If you switch groupset brands you will definitely feel a difference since the shifting mechanism itself is different between Shimano/Campy/SRAM. At this level, whether it feels better or not is completely subjective (and a religious choice for some).
Once you've chosen a brand you really need to go to your LBS and try out the different tiers to see if you perceive any difference and justify your purchase based on price. As an extreme example you will certainly notice a difference between, say, a Sora shifter vs electronic shifters. But between Tiagra, 105, and Ultegra? Hard to truly quantify in words, trying to explain feel is like trying to describe a color. "Yeah, it clicks into the right gear with just the level of smoothness and feedback I was expecting in comparison to the Claris". Just need to try it.
jwroubaix said:
Would an upgraded bike with better components be noticed by me? Would it shift better, feel better, etc?
You might notice a HUGE difference if you haven't serviced your bike since 2007 and then hop on a brand new bike. I've purchased brand new bikes and think man everything feels way better than my current bike. Some of these perceptions fueled by post-purchase rationalization. Then eventually I get my old bike serviced (new cables, wheels trued, BB overhaul, etc... the whole shebang) and it feels like new again, in its own way.
jwroubaix said:
I'll be honest, I like my bike to have a cool color scheme, my problem with a lot of new bikes is that they just don't look that cool. Just going off looks I like some of the PInarello frames. Would it really makes sense for me to upgrade to a more expensive bike? How big of a difference would I notice with ride quality and shifting smoothness if I spent the additional money?
Ride quality largely depends on fit and saddle and honestly you could buy a 15 grand bike and have it feel horrible by your standards. It's a matter of communicating your needs for comfort and working with a competent fitter. After that, this is simply a matter of justifying sense of ownership of a bike you identify with vs cost. If you look at the bike and think "man I wanna go ride", "man, I love being seen on this cool looking bike", "man this is a great paint job" and if you find satisfaction and value through that, then sure perhaps it makes sense to dish out the money. I think the difference in shifting smoothness is totally secondary since modern Shimano components will always shift fine given that it's tuned and maintained properly (the only time this becomes first order is if there's a religious reasoning behind your choice... see 1st and 2nd sentence).
