Go Back  Bike Forums > Bike Forums > Road Cycling
Reload this Page >

Ultegra vs 105

Notices
Road Cycling “It is by riding a bicycle that you learn the contours of a country best, since you have to sweat up the hills and coast down them. Thus you remember them as they actually are, while in a motor car only a high hill impresses you, and you have no such accurate remembrance of country you have driven through as you gain by riding a bicycle.” -- Ernest Hemingway

Ultegra vs 105

Old 07-12-16, 08:41 PM
  #26  
Señor Blues
 
on the path's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: upstate NY
Posts: 1,598

Bikes: Cannondale CAAD 10, Breezer Venturi Custom Build, IRO Singlespeed

Mentioned: 4 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 127 Post(s)
Liked 6 Times in 6 Posts
Originally Posted by Banzai
I love 105. Best performance for the dollar. Wish it had stayed 10 speed though...
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.
on the path is offline  
Old 07-12-16, 08:44 PM
  #27  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2016
Posts: 625
Mentioned: 5 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 252 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
5600 or 5700?
2lo8 is offline  
Old 07-13-16, 04:45 AM
  #28  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2015
Posts: 136
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 60 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Just bought a 105 groupset from Ribble for $320, with the medium cage derailleur and 32t least cassette....just couldn't pass up the awesome deal. Replacing old 5500 / 6500 level stuff.
jlax2485 is offline  
Old 07-13-16, 06:34 AM
  #29  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2008
Posts: 716
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
I stripped 105 5800 off my bike and weighed the whole lot = 2658gms.

edit. accuracy

Last edited by Jay-W; 07-14-16 at 12:24 AM.
Jay-W is offline  
Old 07-13-16, 08:40 AM
  #30  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Huntington Harbor, CA
Posts: 399
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 115 Post(s)
Liked 2 Times in 2 Posts
Depends how much you ride.


> 4000 miles + 150K ft elevation /year: Ultegra
< 1000 miles/year / year: 105 or less
hsuehhwa is offline  
Old 07-13-16, 09:06 AM
  #31  
Senior Member
 
mcours2006's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Toronto, CANADA
Posts: 6,198

Bikes: ...a few.

Mentioned: 47 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2009 Post(s)
Liked 405 Times in 231 Posts
Originally Posted by on the path
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.
I can't disagree with this assessment of 10 sp 105, specifically 5700. Left shifter requires a lot of force to use. Right side is finicky.
mcours2006 is offline  
Old 07-13-16, 09:47 AM
  #32  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2015
Location: Music City, USA
Posts: 4,444

Bikes: bikes

Mentioned: 52 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2622 Post(s)
Liked 1,429 Times in 711 Posts
Originally Posted by rms13
11 speed Ultegra vs 11 speed 105? If yes, the front deraileur is exactly the same so if one was harder to shift it must not have been adjusted properly
Yep. I dunno. I set it up and adjusted it myself. Think there's an issue with a spring or something. Just seemed gonky.
rubiksoval is offline  
Old 07-13-16, 10:08 AM
  #33  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: SoCal
Posts: 6,517
Mentioned: 6 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 276 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 6 Times in 3 Posts
Originally Posted by Jay-W
I stripped 105 5800 off my bike and weighed the whole lot. Almost 3kg...it's a porker.
Including what? 53/39 crank, 11-32 cassette, cables and housings? Every verified weight I have seen has been around 2500g for the complete groupset with 50/34 and 11-25. Where are your extra 500 g coming from?
rms13 is offline  
Old 07-13-16, 10:11 AM
  #34  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: PA
Posts: 702

Bikes: 2015 CAAD 10; 2016 Felt Z85

Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 156 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 5 Times in 4 Posts
Spoke to the owner of a lbs - he said that there really isn't much (if any) difference between 105 and Ultegra.
I spoke to the owner of another lbs - she said that the jump between 105 and Ultegra is the biggest among the Shimano groups.

My Felt Z85 has 105, and I can't imaging anything shifting much better than that. Smooth, quick & quiet. What more would I want?
Stratocaster is offline  
Old 07-13-16, 10:13 AM
  #35  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: SoCal
Posts: 6,517
Mentioned: 6 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 276 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 6 Times in 3 Posts
Originally Posted by rubiksoval
Yep. I dunno. I set it up and adjusted it myself. Think there's an issue with a spring or something. Just seemed gonky.
Did you read the manual on setting up from derailleur? I ask because it's not the same as every other front derailleur and I had a tough time dialing it in with the first 11 speed Shimano group I installed until I broke out the manual. There is the cable distance converter with two settings and you are supposed to use their provided tool to decide which position is right for your frame. They also tell you to set cable tension in trim position which I don't think its standard for most front deraileur set ups
rms13 is offline  
Old 07-13-16, 10:15 AM
  #36  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: SoCal
Posts: 6,517
Mentioned: 6 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 276 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 6 Times in 3 Posts
Originally Posted by Stratocaster
Spoke to the owner of a lbs - he said that there really isn't much (if any) difference between 105 and Ultegra.
I spoke to the owner of another lbs - she said that the jump between 105 and Ultegra is the biggest among the Shimano groups.

My Felt Z85 has 105, and I can't imaging anything shifting much better than that. Smooth, quick & quiet. What more would I want?
Owner B is lying to you. Jump from Sora to Tiagra is the biggest jump in the current generation. Once the R3000 Sora group is out , the biggest jump will be Claris to Sora
rms13 is offline  
Old 07-13-16, 11:24 AM
  #37  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2016
Posts: 625
Mentioned: 5 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 252 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
I think 105 to Ultegra is the biggest jump in weight or something.
2lo8 is offline  
Old 07-13-16, 11:57 AM
  #38  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: SoCal
Posts: 6,517
Mentioned: 6 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 276 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 6 Times in 3 Posts
Originally Posted by 2lo8
I think 105 to Ultegra is the biggest jump in weight or something.
Ultegra to DA is a bigger jump in weight. 300 g vs 200g going from 5800 to 6800
rms13 is offline  
Old 07-13-16, 12:12 PM
  #39  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2016
Posts: 625
Mentioned: 5 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 252 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
I got the jumps mixed up apparently.

Biggest jump is actually Tourney to Claris though.
2lo8 is offline  
Old 07-13-16, 12:48 PM
  #40  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2010
Posts: 2,608

Bikes: 2022 Specialized Allez Sprint custom build, 2019 Giant Defy Advanced Pro 0, 2018 Seven Mudhoney Pro custom build, 2017 Raleigh Stuntman, various others

Mentioned: 7 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 782 Post(s)
Liked 475 Times in 238 Posts
Originally Posted by Mulberry20
I have ridden both extensively and there is no comparison in terms of long-term reliability. Campy all the way.
Given that I'm currently using an eleven year old 6600 group with around 50K miles on it on one of my bikes, have never had any problems with it, it works brilliantly and it still looks basically new, I'm going to go ahead and reject this statement and everything else in your post. (Note: I love Campy stuff as well.)

IMO, there's very little difference between 5800 and 6800. I have 6800/685 on one bike and my wife's road bike is 5800. 5800 is awesome stuff (and way better than 5700). 6800 might prove to be slightly more durable than 5800 in the longer term, who knows. I have always gone with Ultegra (since it was called 600 and had friction DT shifters) and never had any issues. I'll continue to buy Ultegra. Yes, Ultegra costs more than 105, but amortized over the life of the group the extra cost is not really worth worrying about. Of course, this calculus changes a bit when considering a complete bike. DA is awesome but just not worth it unless you can easily afford it, IMO.
Hiro11 is offline  
Old 07-13-16, 01:45 PM
  #41  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: SoCal
Posts: 6,517
Mentioned: 6 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 276 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 6 Times in 3 Posts
Originally Posted by 2lo8
I got the jumps mixed up apparently.

Biggest jump is actually Tourney to Claris though.
It's all debatable really. The main reason I say Sora to Tiagra is because Tiagra and up all have the new brifter hood shape, new crank style and new style front derailleur. New Sora will have those features. Tourney to Claris is another jump because of the thumb buttons (Tourney still has thumb buttons, right?)
rms13 is offline  
Old 07-13-16, 10:12 PM
  #42  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2016
Posts: 52
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 14 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Get the 105 so that you have more money to upgrade to red 22. Is this even a question?
Corbah is offline  
Old 07-13-16, 10:32 PM
  #43  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2016
Posts: 625
Mentioned: 5 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 252 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Originally Posted by rms13
It's all debatable really. The main reason I say Sora to Tiagra is because Tiagra and up all have the new brifter hood shape, new crank style and new style front derailleur. New Sora will have those features. Tourney to Claris is another jump because of the thumb buttons (Tourney still has thumb buttons, right?)
Just messing with you. It's as you say, there's two big jumps with the current lineup. 3500 to 4700 or 2400 to 3600 and Tourney to 2400. Sora 3600, from what I've seen will actually have the old style rear though. The lower number of gears gives each gear a longer amount of cable pull, so Shimano deemed the new pull ratio unnecessary even with under the tape cables and it probably lets them provide legacy support for the old pull ratio.

I tend to think "real" STIs are more important than hood shape, just my opinion, and the 4-arm crank overrated. The new cranks might be a stiffer if you're a crank bender, but they're also proprietary. Not just a proprietary BCD but the shape seems to be different for each tier so even if you mount rings they won't match up right.

I remember running the numbers once, FC-5750 is actually lighter than FC-5800 50/34. The Tiagra 4 arm cranks are heavier than the older Tiagra 5 arm cranks.

Tourney still has thumb buttons and still has bottom of the barrel (albeit functional) construction. Very plastic and lots of painted stamped steel, although Claris as a fair bit of it as well. Same RD found on Walmart bikes. Meant to be compatible with freewheels and so on.
2lo8 is offline  
Old 07-13-16, 11:00 PM
  #44  
Mostly harmless ™
 
Bike Gremlin's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Novi Sad
Posts: 4,424

Bikes: Heavy, with friction shifters

Mentioned: 21 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1105 Post(s)
Liked 213 Times in 127 Posts
Claris STI's have worked very well for me. With Sora derailleurs though.
Bike Gremlin is offline  
Old 07-13-16, 11:47 PM
  #45  
SpIn SpIn SuGaR!
 
FIVE ONE SIX's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Long Island, NY
Posts: 2,078
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 15 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time in 1 Post
get the 105 bike, and put the money you save towards a nice set of wheels, which will be a much better upgrade than "upgrading" to Ultegra...
FIVE ONE SIX is offline  
Old 07-13-16, 11:48 PM
  #46  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2016
Posts: 625
Mentioned: 5 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 252 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Tires before wheels.
2lo8 is offline  
Old 07-13-16, 11:53 PM
  #47  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2008
Posts: 716
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Originally Posted by rms13
Including what? 53/39 crank, 11-32 cassette, cables and housings? Every verified weight I have seen has been around 2500g for the complete groupset with 50/34 and 11-25. Where are your extra 500 g coming from?
STI levers + cables, two derailleurs, both brakes, bottom bracket, 52/36 crankset, chain, 11-28 cassette. No housing.

"Verified" weights by whom? A complete 105 is nowhere near 2500g. At least not including everything you need for the actual groupset to work...

edit. accuracy

Last edited by Jay-W; 07-14-16 at 12:23 AM.
Jay-W is offline  
Old 07-14-16, 12:03 AM
  #48  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: Sacramento, CA
Posts: 849
Mentioned: 4 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 129 Post(s)
Liked 54 Times in 25 Posts
Originally Posted by Jay-W
"Verified" weights by whom? A complete 105 is nowhere near 2500g. At least not including everything you need for the actual groupset to work...
It's not too far off, when we weighted a 105 5800 group set in the shop for a customer:

Shift Levers - 485 grams
RD - 236 grams
FD - 91 grams
Crankset (50/34, 172.5) - 740 grams
Cassette (11/28) - 284 grams
Chain - 255 grams
Brake Calipers - 380 grams

That was 2471 grams with no BB or cabling. I forget the final weight with the cabling but it was absolutely over 2500g for a functional 105 5800 group set.
softreset is offline  
Old 07-14-16, 12:21 AM
  #49  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2008
Posts: 716
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Originally Posted by softreset
It's not too far off, when we weighted a 105 5800 group set in the shop for a customer:

Shift Levers - 485 grams
RD - 236 grams
FD - 91 grams
Crankset (50/34, 172.5) - 740 grams
Cassette (11/28) - 284 grams
Chain - 255 grams
Brake Calipers - 380 grams

That was 2471 grams with no BB or cabling. I forget the final weight with the cabling but it was absolutely over 2500g for a functional 105 5800 group set.
You're right. I just weighed everything again and I must've counted something twice. Better for me as the buyer will be pleased

STI levers + cables - 550gms
FD - 90gms
RD - 238gms
Brakeset - 380gms
Crankset 52/36 172.5 - 790gms
Bottom bracket - 90gms
Chain(cut) - 250gms
Cassette 11-28 - 270gms

Total - 2658gms (no housing)

Last edited by Jay-W; 07-14-16 at 12:26 AM.
Jay-W is offline  
Old 07-14-16, 07:04 AM
  #50  
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: NY
Posts: 645
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 12 Post(s)
Liked 3 Times in 2 Posts
Originally Posted by FIVE ONE SIX
get the 105 bike, and put the money you save towards a nice set of wheels, which will be a much better upgrade than "upgrading" to Ultegra...

I would definitely be upgrading wheels, although not likely right away. Admittedly I don't need ultegra, light wheels or even a light frame. My riding is sporadic and can go from 100 miles one week to only 30 miles over the next two weeks. A far lesser bike would suit my needs just fine, but nice things make life nicer. Since this will probably be the only bike I buy for the next decade or so, I'm thinking just get ultegra and end it, but it depends on what kind of deals I can find.

Where on LI are you? I've been checking out shops and will be hitting up Brands soon. any other recommended cannondale dealers?
Farby is offline  

Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.