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Originally Posted by SgtBourne
Sora is fine for most people (including me) the only benefit most people will get from upgrading to ultegra and dura-ace is bragging rights really.. Sure they'll be a bit lighter but are you going to notice that when starting out? Probably not.
My bike came with sora groupset and I replaced the cranks with Ultegra ones, did I notice the difference? Not at all. Are the shineyer and look nicer? Sure.
As far as changing gears under load goes, no gear is going to do that well. You need to be in the right gear before heading up the hill.
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On a entry level you are right in many areas but only when starting out with fairly low kms.
Higher end groups deal with larger amounts of km's due to better materials and bearings. A high end group will also shift better under most circumstances, I can shift my durace during a mid climb up Mount Tambourine which is equivalent to a UCI Cat 2.
Considering 105 equipped bikes are down to about $1000 now, I would consider this a minimum to spend on a bike that is going to be used for regular riding for fitness. Anything less than that probably will not provide the longevity and therefore end up costing more in the long run.
By the way, cranks are the area that there is the least functional difference except weight and wear which are both difficult to perceive a difference. The difference between Sora and Durace in the area of chain, sprockets, shifters, calipers and derailleurs is spectacular. This is because these are all mechanical high wear components.
For example, the durace group on my Merckx has well over 50,000 kms on it and I am still on the original shifters, calipers, derailleurs and bottom bracket. The chain, sprockets and cranks have been changed but show me a Sora group that can give that sort of longevity.
The key to any groupset and getting longevity out of it though is maintenance, keep you bike clean (grit kills things) and service it regularly. A well maintained bike is a fast bike, you have limited power so do not let unnecessary friction chew it up.