spikyone

Hi all, currently Im running a Fuji Roubaix 1.5 which came with Tiagra 10 speed 28T. Have been looking for upgrading to 11 speed (Rd, Fd, cassette, chain, brakes and brifters) and Have the opportunity to change to a relatively unused 105 5800 11 speed at a cheap cost until I checked and found out I'm actually running the latest Tiagra 4700.

To me to go from 4700 to 5800 seems like a small jump, should I hold out for Ultegra 6800 instead? I'll be looking at slightly used groupsets as budget does not allow me to get new. What are your thoughts?

Brocephus

Some more info might be helpful here. It sounds like you're pretty budget conscious (yeah, me too!), so I'm wondering stuff like: How worn are the Tiagra parts you're currently running? What type of demand do you put on them ? ( could range from casual exercise rider, up to heavy trainer/racer). How much of a price jump will going from 105 to Ultegra be ?
Are you still running the factory wheelset?
It might be a better move to keep the Tiagra group, and just put on some nicer wheels (something 10/11 spd compatible, to keep your future options open).
Coincidentally, my current road bike is a 2014 Fuji 1.3 Roubaix, that came with 105, and though my last several bikes were all a Ultegra/Dura-Ace mix, I'm perfectly happy with this mid-level group, and I hear pretty good things about the recent Tiagra stuff,as well. The point is, are there any pressing reasons to scrape up the bucks to upgrade ?

spikyone

Wow thanks for the prompt reply. I'm running my Fuji with Zonda C17's and a cassette spacer. The Tiagra 4700 (28T) parts are ard 2 yrs old but with minimal wear so if i offload it I think I can still get a pretty gd price to offset any upgrade costs. I'm currently a casual exercise rider but hv a mind to improving my riding (climbing) (currently can ride around 32-33kph av speed) The 105 5800 will be from a rarely used bike so ard $200. Currently I have not come across 6800 Ultegra 11 speed cheaply yet. Basically I'm always on the lookout for cheap worthy upgrades and I thought going for 5800 105 11 speed for ard $200 (new will be ard $400+ where I am) would be a worthy upgrade but now I'm not so sure as the 4700 is good, wanted to know if I hold out for Ultegra 6800 if its a much better upgrade?Some will say why not stick w what I hv its gd, but I'm thinking if I go to 11speed I can then run a 30T cassette with similar jumps to my current setup.I have no experience riding 5800 or 6800. Only had a brief parking lot ride of 105 R7000 and that was smooth as but also still pricey for me atm.

noglider 

No, upgrades like this are pretty useless, in my view, and they're quite expensive. Tiagra stuff works fine. If it wears out, replace it, and it might never wear out. 10 speeds already allow nice, close spaces between gears. 11 speeds won't change that significantly, and you might just end up with a higher top gear you'll never use.

ksryder

Is it worth it? Probably not, viewed objectively.

Do it anyway. It'll be fun and life is short.

delbiker1 

I do not know what you expect from the "upgrade", if that is truly what you want to do, do it. However, if you are looking for a big improvement in the components or your performance/speed,
I think you will be disappointed.

radroad

I wouldn't feel confident buying "slightly used" 6800 components. Used could mean under 100 miles (some "new" bikes sold at shops at the end of the season have nearly as many miles from test rides), or a thousand miles with the components freshly scrubbed. You would not be able to tell the difference.


I understand being budget conscious, but you're much better off buying new components from a reputable reseller long term. Buy once, cry once. Stop drinking coffees for a couple of months; sell some odds and ends on eBay, check between and under your sofa cushions; scrimp up the extra money for new if you're going to upgrade.


Btw, 4700 is a fine groupset. Lever throws are light and relatively short, quite similar to 5800 in feel and functionality. Do you need an 11th cog? How will it benefit you considering the terrain you ride? I wouldn't turn down 2x11, but x10 should be more than enough for most riders. 50x34, 12 to 30 covers you from 6 mph 70rpm to 36 mph 110 rpm, or near 40 mph at 120 rpm.


How often will you be at or near those low and high speeds? How often will you exceed 37 mph and want to pedal faster? The only additional question is whether any of those two or three tooth steps in between cogs 12 and 30 will disrupt your 'ideal' cadence. Or whether you could live with one or two cogs that are not ideal.

spikyone

Thanks for the prompt replies! Really do appreciate it. Before I posted I read through most of such posts and understand the consensus here is usually up to 10 spd is fine and works well.

Because I'm a weak rider, my 52/36 crank and a 28T cassette leaves me gasping on climbs which is whyI thought if i change to a 30T cassette might as well go 11 spd if i can for not nuch more, but yeah, all points taken into consideration.

More thinking and self-evaluation needed before pulling the trigger. Again, much appreciated all!

dedhed

You'd only need a rear shifter and cassette to go 11. Tiagra 4700 RD 10s has the same cable pull as 11s Shimano road groups. It is the only Shimano group to do this.

BengalCat

FYI IMO the 105 or 5800 is the best for the buck Shimano drivetrain and although Ultegra is excellent it is IMO not really better than the 105 or 5800, especially when you consider the price difference between those two.

spikyone

Ooh wow, thanks a lot. Very informative, all points taken into consideration. Gist of it was that its not necessary to upgrade. My thinking was if i was going to change to a 30T cassette to save my knees I might as well look out for a cheap upgrade to 105 11 speed groupset.

Anyway the deal fell through so no 11 speed for me yet!

dsaul

You should probably look at getting compact 50/34 chainrings or just buy a new 4700 compact crankset. The chainrings are about $75 or a whole new crankset can be had for just over $100.

sch

Sticking with 10 spd, Shimano has 11-32/34/36t cassettes that will work on your Tiagra RD as direct drop ins.
At worst with the 11-36 you might need a cassette hanger extender available on amazon for ~$10 but you might
not need this at all, experiences vary. I have gone from 11-28 as my standard to 11-32 on one bike and 11-34
on the other. The XT cassettes work fine with road RD. Using the 11spd variants only gets you one more single
or double tooth jump in the 16-19 area of mid cassette.

https://www.jensonusa.com/Shimano-XT...Speed-Cassette