Should you buy Shimano Ultegra 6800 while you still can?

[This article was last updated on September 13, 2018]

Shimano's new Ultegra R8000 groupset is now widely available, both on bikes and as parts. If you're considering an Ultegra upgrade, should you get the new groupset, or pick up the old Ultegra 6800 at a bargain price?

Check out the new Ultegra R8000 groupset here.

Here are the potential advantages of grabbing a Shimano Ultegra 6800 groupset while you still can.

Cost

First, and most obviously, there’s the cost.

Online retailer Mantel.com, for example, is currently selling the Shimano Ultegra 6800 groupset for £580.20 (compared to the RRP of £999.99). That comprises the chainset, dual control shifters, brakes, derailleurs, cassette, chain, and bottom bracket.

The RRPs on that lot for new Ultegra R8000 are:

However, you can now get Ultegra R8000 for as little as £620, the 6800 incarnation is getting hard to find and those outlets that still have it don't offer a wide range of options. Want 165mm cranks or a 12-25 cassette? Sorry.

Read our Beginner's guide to groupsets here.

Weight

Shimano boasts that, “At its lightest set up (Di2 with mechanical braking) Ultegra R8000 weighs 4,071g, which is an 84.5g saving over Ultegra 6800.”

Okay, but that 84.5g saving includes wheels and pedals, and many people will already have favourite wheels and pedals.

In some formats, outgoing Ultegra 6800 is actually a little lighter than incoming Ultegra R8000.

If you want mechanical shifting and rim brakes, for example, this is how the two systems compare (according to Shimano’s own figures):

So in that setup Ultegra 6800 is 44g lighter.

Weight certainly isn’t the be all and end all – function is way more important – and 44g is negligible anyway, but the point we’re making is simply that you’re not necessarily going to save grams by going for Ultegra R8000.

Check out our guide to Shimano groupsets.

Ultegra 6800 is well-proven

Shimano Ultegra 6800 is an excellent groupset; check out our review here.

road.cc’s Dave Atkinson said, “The bottom line is: for the serious fitness rider or privateer racer, as a package, this is as good as a mechanical groupset has ever been.”

We’ve used Ultegra 6800 loads since that review was written and we stand by the view that, “As a whole package… Shimano Ultegra 6800 is everything you want from a mechanical performance groupset. It's light, the shifts are crisp and quick, the braking is truly excellent.”

It has proven to be durable too.

Ultegra R8000 is turning out to be equally impressive, but you certainly shouldn't dismiss 6800 on raw performance alone.

Fair enough, you might want some of the new features that Ultegra R8000 offers (go to our previous story to read all about those). Dual pivot brakes with enough clearance for 28mm tyres might be important to you, for example, you might really like the new hoods and levers design of the R8000 dual control shifters, or you might be putting together a low-geared build for riding in the mountains and want R8000's ability to handle a 34-tooth sprocket.

If you don't need those features, though, Ultegra 6800 remains an outstanding groupset, and you'll still save a bit of money.