fcriscuo

I have a 2011 Bianchi Sempre which came equipped with Shimano 105 components. Over the years, I have upgraded the brakes, cassette, chainrings, and chain to Ultegra parts. I would now like to upgrade both front and rear derailleurs to Ultegra as well. So far I have not been able to find Ultegra 10-speed derailleurs online, only 11-speed parts. I have three (3) questions:

1. If I retain the 105 levers which are indexed for 10 speeds, will an 11-speed rear derailleur work? That is, isn't the travel of the rear derailleur per shift, determined by the lever?

2. How does the cassette size (i.e. 10 or 11-speed) affect the selection of a front derailleur?

3. Can someone recommend a source for 10-speed Ultegra components?


Thanks in advance.

alcjphil

10 speed Ultegra has been out of production for quite some time, about 10 years, so anything you find will be new old stock or used. Ultegra 11 speed had 2 generations neither of which will work with your 10 speed shifters. Ultegra 12 speed has recently been introduced. Even if you could find them, 10 speed Ultegra derailleurs offer almost no improvement over 105. A friend of mine broke a 10 speed Dura Ace rear derailleur years ago and had to replace it with a 105 rear derailleur. He told me that the 105 derailleur worked just as well so he never bothered to upgrade it

icemilkcoffee 

1. No.

2. Cassette size mostly does not affect the FD

3. Ebay.

cxwrench

To elaborate the shifter and derailleur work with a specific cable pull ratio, not just the fact that the shifter has 9 clicks or whatever. As drivetrains have added gears the amount of cable a derailleur pulls for each actuation of the shifter has changed. This is partially due to how much cable the shifter pulls and the geometry of the rear derailleur body.

Crankycrank

As alcjphil mentioned in post #2 you're going to find it near impossible to find new Ultegra 10 sp derailleurs and I would agree if your 105's are working just keep them, not much, if any, difference in performance but maybe just slightly heavier. Of course, there may be a new 10sp Ultegra floating around the web somewhere that's not $200+ with any luck and there may be some good used ones on Ebay but always a gamble when getting used. Note that you can use either 6600 or 6700 Ultegra derailleurs as they have the same pull ratio. I own a 6600 Ult groupset myself and when my derailleurs and shifters wear out I'll have to get aftermarket stuff to work with the old 10 sp pull ratios. Shimano has kind of left us without many options for 10 sp components of that era.

fcriscuo

Thanks for your reply. My Pinarello has 11-speed Ultegra components and its shifting is significantly smoother than the 105 Bianchi. That is why I am considering an upgrade.

fcriscuo

I appreciate your reply and your explanation.

sch

Try a high end cable/housing transplant first. Not for nothing 20 yrs of cable/housing tech improvement.

t2p

the difference is often small - sometimes different pulleys and less weight

HillRider

That's my experience also. I have a 10-speed Ultegra RD-6700 on one bike and a 10-speed 105 RD-5701 on another bike and the shifting is identical. If your 105 isn't shifting well, I agree with sch that a cable/housing upgrade is likely to fix it.

fcriscuo

Thanks for your reply. I've changed the pulleys, cables, and chain. The cassette is relatively new.

fcriscuo

Thanks for your suggestion. I have changed all the cables and housings. On this Bianchi, most of the derailleur cable runs are not enclosed in housings.

smd4

There’s a NOS RD-6700 on eBay right now with a buy it now price of $90 dollars.

EDIT: Not BIN, just opening bid.

Canker

More likely the old brifters being worn than the derailleurs or it is all in your head because you want that Ultegra.

smd4

Of course, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with wanting to upgrade components “just because.” That’s part of the fun of this hobby/sport.

t2p

the 10 spd Ultegra RD should weigh less than the 105 RD

example : 11 spd 105 / 5800 GS RD weighs 245 g -- Ultegra / 6800 GS RD weighs 209 g

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