Hondo Gravel

My gravel bike has an Ultegra drivetrain minus the crank that is a FSA with gxp bb. With my new wheelset I put on a 105 cassette which was much cheaper than the Ultegra. Besides a saving a few ounces in weight is Ultegra that much better than 105? I’m not a racer just an enthusiast so quality is important but I don’t need top of the line.

Cyclist0108

The 105 Cassette might actually last longer. Just ride it, and if you notice it is inferior, you can always upgrade it after you wear it out (or before if it really bugs you). In general, this is a good cost-effective way to save money.

redlude97

Probably not, they are both steel cogs with a different surface treatment, unlike DA which has a few titanium cogs. So I'd expect the same lifetime and that has been my experience using them interchangeably on various wheelsets in 10/11 speed iterations.

Cyclist0108

Ok, at least now I feel like I am justified using Ultegra. (They do seem to wear out quickly.)

caloso

I do race (on the road mostly) and I almost always go with 105 for cassettes, especially on training wheels. (And I don't think it's even a few ounces, it's more like 25-30 g (1oz = 28.3g).) Cassettes are consumables; I don't see a compelling reason to spend $20-30 more on a product that doesn't last any longer or shift any better.

redlude97

Do you rotate chains? Thats the #1 way to extend cassette life IMO and ensure the chains and cogs wear together. 3-4 chains in rotation with a cassette should net you 10k miles, which I never really hit because I'm spreading out on so many wheelsets and constantly swapping and upgrading.

Cyclist0108

I'm doing that now with waxed chains, and so far it seems to be helping.

86az135i

It's less then a few ounces iirc. I'm running a 105 cassette with an otherwise ultegra DT.