105 STI compatible with Ultegra?

yes

artemidorus said:

yes

Thanks a million. I thought I screwed up when I looked at the shimano compatibility chart which BTW is not very good. I'm upgrading my FD from 105 to Ultegra... thanks again

rparedes said:

Thanks a million. I thought I screwed up when I looked at the shimano compatibility chart which BTW is not very good. I'm upgrading my FD from 105 to Ultegra... thanks again

FYI. Beyond the cosmetic, you won't find any difference between the 105 & Ultegra front derailleurs when you are on the road ...

However, the Ultegra rear derailleur has better pulleys than the 105 derailleur and is worth the small difference in price.

I always try to gauge how much a bike part can improve my ride quality by using what I can call "the criticality test".

A way to go about using this test is to think how often and when you call on your front derailleur, as opposed to the rear derailleur.

I know it can be overly simplistic relying on a "pseudo-science" test like this, but it sometimes helps to clarify decision-making.

In other words, the rear derailleur is much more critical than the front derailleur when it comes to trying to improve ride quality.

Super

SUPER RIDER said:

I always try to gauge how much a bike part can improve my ride quality by using what I can call "the criticality test".

A way to go about using this test is to think how often and when you call on your front derailleur, as opposed to the rear derailleur.

I know it can be overly simplistic relying on a "pseudo-science" test like this, but it sometimes helps to clarify decision-making.

In other words, the rear derailleur is much more critical than the front derailleur when it comes to trying to improve ride quality.

Super

Not trying to nit-pick(well maybe a little), but I think you ought to describe it as 'quality of the ride', meaning not having a mechanical which makes the ride no fun. No RD has much effect of ride quality, that is, how well the bicycle 'rides', feels, etc.

SUPER RIDER said:

I always try to gauge how much a bike part can improve my ride quality by using what I can call "the criticality test".

A way to go about using this test is to think how often and when you call on your front derailleur, as opposed to the rear derailleur.

I know it can be overly simplistic relying on a "pseudo-science" test like this, but it sometimes helps to clarify decision-making.

In other words, the rear derailleur is much more critical than the front derailleur when it comes to trying to improve ride quality.

Super

Guess I'll nit-pick as well. We all ride different terrain and shift differently, but for me the FD is the key one. I use a triple here, and shift the FD often over short rolling hills as it's the quickest way to get the big jumps. The front shift is really the critical thing when hitting the steep stuff: the FD needs to downshift to the little ring every time....getting stuck at the bottom of a 15-20% grade is no fun at all 🙂

dhk2 said:

Guess I'll nit-pick as well. We all ride different terrain and shift differently, but for me the FD is the key one. I use a triple here, and shift the FD often over short rolling hills as it's the quickest way to get the big jumps. The front shift is really the critical thing when hitting the steep stuff: the FD needs to downshift to the little ring every time....getting stuck at the bottom of a 15-20% grade is no fun at all 🙂

FWIW. If you switched to Campagnolo shifters, any-and-ALL of your shifting problems would vanish -- front & rear.

alfeng said:

FWIW. If you switched to Campagnolo shifters, any-and-ALL of your shifting problems would vanish -- front & rear.

Well, I don't really have any shifting problems, but good plug anyway. After 16K miles, the old DA 9 speed stuff hasn't really needed any maintenance. I did replace the cables and housings last month since the FD cable broke inside the shifter; probably because I do shift chainrings a good bit.

Actually, I'm looking forward to trying out the Campagnola Veloce triple on a rental Derosa in Italy later this spring; hopefully learning to shift with the thumbs isn't going to be too difficult. As long as the front brake is on the left, I should be fine 🙂

dhk2 said:

Well, I don't really have any shifting problems, but good plug anyway. After 16K miles, the old DA 9 speed stuff hasn't really needed any maintenance. I did replace the cables and housings last month since the FD cable broke inside the shifter; probably because I do shift chainrings a good bit.

Actually, I'm looking forward to trying out the Campagnola Veloce triple on a rental Derosa in Italy later this spring; hopefully learning to shift with the thumbs isn't going to be too difficult. As long as the front brake is on the left, I should be fine 🙂

Unless the rental shop mucks things up, you're going to need about 15 seconds to acclimate to the Campagnolo shifters ...

Push the LEFT thumb lever DOWN, and the chain moves DOWN from the large to the smaller chainring(s) ...

Push the RIGHT thumb lever DOWN, and the chain moves DOWN the cassette from larger to smaller cogs ...

Push the LEFT paddle to the RIGHT, and the chain moves to the RIGHT from one chainring to another ...

Push the RIGHT paddle to the LEFT (you can downshift when you are going uphill & the drivetrain is under load -- really!), and the chain will move to the LEFT and onto a larger cog!

Okay, maybe you'll only need 5 seconds to put both of your hands on the respective hoods & locate for the thumb levers!

... You're (probably) going to want to sell your DA shifters when you get back from your Tuscan (?) tour!! But, not to worry, you'll (probably) be able to get more for your DA shifters on eBay than a pair of replacement ERGO shifters will cost.

dhk2 said:

Guess I'll nit-pick as well. We all ride different terrain and shift differently, but for me the FD is the key one. I use a triple here, and shift the FD often over short rolling hills as it's the quickest way to get the big jumps. The front shift is really the critical thing when hitting the steep stuff: the FD needs to downshift to the little ring every time....getting stuck at the bottom of a 15-20% grade is no fun at all 🙂

Somewhat related... Are there any issues with non shimano cranksets in a shimano drivetrain? I've read that only shimano cranksets really shift smoothly as intended (FD). Other cranks are merely "compatible". Any comments?

rparedes said:

Somewhat related... Are there any issues with non shimano cranksets in a shimano drivetrain? I've read that only shimano cranksets really shift smoothly as intended (FD). Other cranks are merely "compatible". Any comments?

Like hubs, if you have a shimano system, the best crank to have, double, CT, triple, is a shimano one. Best bearings, best chainrings, best operation. Same for Campagnolo. Aftermarket cranks are all about whizbangery, short on longevity and long term, consistent performance. I Place FSA, Truvative, RaceFace firmly in this catagory.

rparedes said:

Somewhat related... Are there any issues with non shimano cranksets in a shimano drivetrain? I've read that only shimano cranksets really shift smoothly as intended (FD). Other cranks are merely "compatible". Any comments?

I've got the FSA Team Carbon triple. It shifts fine, and the chainrings are holding up well at 16K miles. It uses the ISIS spindle, with FSA's Megatech bearing system, which consists of 43 mm bearings pressed directly into an OS BB shell.

I like the design of the new Shimano cranksets, but really have no issues with the FSA operation or durability. IMO, aftermarket provides good competition to the giants.

alfeng said:

... You're (probably) going to want to sell your DA shifters when you get back from your Tuscan (?) tour!! But, not to worry, you'll (probably) be able to get more for your DA shifters on eBay than a pair of replacement ERGO shifters will cost.

On my tourer/commuter, I've Veloce on the left and 105 on the right. I'm afraid that it gives no incentive to go over to the Campy side. I have to move my whole hand when using the thumb lever from the hood. The Shimano side is nicer to use - just a little flick of the finger, with my hand weight staying firmly on the hood.
Not trying to start a war, just to balance the Campy worship a little.

artemidorus said:

On my tourer/commuter, I've Veloce on the left and 105 on the right. I'm afraid that it gives no incentive to go over to the Campy side. I have to move my whole hand when using the thumb lever from the hood. The Shimano side is nicer to use - just a little flick of the finger, with my hand weight staying firmly on the hood.
Not trying to start a war, just to balance the Campy worship a little.

I think you may over-estimate my appreciation of Campagnolo ...

If asked, I would ALWAYS recommend Shimano derailleurs/etc., but mated to Campagnolo shifters -- with EITHER Campagnolo OR Shimano indexing as the rider preferred -- BECAUSE Campagnolo shifters can downshift when under load effectively & efficiently whereas Shimano's current (to date) & past shifters balk at shifting when under load (i.e., bike & rider already going uphill) ...

Consequently, the RIGHT HAND shifter is actually the superior of the two sides, and that is after taking into account the fact that the LEFT Campagnolo shifter can be used with ANY front derailleur.

FWIW. I know that SOME people do drape their hands over their brake's hoods differently. I don't mind moving my hand a little to shift (it's really not that much of a movement, IMO) ... besides, it beats having a "death grip" on the brake's hoods (which some people must have based on the wear pattern ...).

The thumb shifter can be actuated from the hoods, the drops, and I've even flicked it with my middle finger when my hands were on the tops of the handlebars ... in the last instance, the G-springs on THAT set of levers are within a few thousand miles of needing to be replaced, so there is significantly less effort needed to push the thumb levers down.

Hey, maybe my hands are the perfect size (!?!) for the Campagnolo shifters & how I have them mounted on my bars ...

BTW. While I don't generally grip the brake levers as I am about to describe, if YOU were to (well, use it as a starting point), you really wouldn't have to move your hand at all -- just put your ring & pinkie fingers BEHIND the bars, your middle & index fingers in FRONT while your thumb is on/in-front-of the thumb lever (smaller hands would probably only have the pinkie behind the handlebars) ... et, voila!

artemidorus said:

On my tourer/commuter, I've Veloce on the left and 105 on the right. I'm afraid that it gives no incentive to go over to the Campy side. I have to move my whole hand when using the thumb lever from the hood. The Shimano side is nicer to use - just a little flick of the finger, with my hand weight staying firmly on the hood.
Not trying to start a war, just to balance the Campy worship a little.

Everytime I have to warranty or throw away a shimano STI lever, I increase my appreciation of rebuildable and maintanable 'stuff'. If you like $100-$180 levers that will eventually fail, like a BIC lighter, go ahead. BUT like lots of things that this 800 pound gorilla brings to the market, their levers are designed to be replaced.

When the next 'standard' comes, electronic shifting from shimano, that is more expensive, heavier, WAY more complicated, people will clamour for it. STI, at least when new, works so well, is so refined, I gotta wonder why BUT people like power windows and door locks on their cars also, until they quit.

Peter@vecchios said:

Everytime I have to warranty or throw away a shimano STI lever, I increase my appreciation of rebuildable and maintanable 'stuff'. If you like $100-$180 levers that will eventually fail, like a BIC lighter, go ahead. BUT like lots of things that this 800 pound gorilla brings to the market, their levers are designed to be replaced.

When the next 'standard' comes, electronic shifting from shimano, that is more expensive, heavier, WAY more complicated, people will clamour for it. STI, at least when new, works so well, is so refined, I gotta wonder why BUT people like power windows and door locks on their cars also, until they quit.

Durability/ repair are different issues. My comment was in response to the claim that a brief usage of Campy gear would bring about a miraculous conversion. My experience has been quite the opposite.
Electronic shifting is the answer to the question that noone ever asked. If Shimano ever stop bringing out fully mechanical systems, then Campy will get my money.