seeking shimano hierarchy list

can anyone hook me up with a hierarchy/ranking of shimano parts (brakes, shifters, deraulliers etc.)? i've heard there are something like 10 different levels of quality but i don't know what's what. thanks in advance. (hope this topic hasn't already been covered here; i did a search and didnt find anything.)

john

uh, make that "derailleurs"

Hope this is what you're looking for, and that I've covered them all....

For MTB
Acera entry; 24-speed, great braking and shifting impressive function, great price
Alivio active; 24-speed, great braking and shifting, stylish looks improved shifters, sleeker shapes, less weight
Deore enthusiast; 27-speed, great braking and shifting, light sweet parts and price
Deore LX sport; 27-speed, sweet braking and shifting, lighter, fine finish, durable nearly XT shifting and braking
Deore XT race; 27-speed, lighter, great braking and shifting, beautiful, more durable works nearly as well as XTR
XTR pro; 27-speed, superlight, phenomenal braking and shifting and ultra durable world's lightest and highest tech off-road parts group

For ROAD

Campagnolo
Mirage entry-level; double or triple w/9 cogs fine function; some steel parts
Veloce enthusiast-level; double or triple w/9 cogs nice function; less steel; better finish
Daytona serious-level; double or triple w/9 or 10 cogs most affordable 10-speed group
Chorus race-level; double or triple w/9 or 10 cogs almost Record quality and finish
Record pro-level; double or triple w/9 or 10 cogs world's lightest group

Shimano
Sora entry-level; double or triple w/8 cogs some steel; shifts and brakes great
Tiagra enthusiast-level; double or triple w/9 cogs less steel; more interchangeability
105 serious-level; double or triple w/9 cogs great price; hollow crankarms
Ultegra 600 race-level; double or triple w/9 cogs almost D-A quality; hollow arms
Dura-Ace pro-level; double or triple w/9 cogs Lance's group; superlight

awesome. forums are good (or should that be "fora"?). thanks.

john

Personally, I would go for Campagnolo, quality is better, name sounds better, the look is better.

PS: I have Shimano on my bike......Just waiting untill I have enough $$ one day.

__________________
"pain is temporary, pride is forever"

Campagnolo: wear it IN.
Shimano: wear it OUT.

I've got a bike with some Simano 600, and RX100 Components. I've been searching for some older hierarchy lists, and found a 1997 list on the Sheldon Brown site.. here it is:

1997 Shimano Road Group Heirarchy
Dura Ace
9-speed
Ultegra
105SC
RX-100
RSX

ok,.. but where does 600 fit in? and when was it made? I've seen some parts called "Shimano Ultegra / 600"

So, is 600 Ultegra level? and when did they change the names??

A couple of minor corrections: The Campagnolo group stubacca calls "Daytona" is now called "Centaur". There is another Campagnolo group called "Xenon" below Mirage (i.e. Xenon is the very bottom of the range) - it is 9-speed, is cheaper than Mirage, and obviously not as light or as nicely finished. Also, Veloce now has a 10-speed version for 2004.

The name became offically ultegra in 98 with 9 speed.Prior to that the labels said 600,but it was also often refered to as ultegra. Sheldon semi brainfarted it by calling ultegra in 97. should have been 600(ultegra). also DA was the only 9 speed Shimano group in 97.

Sora is also availabe as 7 speed,but not widely available.

Thanks!

And steel is real??

Also omitted is the Tourney group which I believe is lower end than Acera.

Question on older groups: were the EX300, EX600, and FX600 groups high/low/medium quality groups, were their cassettes and cranks steel or aluminum?

How true is the whole 'campag better than shimano' thing nowadays? Snobbery/tradition/euro-centricity aside. I mean in engineering terms.

I remember the pre-aero, pre LeMond early 80's when i was a club cyclist, Campag was definitely the king of groupos then and shimano the pretender to the throne, but things have come a long way since then, technologically etc.

Without wishing to provoke a barney, I'm just curious.

I've got both.
Campy shifts smoother.
Shimano seems crisper.
I like the logic of Campy's shift levers more.