrains at the moment (with Shimano XTR 12-speed only recently announced) so pick up a bargain on THE flagship mountain bike groupset.
SRAM X01 Eagle groupset — £1,089 £770
SRAM X01 is pitched as a hardier and more durable version of XX1, so is perfect for the rigours of everything from trail riding to enduro.
That increased durability comes with a slight weight penalty, but saves you some money in the process. Save even more money with the deal we’ve found here.
SRAM GX Eagle groupset — £495 £333
SRAM's Eagle technology has now trickled down to the more value conscious groupsets too. Join the 1x12 club and get top-end performance at a bargain price.
Shimano XT M8000 groupset — £500 £300
Build up your drivetrain around Shimano’s groupsets and you won’t have a potentially costly upgrade to a SRAM XD Freehub body. You still get a decent range but only 11-gears. However, you get proven Shimano reliability and a great performing drivetrain at an even more reasonable price.
Shimano SLX M7000 groupset — £350 £240
Shimano SLX features 11-speeds and the groupset takes its cues from many of the higher-end tiers at a more reasonable price. This is perfect as a day-in day-out drivetrain that is cheap to run and will just keep on going.
Shimano Dura Ace R9100 groupset — £1,875 £1,195
While SRAM dominates in the mountain bike sector, we’d argue that Shimano still has the upper hand for road builds.
For the ultimate in bling, performance and quality why not treat to yourself to the very tasty, pro-level Shimano Dura Ace groupset.
Shimano Ultegra R8000 groupset — £1,099 £550
A slightly more reasonable option is Shimano Ultegra, with the most recent groupset one of the best the company has ever made (we gave it a rare 5-stars).
If you've been in the game long enough, it'll come as no surprise that Shimano's latest and greatest road groupset is available with a healthy, healthy discount.
- Buy the Shimano Ultegra R8050 Di2 groupset with a 50% discount from Pro Bike Kit
- Buy the Shimano Ultegra R8020 hydraulic disc groupset with a 40% discount from Pro Bike Kit
Shimano 105 R8000 groupset — £560 £350
Ahh, good ol' 105, the blue collar hero of groupsets.
While it lacks the deep, graphite looks of its more expensive cousin, its performance is flawless and we'd be happy to run it on any of our bikes, from racer to weekend pootler. With the recently announced R7000 not yet readily available, pick up a bargain on the stalwart 105 R5800.
Campagnolo Potenza groupset — £735 £599
The Campagnolo Potenza groupset is best thought of as Chorus cast in alloy and is becoming increasingly common spec on a number of bikes. It sits at the same level as Ultegra, so if you want some Italian flair, looks and ergonomics then this might just be a great choice.
Rotor UNO Hydraulic Disc groupset — £2,400 £1,499
Of course, if you want to have the most unique setup out there, then consider the Rotor UNO hydraulic groupset. You don't just get hydraulic disc brakes, but hydraulic shifting too. Do you really need this? We don't know, but it sure is cool technology.
