daveleau

Hi everyone,

I have a few questions about a bike I’m building up. I bought a very lightly used (no scratches, even) Fuji Team Pro 2009 frame and fork. I’ve gotten the right sized saddle and a seatpost and handlebar. The next thing is the drive train. I’m in the market for an Ultegra 6800 drive train (other bike is Shimano 105, so sticking with the same company). I also picked up a set of used wheels for training with the plan to buy better wheels later. I have a few questions:

Will Bontrager Race Lite wheels (pre-TLR wheels - 2009/2010-ish?) with the original hub work with a modern Ultegra setup? I assume the most it can handle is a 10 speed. I was thinking of going with a 10 speed cassette and then get an 11 speed later with new wheels, if I felt the need.

Will a 10 speed cassette with no spacer behind it work with an 11 speed Ultegra setup or will there be side effects?

Also, is it best to buy a groupset outright or piece it together? Which is going to be cheaper?

Specs I am looking at buying are:
Ultegra 6800 (non Di2)
BB – English
Crank – 50-34, 172.5
Front – Braze on
Rear – mid-cage derailleur
Cassette – 11-28 or 11-32

Thanks for the help!

Dave

SkyDog75

The spacing from cog to cog is slightly different between Shimano's 10-speed and 11-speed cassettes. You may be able to mismatch shifters and cassettes and get it working, but it may not shift smoothly throughout your entire gear range.

daveleau

Thanks. Is it better to get a 11-speed compatible wheel or replace the hub?

fietsbob

get the whole group like they want you to do.

alcjphil

Cassette bodies for 11 speed cassettes are longer than 8,9,10 speed cassette bodies so you have to buy an 11 speed wheel in order to be able to use an 11 speed cassette. Mavic wheels have used longer cassette bodies for many years, so pretty much any Mavic wheel made in the last few years is already 11 speed compatible. Replacing a hub is pretty much as expensive as buying a complete wheel and it is often difficult to rebuild a wheel using a used rim

daveleau

Sweet. I have Aksiums on my Lynskey, but a 10 speed/105 setup. So I'll swap them and put the Mavics on with the Ultegra group.

alcjphil

Just remember that when you install the 11 speed cassette on the Aksiums that you remove both the thin spacer that Shimano provides with their 10 speed cassettes and the thicker spacer that Mavic supplies with their wheels. You need that extra space for the 11 speed cassette