On Bicycles, and.... what else is there?

I did a few minutes of data mining of the Competitive Cyclist road group configuration page , collecting datapoints in each of the three available full-group manufactures, SRAM, Shimano, and Campagnolo. The page offers convenient totals on mass and price. Their mass numbers aren't always great, and certainly even local shops often beat Competitive Cyclist prices (especially with bike coalition or racing club discounts), but the idea is to compare the relative cost of different groups, and it is assumed discounts are available for each. First, on this comparison, it's clear Shimano is uncompetitive. SRAM comes out the best, with Campy a close second. But second, sticking with complete groups, the jump to the highest end comes with a hefty price tag. Each is over $5/gram. Among the second-tier groups, Force shows itself as the real weight-weenie bargain. With performance essentially equivalent to Red (with exception of the ceramic bearings, which might be important), it sa...