oldwinger14

My previous bike had 105 components. I now have two bikes - one for road use, the other is permanently mounted on my Kickr Core smart trainer. Both are Ultegra based. I have not noticed any significant difference in the 105 and Ultegra bikes, but the Ultegra markings look cooler for those than can see them!

mstateglfr 

Tiagra is 10sp.
You would need to change the cassette, shifters, rear derailleur, and front derailleur.
That would be an expensive swap for 1 more cog.


- I can't believe how expensive a Tiagra road bike is now.
- If you realy want 1 more cog, buy the next level Defy as it is $460 more for 105 and you get a higher level wheelset too.

HTupolev

Shimano's 10-speed road rear derailleurs from 2015 onward (currently Tiagra 4700 and GRX400) use the same actuation as their 11-speed road, so the rear derailleur could stay. You would need to swap the cassette, rear shifter, and chain, though.

The front shifter, front derailleur, and crankset would most likely work fine with the 11-speed chain.

mstateglfr 

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Oh yeah forgot about that. Good point.

Defy Dene

That’s what I was wondering if there would be more parts swapping involved rather than just putting on a new cassette.
Thanks

SoSmellyAir

According to Lennard Zinn (at VeloNews.com), who seems to know what he is talking about, 10 speed crank and chain rings work just fine with an 11 speed cassette and RD.

Technical FAQ: 10- and 11-speed drivetrain component compatibility - VeloNews.com

My 11 speed road bike came with 10/11 speed FSA chain rings, which I replaced with Shimano 105 10 speed chain rings; front shifting improved slightly.

mstateglfr 

2 weeks ago I zwifted for a total of 4 hours on 11sp shifting with chainrings from the 80s that were also unramped.
Front shifting was fine. Not suggesting it should be done, but it is clearly possible

Symox

interesting. I got a great deal on a Dura ace cassette. It shifts much better than the 105 I swapped out. Think “clunk” vs “grrrrrrchunk”

SoSmellyAir

If same gearing on both, maybe the 105 cassette was just more worn out?

Symox

very possible but it doesn’t appear to be. In any case, the shifting is soooooooo nice. 105 gear is fantastic btw. All the other components are 105

PeteHski

For me, shifting smoothness is far more dependent on the setup, condition, cleanliness and lubing of the drivetrain than anything else. Is there any difference in cassette tooth profiles between 105, Ultegra and DuraAce? Something that could actually explain any difference in objective shift quality?

HTupolev

Which Dura-Ace cassette did you change to? The new R9200 ones use "Hyperglide+" shift gate design, which has not trickled to 105 yet and could explain a difference in the feel of the shifts. If you switched to R9100 or older, the profiling would be basically identical to your old 105 cassette, and I'd suspect that the difference is either due to the cassette being new or something else that changed when it was swapped out.

tempocyclist

Yep. I've been using a 10-speed crank/chainrings with an otherwise 11-speed for years now. Shifts fine.

SoSmellyAir

But R9200 is 12 speed? Whereas Symox only swapped a cassette?

Symox

mine is an older 10speed setup (on an 11 speed hub with spacers). Sorry, don’t know exact part numbers

HTupolev

You're correct. I guess I can only count up to 11 when I'm jet-lagged.

maxotru

I'm with Shimano 105 and really happy with it, if I had the money for Ultegra, but for only the small weight difference, in my opinion it has nothing 105 doesn't have

vlad1xxi

4 months ago replaced warned out chain and cassette on my Ultegra Cannondale SSE. Put new DA chain and 105 11-28 cassette. Could not find Ultegra cassette at all. New cassette didn’t work smoothly so a week ago I bought Ultegra cassette and replaced 105 by new one. Now everything works significantly better, almiust without any extra resistance and extra sound.

Polaris OBark

I find the Ultegra cassettes to be a bit smoother than 105, but 105 is probably totally adequate. Derailleurs officially rated for 32T can almost always handle 34T (105, Ultegra) or 36T (SRAM) cassettes. For $150 you can get a GRX 46/30T crankset, and in my own experience, it worked fine with an otherwise Ultegra drivetrain (front derailleur, etc). So there are many options. Normally a cassette would be the cheapest and most straightforward option (apart from HTFU).

eduskator

I have always had R8000 on my race bikes, but I wouldn't have any issues using 105 if I had to buy a new bike and R8000 wasn't available for some reason... It's the groupset of the people More than enough for 90% of us.

bamboobike4

I like the CST-8000’s in 11-32 and 11-34 because they work on 8/9/10 freehubs.
I also have an SRAM 11-32 and it’s heavy.
The savings on wheels is worth the extra on the cassettes. (Ex: Tubular Zipp 404’s: $300)
I use DA RD’s and Wolftooth Roadlinks. No long cage needed.
Care on chain length is imperative.

Were I to stick with 11-speed wheels, the 11-28 Shimano 105 is the huckleberry.
Sunrace’s 11-speed 11-28 is just as good, and cheaper. Both excellent values.

diphthong

had the ultegra group set from 2002 on a lemond buenos aires. transferred it to two different frames. Got approx 70k miles out of the shifters and crankset. front der is still going strong. i’d say it’s worth it.

maartendc

To answer your question really: "Do they shift that much better?" Absolutely not, they shift identically.

The only difference is weight. Like others have said, if 35g is worth it to you, then get Ultegra. I wouldn't. There are cheaper ways to make a bike lighter than an expensive cassette.

I'd get 105 every time. No brainer.

Koyote

If you have to ask whether the nicer stuff is “worth it,” you should just buy the cheaper stuff.

c0urt

what about that boost mode