mrfreezesdefy3

When I bought my defy 3 bike a yr ago it came with Shimano sora shifters and 9 speed cassette, since riding I have changed to an different wheel set ,Dt swiss 350 hubs ,hed belgium's and love it there is currently a spacert to get me buy with my 9 gear cassette but next week I'm changing out to a new 11 speed cassette ,ultegra shifters ,new derailer , cables etc ,
I can't stand my Shimano sora shifters currently on my bike u can bump them and they will shift when I stand up to pedal expecially on a hill they will self shift,, was told the ultegra is the best besides electric shift and I don't want that any way if your electric shift goes your stuck in whatever gear it breaks in , was wondering about your thoughts on the ultegra .
I know my shifting will be less on the 11 speed as I was using more on my 9 because I'm running up n down the gears ,
Just wanted some input ,thanks in advance

Seattle Forrest

Loved my Ultegra 6700 setup. The shifters were very comfortable in my hands and worked well. It was like a hot knife through soft butter.

dr_lha

My current stable contains two bikes with Shimano STI shifters. One has 5700 (previous generation 105) and the other 6800 (current 11 speed Ultegra). IMHO the 6800 shifters are really above and beyond better than the 5700 shifters. They're smoother, more positive, more comfortable, and require less effort to shift (especially the front derailleur). I can only imagine how much of an upgrade these would feel from Sora.

Of course the big downside of 11 speed is that you'll likely need new wheels/hubs.

Also many people here will tell you that 5800 105 is very similar to the 6800. I've not tried it so can't comment, but certainly the designs are very similar.

dtrain

Ultegra is not the best non-electric group. But compared to Sora, watch out...

rms13

I've had 5800 and 6800 and I can't tell the difference without looking at them. Feel of shifters and performance is identical. Merlin has Ultegra group for $511 right now which is a pretty good deal

https://www.merlincycles.com/shimano...set-87898.html

Ribble has 105 for $345

Shimano 105 (5800) Black 11 Spd Double Groupset at Ribble Cycles

Personally I would go 105 on that bike because shaving a couple of hundred grams won't make that much of a difference

StanSeven

Those wheels deserve something equally as nice. Go with Ultegra. You won't regret it.

aubiecat

6800 shifters really are like butter. In retrospect, if I hadn't gotten such a good deal on my bike I may have opted for 105's. They are close and replacement parts for 105's doesn't skull **** your wallet like 6800.

dr_lha

Might just buy a second groupset for spare parts at that price. $511? More like a gentle skull cuddle.

pressed001

I love all the ultegra shifters I have had. Take care of them and they should maintain a good resale value. Just dont lay the bike down. Once they are mangeled cosmetically you can't sell for much.

I like the 6800's the best out of the previous versions. They feel nicer and don't have a cable sticking out of them. But it can take some time to get used to the paddle placement as it differs from 6600 if I remember correctly.

pressed001

Depends on the wallet I guess.

511 is great. Not but a month ago it was 600. I prefer the idea of selling my 7900 group set for 500-600 and buying the 9000 group for 1200. That makes 600-700 for a new DA group!

dr_lha

A year ago I paid $585 and they threw in Ultegra pedals for that price. No doubt 105 is a better deal, assuming it's as good as Ultegra. For my bike, the grey Ultegra better matched the frame than the black 105, so I paid the extra money. Yes, I have disposable income, it helps with bikes.

pressed001

Women too! Ha.

mrfreezesdefy3

So 6800 is .I was under the assumption was the best ultegra offered , n I agree,, been waiting on doing this since I put my 11 speed dt swiss 350 hub on the back. I love my new wheelset it ROCKS

dr_lha

Please don't tell my wife I have disposable income!

UnfilteredDregs

6800 is fantastic. Love it. Keeps me utterly on the fence regarding electronic. If only Di2 was wireless...

rpenmanparker 

I hate to break this to you, but if your mechanical shifter breaks, you are likewise stuck in whatever gear you are in...or worse yet in the smallest cog or chain ring.

PepeM

Two things:

If your current system is self-shifting then it is not properly adjusted.

Also, you won't shift less with an 11-speed but rather more, since each step makes a smaller difference.

Neither of those change the fact that Ultegra is 'better' than Sora of course.

Pb_Okole

If that happens, I'll just adjust the outer stop on the rear derailleur to whatever gear is appropriate to the terrain. If I have to, I can get off and adjust it to another gear. It's slower but I'll get home just fine.

rmfnla

I have never regretted buying the good stuff...

FeltF2Tarmac

I don't mind the wires but when I got the Di2 bike I was trying to buy mechanical, none were available and almost two months of waiting this was offered at the mechanical bike price. Plus I had already paid out right for the mechanical. I am anxious to see how wireless plays out .
To the op, you should be extremely happy with the upgrade and that is still a good price.

ltxi

This....^

As I've upgraded a few bits on my couple year old, Tiagra equipped Cannondale I've gone with Ultegra 6800 stuff. All have been a real, very much appreciated improvement well worth the cost. Can only imagine how nice it would be to have the entire group set on this bike. I'd suppose 105 could be close but my next new road ride will be either Ultegra mechanical or Di2.

jamesdak 

?? I guess I'm out of the loop on breakage. In over 20,000 miles of riding in the past 5 years or so I've not experience any real failures. A spoke or two on old wheels but nothing on any of the groupsets. What am I doing wrong?

mrfreezesdefy3

So currently I have an 11\32 9 speed rear cassette on my giant defy 3 . So I am assuming I'm getting an 11\32. 11 speed cassette
But currently I have an 34\50 front crank , my buddies have all gone to 39\52 as a Clydesdale I've really improved my fitness dropping 70 lbs ,and since I bought my new hed belgium's n dt swiss hubs , my hill climbing has really improved , but it's really gotten competitive between us . And I really enjoy whooping up ,and I want to stay ahead of them , I'll fall over the handle bars dead before I let them beat me , with that being said would an 39\53 help better than the 39\52 ???
I like to drop of my front crank and spin more on hills ,by the time I get 7\8 of the way up ,my buddies have given out from staying on their front crank n I cruise on by .while they are panting . So I'm thinking my better gear on the small chain ring would make me better on the hills
Thoughts??

My avg rides are 34 miles with 1500 gain ,if that gives you any detail of my gain I ride on these rides

dr_lha

Your gearing is not the thing that is stopping you from keeping up with or beating your friends. I'd stick with the compact.

eric1971

What he said. You (and most others) are not going to be spinning out your 50/11 wishing you had a taller gear.