sdlesko

I am going to surprise my son with a bike next weekend. I have a new s-works sl2 frame and fork that I am going to build up. Is it worth going to ultegra or should I save a little money and put on the new 105? I beleive the difference in price would be around $400.

10 Wheels

105 is good.

fstshrk

105 is good. Even the new 4600 Tiagra is excellent since it is really the old 105 5600 from what I can tell.

ThinLine

Ultegra is better Lighter, more refined.

revchuck 

I switched from a DA 7800 RD to a Tiagra 4600 RD to get the extended range of cogs, and I'm pleasantly surprised at how well it works. Then again, my nine speed Tiagra always worked well too. If you live where it's hilly, I'd go with Tiagra 4600....though I understand the current 105 will also handle 30t cogs.

MikeyBoyAz

I am upgrading right now (should be here Tuesday) from 105 (5700) to Ultegra (6750) I test rode a bike at my LBS to see if I could tell the difference and I MUST say... it is significant! the 105 shifts nice, but the Ultegra shifts Very nice and smooth(er). Is he worth a smooth shifting group or just a good shifting group?

Mike F

I have a 5700 long RD with the 12-30 Tiagra and it works excellent. Some of the new Scotts and Felts are sold that way

todayilearned

Is it his first Road Bike?

105 is fine.

fstshrk

That all depends on how well the bike was set up when assembled. There is a huge impact on shift quality and the tuning of the shifting. I spent 4 hrs last night tuning my bike and even with the 4600 brifters, the shift quality is great.

dinobyte

shimano's website says:
RD-5700-A does 30T
RD-5700 only 28T

Stealthammer

I run 105 on all of my road bikes now except for the chains and cassettes which I used Ultegra for, but I rode mostly DA and a bit of Ultegra/600 for most of the past 25+ years because I got excellent pricing. For my money, the DA and Ultegra groups have a slightly lower weight and shift slightly more smoothly, but I would bet that a new Tiagra group shifts as well or better than a 10-15 year old Ultegra group did. Go with what you want to spend, but my guess is that performance wise,the difference will barely be noticable.

Andy_K 

This really surprises me. I've got 5600 on one bike and 6600 on two others. IME, the one that I've tuned up most recently is the one that shifts best. They're all great.

NaOH

I rode Sora components for a year and a half. I switched to my bike now which is ultegra and 105 mix and the biggest upgrade was the shifters. Thumb shifting sucks. If the ultegra cost significantly more, I'd just stick with 105. I'm sure he'll get a new bike later down the line anyways if he gets really really into it.

brundle_fly

I'd go with 105.Is it the 5700,although the Ultegra crank looks better if you can just get that.The other components - not really

tagaproject6

105 is excellent. Save your $400.

IthaDan 

I'm in the opposite camp, buy the 'best' components you can afford, they'll never be cheaper than they are OEM and they transfer right over to new frames and bikes.

markwebb

I don't know what the price difference is the shop is quoting you. If less than $200 difference I'd go Ultegra. If more than that I'd lean towards 105. Personally, I prefer Ultegra. I notice big differences. But I also have migrated to SRAM Rival which I find much more to my liking that even DA. I like the functionality better, and I get more reliable shifting. Plus I can run a 32 cassette on rear and I can't do that with Shimano 105 or Ultegra.

Rocket-Sauce 

105 is good enough for Astana to race this year's Paris-Roubaix (Corima is their official wheel sponsor so they put decals over 105).

It is good enough for your son.

Seriously, 105 is very, VERY, good stuff.

MikeyBoyAz

I properly adjusted my bike's derailleurs.

I don't mean the shifting is 'Better' which is pretty much unmeasurable... I mean the indexed clicks are softer (less harsh) and require a shorter throw and less force is required to move the rd to larger cogs on the cassette.

both bikes have properly adjusted derailleurs and relatively fresh cables and housing... no binds in the housing... both are external cable on the down tube etc...

eugenek

It depends on where you get the parts, of course, but, at low-cost online retailers like Nashbar, the difference in price should only come up to about $200 .. 250, mostly due to the shifters and the crank. You can get Ultegra FD/RD/cassette/brakes instead of 105 for $70 extra.

Going the other way, if you were willing to spend $400 on top of the 105 group, if I'm not mistaken, if you find some extra money in your budget and make that $700, you may be able to go electric:

Ultegra Di2 shifters: $350 (vs 105 shifters: $260)
Ultegra Di2 RD: $267 (vs 105 RD: $60)
Ultegra Di2 FD: $242 (vs 105 FD: $36)
Ultegra Di2 battery: $76
Ultegra brakes: $125 (vs 105 brakes: $100)
Ultegra 10-speed cassette: $69 (vs 105 cassette: $53)
Wires & mounts: call it $100

Since you're starting with a $3000 frame, going with Di2 would have been a no-brainer for me, but it's your decision.

Andy_K 

I definitely know what you're talking about. I felt that way going from 4500 Tiagra to 6600 Ultegra. I just don't notice it between 5600 105 and 6600 Ultegra. Perhaps they increased the gap between them in the new generation, or maybe I'm just not attuned enough to pick up on what you are experiencing (a distinct possibility).

TXRR

Ok I will give you that, but does that really make it better? As a Noob myself a more "refined" explanation of what make it better would greatly be appreciated.

abstractform20

105 is very good, ultegra is nicer.

do what you will.

IthaDan 

Nice bump.

Define "better"- is it performance per dollar? Performance outright? That's a very personal question with a very personal answer. Hell, some guy wrote an entire book on that topic.

The biggest differences between groups, other than materials- titanuim hardware an/or carbon cages/blades/plates/levers- especially once you get up to the top end are manufacturing tolerances, surface finishes and pivots. The differences are subtle, but make a lot of difference in not only the weight, but the "feel" of a component group.

cyclezen

you didn;t mention which wheels you were gonna put on the bike...
without making any prejudgement on whether your son can tell the diff between 105 and Ultegra - he would certainly be able to tell the diff. between lower end and better wheels/tubes/tires.
If I had to ride Mavic Ksyrium equipes (or similar) with Ultegra STI - I would run, not walk, to swap out to 105 STI and a set of HED Ardennes...