creativepart

I'm upgrading my 6 year old bike with one new component a month. I've already replaced the BB, crank, RD and brakes with new 5700 105 parts. Now I need to replace the FD and the brifters still.

I was planning on going new 105 all the way through but started thinking about perhaps going Ultegra on the Brifters. I've "read" others saying the new Ultegra brifters are super nice. I thought maybe this one component would be wise to be upgraded over the 105 stuff everywhere else.

The Ultegra brifters cost about $100 more, and I think going that way may require an Ultegra FD, too. I've seen others say this was true at one time.

I'm not looking for weight savings -- just improved feel and shifting accuracy. Anyone have any experience with the new 105 shifters compared to new Ultegra shifters? Is there a marked difference?

clink83

I would go 6700 for the shifters. 5700 shifts like mushy crap IMO.

shelbyfv

I don't believe you would notice a functional difference. Btw, the FD needs to be compatible with the cranks, meaning it should match the size of the rings.

ThinLine

while 105 is very good stuff, ultegra is closer to Dura Ace than to 105 and you will see an appreciative difference in quality of shift and shift precision.
105 is the least I would go for in a race rig/competitive setup/serious road group. Apex/Rival in the SRAM arena and Veloce/Centurish w/ Campy.
Anything below 105 is for sightseeing joy rides.

liquefied

6700 levers shift a little better than 5700. Will you notice the difference? Maybe not. If you can easily spare the extra hundred bucks then go for it.

I <3 Robots

They both shift like poop...go Sram.

J/K

If you can swing the extra cash...go Ultegra...otherwise...you won't see much difference in going 105 maybe besides some weight.

55/Rad

The bike snobs won't look down on you as much with Ultegra.

MikeyBoyAz

people will like you more if you have ultegra shifters, 105 is for cheap crap riders (like me!)... i have the 105 black, they are crisp and wonderful, do you think you will be a better cyclist if you have ultegra? I would submit not... spend the $100 somewhere else

creativepart

Thanks for the help. It's a moot point now, as I just purchased the 6700 shifters -- Performance had them on sale for $349 minus another $15% for Memorial Day Sale which made them under $300 and they had them in stock. So, they ended up being just $50 more than 105 shifters even with the 15% discount.

And, to those last few comments... I considered SRAM before getting these but decided I was going to stick with Shimano for this bike. Also, I didn't go with the 6700 over the 5700 for looks or bragging rights. I only spent, what turned out to be not much more, for an expected improvement in performance. But thanks for commenting anyway.

Nachoman

tagaproject6

Go for broke...you might as well get Ultegra. Stop trying to rationalize or you will just have that thought in the back of your mind..."shoulda, coulda woulda". Ultegra...go for it!

ilovecycling

I'm building my new bike up with Ultegra 6700 and the girlfriend's new bike will have 105 (5700). I'm really looking forward to trying them both out just to compare their performance. I was under the impression that the new 5700 shifters had all the same internals as 6700 and the only difference was materials/weight and price. I know this is how it is with SRAM Rival and Force, so I figured it would be the same situation with the new 5700 and 6700. I know DA 7900 is different since they removed the trim feature from the left shifter, but as far as I knew 5700 and 6700 were the same on the inside. I guess not if what you guys are saying is true.

In that case, it will be interesting to see how much better Ultegra is over 105.

Palomar01

I went from 105 to Ultegra.

Yes the Ultegra's are smoother, faster, and gives you street cred. However, unless you go full Ultegra (brifters/calipers/deraillures/cassette/chain) the difference will be incremental. Going to Ultegra brifters with 105 everywhere else will not improve things that much.

Shimano updated the 105 and Ultegra group significantly in 2010. Unless you have $$ burning a hole in your pocket, stick with the 5700 105 because as a group they are nearly as good, and by themselves the group is very good--smooth, fast, and extremely reliable. The latter is the most important.

gus6464

If you want to buy the 6700 FD at a good price check out ribble. I paid $37 for mine and I'm about to order the RD for $60. I will have 6700 for the derailleurs and cassette, 5600 for the brakes and crank, and I will stick with my 5600 shifters for now for a couple of months.

Jed19

The best value for the money in the Shimano components line-up has always been and still is Ultegra.

Palomar01

Well that's debatable.

How much is the difference between 105 and Ultegra as a group? I'm guessing about $700+? It's about a thousand+ from DA and Ultegra. If it is indeed $700 or even slightly less for 105 vs Ultegra, that's the price of a good wheelset, and you get nearly the same performance plus an extra gear. It's one of those, unless you ride them back to back, you will never know or even miss the difference.

creativepart

I thought Ribble was only in the UK? And, did you mean 37 pounds or $37 dollars? I'm in Texas, so the UK is generally not an affordable place to get new components.

brundle_fly

Maybe if everything else was Ultegra there would be a point to it

Elvo

This statement is false.

hhnngg1

No friggin way. Ultegra is sweet, but def not best value.

Sora/2200 is best value, by FAR. When properly adjusted, it works great, and only hiccups a bit with high load shifts. I have a DA bike and a Sora/2200 bike (both fairly recent models) and I'm shocked with how good the Sora is. It works so well that I suspect that Shimano intentionally does not make the groupset or components of that level widely available off-the-shelf (they only come on the bikes pre-assembled) because people like me would no longer upgrade their components, especially for non-crit racing bikes.

I'd still go ultegra-DA for crits, but for long road racing or exercise, Sora/2200 is more than enough.

himespau 

the shipping doesn't make up for the savings?

tagaproject6

cheaper even with shipping. But most of the time, the shipping is waived, depending on purchase price and the kind of special they are running.

Chain Reaction Cycles and PBK have always been cheaper for me.

I <3 Robots

I buy my tires from Ribble and PBK...its always been cheaper. It "stock up" type cheaper.

I got my Continental GP4k's (pair) for 77 shipped from Ribble. Cheapest I got them was at PBK for 68 shipped.

I've never seem them for any less than 50 each at any of my local bike shops.

PBK recently had the 5700 105 group for around 500 shipped.

Jed19

I should have said the best value for the money for serious/experienced road cyclists. You are not gonna race Sora/2200. Ultegra, in my view has perfect weight and reliability. I have never had to adjust anything at all once my Ultegra has been dialled in. I am not sure you can say the same of Sora/2200.

All that said, my favorite Shimano component group of all time is 7800. Perfection was achieved by Shimano with 7800.

YMMV.

55/Rad

My 7400 series DA is still perfect, 16 years later.