They are all very good groups. 105 is a great value for performance, but that said Ultegra is only around $200 more then 105 and the real sweet spot considering Dura-Ace is about $550 more then Ultegra.
With the higher end groups they are lighter and will shift a tad faster, and maybe smoother. I would say that a new 105 group would be on par with a 9 speed Ultegra maybe even DA group, as far as function. The new stuff is really nice.
Doubles are going to shift better then triples, simply by nature. You might look at a compact crank 50/34 with a 12/27 will give you a nice low end, without moving to a triple.
Also I would go 10 speed, while 9-speed components are still available, everything is now 10 speed, so it will be easier to get parts and upgrade in the future. I've got both 9 and 10 speed and wish everything was 10. Add in both Campy and Shimano and I have very few parts that I can swap between our 5 road bikes.



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