Jarrett2

I just found this cool deal:

Road Upgrade Kits

By the way, anyone selling those cheaper?

I have a 2014 58cm Specialized Roubaix Elite 105. It has 10-speed 105 components. I'd like to move to an 11-speed Ultegra setup.

When I look at ordering, it is asking me a few things that I don't know the answers to and though BF might. Things like:

Front Derailleur: Braze-on or Clamp-on?
Rear Derailleur: SS Short Cage or GS Long Cage
Cassette: 11-23, 11-25, 11-28, 11-23, 12-25

Which of these should I choose?

I've ridden the bike with both a Tiagra 12-30 and Ultegra (10-spped) 11-28 cassette. Either seems fine to me.

zacster

Save your money. Don't do it. You won't find it that much different than what you have. Since you don't understand gearing (based on you questions) what do you think you'll be getting? When the bike is 10 years old and you want an upgrade, maybe then it would be worth it. More likely everything about the bike will be obsolete by the standards of the day, and it wouldn't be worth it then either as a new bike would cost less.


If you must upgrade, buy some better wheels. I don't know what you have now, but stock wheels always leave room for an upgrade.

HillRider

Zacster has it right. If you have no idea what gearing you need, what do you hope to accomplish by this "upgrade"? Your components are practically brand new and you will see no perceptible improvement after you make the change. All that "cool idea" will accomplish is to lighten you wallet or dig your credit card a deeper hole.

That said it's your money and if it makes you happy, have at it. I expect you will have to have the new items installed by an LBS so solicit their help with what you need.

Jarrett2

Anyone with knowledge of this that they want to share?

jimc101

Those 11 speed upgrades miss a key component, the rear wheel, unless your current wheel is capable of fitting a 11 speed cassette, non are worth it, they are also missing the brakes, which are going to give you b level compatibility with your old brakes.

Being realistic, #zacster has it right, they aren't worth it, you have a virtually new bike already, what this shows is, you bought the wrong bike in the first place, 6800 has been around for getting on 1.5 years now, if you wanted it, the most cost effective way would have been to buy a bike with it in the first place.

HillRider

I thought we already had.

As to details if you go ahead here are my recommendations:

1. Front Derailleur: I'm not certain what style front derailleur you need but I expect the frame has a braze-on mounting tab so get a braze-on front derailleur. Specialized's web site doesn't say so check with a bike shop or knowledgable friend first to confirm this. You can always get an adapter clamp if you need a clamp-on type.

2. Rear Derailleur: Specify the GS long cage rear derailleur. The bike has a compact (50/34) crank and with a wide range cassette you need the wrap capacity the GS cage provides.

3.Cassette: Specify the 11x28 since you already know that works on another bike.

Excel Sports is not know for being the low cost supplier of anything so search around to see if you can do better.

alcjphil

When Shimano went to 11 speed, they had to lengthen the cassette body. This means that an 11 speed cassette will not fit on a cassette body designed for 8,9, or 10 speed cassettes. However, the fact that your bike is a 2014 model may mean that your wheels can accept an 11 speed cassette. That said, Shimano really improved shifting with their 11 speed groups, there were a lot of complaints about the shifting precision with the last generation of 10 speed shifters. I built up a bike for a friend last year using an Ultegra 6800 group, and he tells me that the shifting is far superior to the shifting on his other, otherwise almost identical bike that has a Dura Ace 7900 10 speed group, so now he rides his Ultegra bike almost all the time. However, one of the reasons why shifting is so much better with the newer 11 speed setups is lower friction shift and brake cables, so in theory you could upgrade your bike quite a bit by installing the newer cables on your current setup

cny-bikeman

The two respected members above already shared what they could. If you don't know what gear range you need how would anyone else know? Same goes in spades for whether to get a braze on or bolt-on derailleur. If you want to spend the $ then we won't stand in your way, but don't ask for assistance if you don't want to hear opinions, especially on this forum.

p.s. I just saw alcj's post, and it appears you may gain an advantage. Hillrider was gracious enough to offer some more info as well. There's still no good reason to dismiss responses because you don't like what they have to say.

Jarrett2

Sure there is. I didn't come here asking, "Is this a good idea?" I might have posted in another forum if that were the question.

I asked some specific mechanical questions, hence the post here. Just because there are people on every forum that like to give their opinion on how others spend their money makes no difference to me. I ignore that type of banter and dismiss those responses.

Jarrett2

This is solid info, thanks.

alcjphil

There is information in opinions as well, so don't totally discount them. Your initial post creates the impression that you may not be too knowledgeable about your options, and that you may be looking to upgrade for no really good reason. The opinions are simply what you get with any question. Brushing someone off simply because of an opinion can also be insulting the people who simply provided information, myself included.

Jarrett2

Unsolicited opinions can be (and are sometimes intended to be) insulting as well.

alcjphil

Fine, you don't like opinions. Even though I didn't provide any, I'm done here

Jarrett2

I just had the idea to look at what the 2015 Roubaix's show on the Specialized site and it seems to have answered my questions for me:

FRONT DERAILLEUR: Shimano Ultegra, 11-speed, braze-on
REAR DERAILLEUR: Shimano Ultegra, 11-speed, long cage
CASSETTE: Shimano Ultegra, 11-speed, 11-32

Sometimes you just need to know where to look, I guess.

Jarrett2

No problem, thanks for the input.

AnkleWork

[I see you answered the questions]
You might consider the short cage plus the 11-23 cassette -- they're lighter.

BTW, $479 plus labor for one whole gear seems a bargain. Think of the bling value.

cny-bikeman

As I already said, how you spend the money is up to you. But one of the most common occurrences here is posts from people who have decided on the wrong solution to a problem and who proceed to ask how to implement their solution without disclosing the initial issue. Merely answering the question posed is possibly polite but not necessarily helpful. As you gave no reason for the "move" it's understandable that folks who have seen many posts from people who expect huge benefits from more gears would try to provide some perspective just in case you were in that category.

It's fine not to acknowledge, appreciate or respond to each post, but your asking for "someone with knowledge after receiving two responsible was a petty act. It's nice that you can manage to be dismissive when you failed to provide the very info needed to answer the specific question you asked (which is actually not just mechanical) such as:

What gear range are you using now, and at what typical rpm?
Do you anticipate riding the bike in any more challenging terrain in the future?
Do you anticipate an increase in your fitness level?
What is the exact model of your rear hub?
Do you have a braze-on mount for the front derailleur?

BTW, looking at the kit again it appears you will not reap the benefit of the improved cables/housing.

Dave Mayer

Plus the significantly increased cost of replacement 11-speed drivetrain parts. I ground through 4 chains and a cassette and a set of rings last year. If you are putting the kind of miles that justify bike bling, then you will too. Sweet that 105 level 10-speed chains are selling for about $13 right now.

BTW: 11-speed wheels are structurally inferior to 10 speed equivalents, due to now extreme width of 11-speed cassettes.

Finally, 11-speed drivetrain componentry is mostly incompatible with the far cheaper 10-speed equivalents. Different cable pull requirements for the derailleurs etc. Even the brakes. We knew with absolute certainty that incompatibility was coming with the transition to 11-speed. No advantage to the component makers not to.

So if you crash your rear derailleur, forget about going to your spare parts bin - you are going to have to go begging to your LBS and be prepared to pay full price.

alcjphil

Oh please, if this were true Mavic wheels, which have been compatible with 11 speed Shimano drivetrains for over a decade would not have the reputation that they do. Campagnolo has produced wheels that could be used for Shimano 11 speed for just about as long. Shimano 11 speed cassettes use cogs that are exactly the same thickness as 10 speed cogs. Yes, the availability of used replacement parts is more limited NOW, but not for long, Shimano has been producing 11 speed drivetrains for over 3 years, second hand stuff will be available by the time your new components wear out.

zacster

I wouldn't be so sure 11 speed will come down in price any time soon. It isn't new anymore but it is still expensive. I have Campy 10sp on my road bike and that is still expensive too, and when I see 11sp prices I just cringe. I could buy a new bike for the price of a new chain/cassette (that's an exaggeration of course). It goes from being something you'll buy every few years to something you'll only buy when the teeth start chipping off.