One of my favourite type of blog post is to do a side by side comparison. It allows me to see exactly how the components are similar or different.
In this comparison post, two premium cranksets are compared. The Dura-Ace R9200 crankset and the Ultegra R8100 crankset.
Both cranksets here are for the Shimano road 12 speed drivetrain, with the same 50-34T chain ring sizes and 165 mm crank arm lengths.
There are many pictures here, so I will let the pictures do the talking. Check them out below!
Ultegra R8100 crankset on the left, Dura-Ace R9200 crankset on the right.
Shown at the back are the respective packaging for these cranksets.
Another view of the right crank arms, showing the matte finish vs the high gloss finish.
Both crank arms are 165 mm long, and use a 2-piece bonded construction as visible from the glue joint.
Crank arm spider area is hollow as well, also made by the 2-piece bonded construction. No noticeable differences here.
My personal preference is for the smooth flat design of the Ultegra crank arm, as compared to the edgy Dura-Ace design with some irregular corners.
Dura-Ace R9200 crankset, 165 mm, weighs 341 grams
Ultegra R8100 crankset, 165 mm, weighs 354 grams. Just 13 grams more than Dura-Ace.
Left crank arms!
Matte flat finish on the Ultegra crank arm, compared to the high gloss Dura-Ace crank arm.
Both are 165 mm crank arms. Check out the contrast in surface finishing!
Both left crank arms are hollow forged in one piece, and not bonded like the previous R9100 and 9000 generation.
Dura-Ace R9200 left crank arm weighs 197 grams, not as light as previous R9100 which is only 175 grams.
Ultegra R8100 left crank arm weighs 193 grams, which is LIGHTER than Dura-Ace R9200, and slightly heavier than the previous R8000.
Chain ring comparison!
Both have a 50T outer chain ring, with a similar type of surface finish but with different colour.
Hollowglide chain rings are wide for extra rigidity, so as to achieve better front shifting performance.
Pin to prevent chain jamming is painted/anodized black on the Dura-Ace chain ring.
Rear view of the chain rings. Dura-Ace chain ring is glossy at the back as well, while the Ultegra chain ring is matte.
Hollowglide chain ring is made by bonding the outer shell with the inner support, to form a hollow, rigid and lightweight structure.
Dura-Ace R9200 50T chain ring weighs 107 grams.
Ultegra R8100 50T chain ring weighs 114 grams, just 7 grams more.
34T chain rings.
Dura-Ace chain ring on the right has a printed white arrow, while the Ultegra version on the left just has a stamped protrusion. This indicates which side to align with the crank arm.
Dura-Ace 34T chain ring on the right has extra machined cutouts to save a bit of weight.
Dura-Ace 34T chain ring has printed information, while Ultegra has it stamped to save cost.
Dura-Ace R9200 34T chain ring weighs just 30 grams.
Ultegra R8100 34T chain ring weighs a bit more at 33 grams.
Weight Summary, inclusive of chain ring bolts and crank arm fixing bolt
Dura-Ace R9200 crankset: 682 grams
Ultegra R8100 crankset: 702 grams
As mentioned in the earlier post, the weight difference is only 20 grams! Unless you really need to save this 20 grams, or perhaps more likely, to complete the full Dura-Ace groupset image on your bike, there is no good reason to choose the Dura-Ace over the Ultegra crankset.
Lastly, just to satisfy my curiosity, I tried swapping the chain rings and the crank arms between Dura-Ace R9200 and Ultegra R8100, just to see if it fits. This might come in useful next time if you ever need to use a chain ring from another series.
Ultegra R8100 crank arm with Dura-Ace R9200 chain ring, it fits!
Looks unique, with the contrast between the matte crank arm and the gloss chain rings.
A bit of mismatch at the split lines, but still not too bad.
Dura-Ace R9200 crank arm with Ultegra R8100 chain ring, it does not fit.
Looks unique as well, but does not fit.
The chain ring is unable to seat fully onto the crank arms.
This incompatibility is due to the pin on the chain ring, which interferes with the crank arm. I think the crank arm rear profile is different.
Another main difference is that the new 54-40T chainring is only available for the DuraAce
ReplyDeleteReally appreciate this! Of note, Shimano lists (on their technical documentation) the R7100 12 speed 105 chainrings are a "B" fit for the Ultegra R8100 cranks. Which means they fit and work with no issues but may have aesthetic differences. The same is not said for Dura Ace. The matt finish on the Ultegra looks very classy indeed - a great tone. The branding is more subtle as well!
ReplyDeleteGood to know that the R7100 chain rings fit the Ultegra R8100 crank arms. Probably gives a similar appearance as Dura-Ace chain rings on the Ultegra crank arms due to the black chain ring colour.
DeleteAdditionally there is a new 46/36 combination just released for both Ultegra and Dura-Ace. The big ring is "non-series" (plain Shimano branding). Looks like it's the same ring, and Shimano will provide specific bolt covers to match either crank. Firmware is newly available for the commensurate front derailleurs.
DeleteThat should be for cyclocross, also available on previous generations of Shimano cranks.
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ReplyDeleteThanks for the write up, I recently acquired a R9200 dura ace crank set and was wondering if the R8100 chain rings would line up. This saved me some time, now to track down some dura ace chain rings.
Great comparison
ReplyDeleteThank you
ReplyDelete