Bike Forums - Ultegra vs 105

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- - Ultegra vs 105 (https://www.bikeforums.net/road-cycling/1072111-ultegra-vs-105-a.html)

Quote:

Originally Posted by FIVE ONE SIX (Post 18913657)

i'm on the south shore in Massapequa. as far as Cannondale dealers go, stay as far away from the actual Cannondale store in Carle Place as you can, they're not very good. if you're looking for a really good Cannondale dealer, i'd recommend Bike Junkie on Broadway in Bethpage, that's primarily what they sell and their mechanic Doug is the best mechanic that i know of on LI. they also became a Specialized dealer 2 years ago, so they're good for Specialized too. if you're looking for a Fuji or Felt or BMC see Mike at Merrick Bicycles on Merrick Avenue, they're great too. If you're looking for a Pinarello or Trek, Brickwell is the place to go. me personally, i stop in Brands if i need something and they have it in stock, but i would never buy a bike from Brands and i would never take my bike there for any type of mechanical work. it's basically like a bike supermarket. also, like someone else mentioned Mineola Bike on Jericho Turnpike in Mineola is good too, and their bike club is the biggest on LI...

Thanks again for the recommendation on Bike Junkie. Bought a cannondale evo ultegra bike and picked it up about a week ago. Doug was great and i was really pleased with the buying process. Now to ride it...

Quote:

Originally Posted by ltxi (Post 18917062)

105 is just fine. I ride Ultegra...it's better.

"better"... lol

I ride both.

I assure you, there is no discernible difference.

Quote:

Originally Posted by 69chevy (Post 18952909)

"better"... lol

I ride both.

I assure you, there is no discernible difference.

Well, I disagree but respect your opinion. I would prefer, tho, you didn't laugh at /denigrate mine.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ltxi (Post 18953613)

Well, I disagree but respect your opinion. I would prefer, tho, you didn't laugh at /denigrate mine.

Not laughing at the opinion, just the lack of basis. 105 shifts every time I hit the lever, brakes as well as Ultegra every time I squeeze the lever. I can't agree that Ultegra is better.

I say, if you're going to spend $$$ for a bike, then you might as well spend extra for the better gruppo. If OTOH you must consider price, then you can't beat the 105 gruppo.

Quote:

Originally Posted by TimothyH (Post 18917262)

This really isn't fair.

The guy with Di2 might have sacrificed and saved to be able to afford it.

I took a second job just to be able to afford my first really nice set of wheels.

Really isn't right to judge people like that.

-Tim-

Don't misunderstand me, I'm not criticizing anybody's choice here, just explaining the rationale behind the pricing model Shimano uses. There are always folks who don't fit the model, although I suppose I could also argue that someone who suffers and saves to buy the top of the line also doesn't care about the price.

IMO...Speaking to Shimano for a reasonably serious cyclist, if you don't care about price the answer is DuraAce. If you care about price and want best p/p value the answer is 105. If willing to go extra for a bit better fit/finish/performance the answer is Ultegra. I'm in the Ultegra camp.

I'd argue that in bang-for-the-buck department, Shimano Sora gives the most. That stuff works really nice.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Farby (Post 18952850)

i just saw this, and your welcome. he does most of the road bike work and repairs, so don't be surprised if you go in there and he's a bit backed up, but if he knows you recently got the bike and there's a problem he'll usually address it before he leaves that night. i'm not going to lie, getting a tune up done there by him during the busy season is a bad idea cause you'll wait a while to get your bike back, but if you drop it off before it gets busy you should be good...

Quote:

Originally Posted by rms13 (Post 18907920)

This is some real nonsense. If you ride on the hoods you will be much faster with Chorus then with 105??? what???

You will get pushed by bike shops to get Shimano because there are no bikes that they sell that come with Campy. Which model Supersix EVO comes with Campy? Oh yeah, none.

There is nothing wrong with Campy but it's apples to oranges. OP is considering 105 vs Ultegra. And even there 105 is not a HUGE step down from Ultegra as you state. Have you ridden both? 105 is a step down from Ultegra that no cyclist can even notice while they are riding the bike and if they say they can they are lying to make themselves feel better about spending extra money. The difference is weight and color and nothing more

My thoughts were much the same. I ride Campy Athena on my road bike and am in the process of building out another road bike. This one will have 6800 Ultegra on it. I was a little excited to try it out until this weekend. I switched up with a buddy of mine as he wanted to try a larger road bike. His bike was equipped with DA. I have to say that I like the larger size of the Campy hoods much better. Clearly that is a personal preference though. I would be equally happy with the shifting of either brand.
I find it really silly though that the OP was about 105 and Ultegra and somebody tosses in the Campy thing. The same happens when somebody asks about specific carbon bikes and another poster tosses around steel instead. We all have our personal preferences but if a poster is specific requesting info about a product comparison is it too hard to ask that we stick with that actual comparison? If a guy is inquiring about buying a SUV do we recommend that he buy a Corvette instead?

Quote:

Originally Posted by on the path (Post 18908162)

105 10-speed is miserable as far as shifting. I rode it for over 4 years, well over 15,000 miles. No matter how much, or how precisely I adjusted the cables, deraillers, et al, the shifting would revert to a guessing game. I want to think about other things when I'm riding.

11 speed is so much better. I ride for hours, days, and never a false or missed shift. Shifting between the rings is precise and dependable, and requires much less force applied to the lever. The feel of, and feedback from, both levers is decidedly superior to the 10 speed counterparts. The only thing these 2 generations have in common is the name 105.

One of the bikes I still ride has 105 10 speed, and another is 105 9 speed. Both shift perfectly, when tuned properly.

Quote:

Originally Posted by hsuehhwa (Post 18908977)

Depends how much you ride.

> 4000 miles + 150K ft elevation /year: Ultegra
< 1000 miles/year / year: 105 or less

+1, although I think the cutoffs could be at <1500, >2500 and (agreeing) that inbetween is moot.

Also, you will notice the difference after 5 or 6 years: pivots, brackets, stops, bushings, springs, etcetera tend to hold up better in higher spec groupsets. I really notice this when working on older bikes.