Ultegra 6700 impressions?
 

I picked up an 2013 Expert Roubaix Disc a few weeks ago for 2700 after having the LBS call the CA warehouse to see what Roubaix was on closeout. In Hawaii where they sell above retail, so very happy.

Initial impressions:

As advertised, it is a very comfy bike for my commute, 16 miles one way and never sore, etc.
Does a great job of taming our crappy roads.
Super light after my C-Dale cx disc from 10 years ago.
Murdered out paint with nice red stripes is good combo.

The bad:
2013 Ultegra group shifts poorly compared to my 10 year old Ultegra.
Seems to be a common complaint. New 6800 Ultegra is supposed to be fine.

It has a 105 cassette, and I put a 6701 chain on just today. Hope it helps somewhat.

Any thoughts on the 6700 Ultegra? I would appreciate the input of those who have been living with the 6700 Ultegra.

weird. I 6700 for over a couple of years since it first came out. I shifts like butter and really quietly and smoothly. I say you need some adjustments.

Agree that the 6700 shifts great when set up properly, but you may need to tweak the barrel adjuster a quarter or half turn to get it just right.

edit: wait, did I just agree with coasting??

great minds think alike.

I've got 6700.

It took me about four weeks to get the shifting dialed in. The trick for me was adjusting the B-screw for a little more tension. Now the bike shifts smoothly and consistently, and has remained that way for months. Much better shifting than my prior 105-5500.

To get it adjusted right, the tension screw at the rear derailleur is mot likely the place to adjust, but when I first fiddled with it, it took forever! I just didn't have the experience to sense if the shifting became more like this, it means more tension or less tension? So unless you actually want to learn to do it and don't mind the frustration, take it to a shop with a real mechanic and not some spotty kid who claims to know bikes.

The mechanic usually looks a bit gnarly and might have a beard. He often has his crack showing like plumbers. Watch for the signs before leaving your bike with him.

Have 6700 on two bikes, one double the other triple. Both shift like butter. The double one can be finicky, but that's more due to internal cable routing of the frame rather than the drivetrain itself. Inline barrel adjusters come in handy.

I have 6700 on my CAAD10. It was a 2012 model bought after season, so I was stoked to get 6700 at a good price. That being said, I am happy with the quality overall, my biggest complaint is with the shape of the hoods. They just feel bulky and not thought out well. I'd love to pick up the 2014 CAAD10 3, in fact, it is probably my dream bike right now. Part of the reason is for the reshaped hoods of 6800. I'd spend the cash on a set of 7900 shifters, but the hood shape seems to be the same... I am almost tempted to switch down to the 105 equivalent.

i do all my adjustments by setting limits where the chain is too tight or too loose that i can hear clicking, and then setting the tension right in the middle, by counting the quarter turns i make on the adjusrter.

I like my ultegra more than my sram force, a LOT more.

on a side note, I did take off one of the RD pulleys and put it on backwards by accident. so the chain was actually coming off the pulley because it was backwards. i rode for like 50 miles confused and angry that my chain was rubbing the cage when i was pedaling, no matter how i adjusted the tension. after fixing it. butter

I own 5700 105 and put a few hundred miles on a 6700 equipped Roubaix Expert. It should not shift like crap but 6700 is part of Shimano's first line groups with under bar tape mounted derailleur cables. Apparently they didn't adjust the pull ratio and so the added resistance on the cables degraded shift quality somewhat. The internal cable routing on the Roubaix Expert doesn't help either and adds a touch more resistance (my Roubaix has external cable routing and it shifts slightly better.) The new Ultegra 6800 should fix these issues but only you can decide if it's worth the money to upgrade.

Dunbar hit it exactly. I have fine tuned the adj, but there is slightly too much friction for the derailleur to snap back into gear.

cable routing?

So, did they fix this with 6800? mine should be turning up next week, so will be interesting to see if the shifting feels better than 6700.

I think Ultegra has impecable FD / Crankset combination that makes for probably the best shifting up front. I think SRAM sucks in FD and crank... Been having nothing but trouble when I switched to Sram PM Crank and chain. Ultegra RD and cassette? Ok - Mediocre. This I will address further down the road maybe getting a new RD and DA cassette. Front I will address with some Q Chainrings or Praxis.

All of the anecdotal accounts point to yes. Dura Ace 9000 fixed this and it trickled down to 6800. 105 should also get the same improvements as 9000 and 6800 in the next year or two.

My new 2011 Roubaix, with 6700 Ultegra, came with a bad rear cable housing (the final curve leading into the RD.) the shop replaced it, did a bit of adjusting, and it has shifted nicely since. Just one more possibility, if nothing else helps.

You might want to try a cableset with compressionless outers, I use the Yokozuna Reaction set, and it has significantly improved shifting and braking.

http://www.competitivecyclist.com/yo...nd-housing-kit

The Ultegra 6700 on my 2012 Madone works great. I bought it new in March 2012 and had the dealer immediately replace the 105 cassette and chain with Ultegra so it's 100% Ultegra.

Mine is very reliable, it works every time, it's very smooth and to my hands the hoods are very comfortable.

really? before you wore it out?

agree that sram FD sucks. My chain fell off the front twice in two separate races. Every time I shift into the big ring after a climb, I worry about the chain falling off. The limiting screws are exactly where they should be. If I pull the lever too fast, the FD will throw the chain over the chain. If I shift too slowly, the chain just stays on the small ring, and rub against the FD. It sucks.

I've got an Ultegra mix on mine (105 brakes and cassette) and it handles my 265 pound frame going uphill, downhill and catching my breath on the side of the road. I have no issues shifting (up or down) and I'm definitely not always in a soft pedal when I'm reaching for my bailout gear. I will say, like others have already, that it took 300+ miles to get some of the kinks work out.

The first maiden voyage (30 miles) it definitely felt very sluggish and I think it even slipped a gear during a pretty basic (in the seat) climb. I've had none of those problems or oddities since then.

I wonder if the Red Yaw is any better. I use Rival and wish the FD shifted crisply like the RD.

I wouldn't say that Sram FD sucks but rather that it takes a lot to adjust correctly so that you don't run into the issues that you mentioned. I notice the same problems if I don't have it adjusted correctly especially with the proper tension in the FD cable. Such a pain to set up correctly. Ultegra/DA on the other hand only takes a few minutes to set up and have adjusted correctly.

It'll be set-up related, without doubt - whilst I'll admit that my DA7800 is smoother than my Ult6700, there is nothing wrong with properly set-up Ult6700.

Where are the gear cables routed along the handlebars - inside front tightening the radius of the cables, or around the outside rear, then under to the front of the bars (better option as it provides for an increased radius on the cable under the bar wrap) - does make a difference?

cheers

My 6600 triple was great - dropped a chain maybe once every six months. I'm getting 6700 compact for my new bike, hope it works nicely or else waste of money!