Clydesdales/Athenas (200+ lb / 91+ kg) - Shimano 105 trouble

I ride a Specialized rode bike equiped with shimano 105. I am having a dificult time keeping both the front and rear derailers adjusted. Is it my weight or are they just garbage. Is anyone else having this prblem and should I trade up. ECB1

105 is not garbage. It's actually really decent quality components. I was riding near 300 i'm down to 260 now. I have 105 up front and Ult in the rear. The only real difference is weight. You may want to run some new cables.

105 is good stuff. I have over 20,000 miles on my shifters and front deraileur with no problmes at all and still shifting perfectly.

Is the bike new? The cables sometimes need several adjustments for a period of 60 day s or so. I 've had some adjust once, and other stuff needed 4 or 5 adjustments (Ultegra). Depends on the new cables themselves.

If it's old, like the other guy said, may need new cables. Sometimes they fray in the shifters where not visible.

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I had a shop guy tell my bud that his Ultegra can't be adjusted any better than what it was. He told my bud "that's why we sell Dura Ace":eek:....It took me aobut one minute to adjust it on the side of the road. He was very happy after that!:D

I guess I'm +2 on the opinion on 105. My wife has Ultegra and frankly my 105 performs equally to it. Although I think a good portion of that is her crank/bb has never been quite right.

Besides not being Campy:p, there is nothing wrong with 105. As far as 105 and Ultegra go there is very little difference except for weight. To a certain degree the same could be said for Ultegra and D/A.

Honestly, 105 is probably the best bang for buck. Well, for ShimaNO anyways:D

Disclaimer: I have both 105 and Ultegra on a couple of bikes too.

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I had a shop guy tell my bud that his Ultegra can't be adjusted any better than what it was. He told my bud "that's why we sell Dura Ace":eek:....It took me aobut one minute to adjust it on the side of the road. He was very happy after that!:D

I can't stand bike shop snobs. Thats why I shopped 5 different bike shops before I settled on my lbs. As a clyde roadie it can be difficult to get respect at some of the more " serious " shops.

Are you letting tension off the chain prior to shifting? I was new to biking and didn't realize that I needed to.

Are you letting tension off the chain prior to shifting? I was new to biking and didn't realize that I needed to.

This is a valid point. As Clydes we deliver much more power to the drivetrain than the average rider. Along with possible cable issues this can create some frustrating mishaps in your riding experiences.

I have been trying to when i'm under a lot of peddle preasure but this is happening in the flats. 1 minute a good shift then 2 bad. ECB1

Sounds like a cable issue. You are either dealing with worn cables, or new cables that have stretched and you need an adjustment on your limit screws.

EDIT: How old are your chain, cassette, and chain rings?

I had a new wheel built and put on but they used the same cassette. It was doing this before and I am now having more trouble with the front derailer. ECB1

This document (http://techdocs.shimano.com/media/techdocs/content/cycle/SI/105/FD-5500-5501/SI-59G0C-En_v1_m56577569830612176.pdf) should help you get the FD working pretty smoothly.

Here's (http://techdocs.shimano.com/media/techdocs/content/cycle/SI/105/RD-5500-5501/SI-5TK0D-En_v1_m56577569830603908.pdf) the RD.

I have 105 on my road bike and even with a triple up front I don't have any real problems.

You can also search youtube and get dozens of online lessons watching someone do the adjustments.

As others have already chimed in, the 105 group set is just fine. It just doesn't have the fancy name, but it is very reliable and durable. It is either not settled, as some have theorized, or you have something bent that makes it impossible to stay properly adjusted.