Do you feel the difference?

Bigbananabike said:

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I'm very happy with my 105 and Ultegra 9 speed rear derailleurs🙂 . I've read in the forums how fussy the 10 speeds are by comparison😠 .

I am sorry if I offended you then. But is is said that the 10 speed systems were an amazing improvement over 9 speed. If your 9 speed works well then it is just as good as 10 speed.

So after 80 posts and 2000 plus views... I can only conclude:

105--> best bang for you buck
ultegra--> best bang for your luxury buck
dura a$$--> luxury in excess.

Tiagra--> To be ridden till it breaks off.

willocrew said:

So after 80 posts and 2000 plus views... I can only conclude:

105--> best bang for you buck
ultegra--> best bang for your luxury buck
dura a$$--> luxury in excess.

Tiagra--> To be ridden till it breaks off.

Add Sora to the ridden until it breaks. But you got it just about right.

I hear also

Campy--> beats them all

I may start a new thread on this since I have other questions, but will start here.

I just bought a 2004 Allez Elite, which has 9-speed 105 across the board. I am a mountain bike racer so I know the difference between XTR and XT and LX. The weight and performance is important to me. I know jack about DA to Tiagra.

Reading this thread has been EXTREMELY helpful, thank you.

My road biking is for training to be a better mountain biker and maybe do some group rides.

Is 2004 105 group decent or should I do some changing to get get a more efficient ride? Everybody is talking about 2006 and 2007. DA is out of the question, but Ultegra is not. Are there newer 105 components I should be considering?

Thanks.

guppie said:

My road biking is for training to be a better mountain biker and maybe do some group rides.

Is 2004 105 group decent or should I do some changing to get get a more efficient ride? Everybody is talking about 2006 and 2007. DA is out of the question, but Ultegra is not. Are there newer 105 components I should be considering?

Since you are using this bike for training, and not for racing, there is absolutely no advantage to upgrading from the 2004 105 group. Ride it until it no longer works, then upgrade. As long as it is functioning (and it should continue to function for a long time, assuming you take care of it), it will be fine for training and group rides.

Phill P said:

I'd like to see anybody try a blind folded cycling test, I doubt you'd have any time to test the shifting before testing the pavement!

My local LBS surprised me when he said DA is LESS durable than Ultegra (softer lighter materials?). I might have to take a closer look at the 105 gear next time I'm there if the finish is closer to DA, I think my girlfriend's Ultegra has a cheap look to it (powdercoat not anodized like my campy)

What is the weight difference between each group set?

Good One!

May I chime in and say theres a difference in shift/brake levers thats worth upgrading. Coming from a motorsports background, brakes and how strong and how well you can modulate them is very important and it should be to everyone. The Ultegra's brake better and I think give a much more connected and snappy feeling shift than the 105 levers. The 105's feel mushy in braking and the detents or something used in shifting feel mushy to. Sure it can be attributed to the brakes themselves (off brand) ,cables and rim and brake pad, but I test rode enough of each to feel that the bikes with Ultegra levers and brakes felt better in a significant way to the 105 combo bikes.

I also would pass on the tip when you buy your bike to ask for a Free upgrade to Dura-ace cables before even taking the bike home. if you dont ask for a discount-then they might do this instead. My LBS offered free STI pedals with every bike, but I declined and went for AC water bottle cages and D/A cables.

I would agree that you can save some bucks on 105 fr. and rr. derailleurs and maybe a 105 crank as well.

rayhuang said:

May I chime in and say theres a difference in shift/brake levers thats worth upgrading. Coming from a motorsports background, brakes and how strong and how well you can modulate them is very important and it should be to everyone. The Ultegra's brake better and I think give a much more connected and snappy feeling shift than the 105 levers. The 105's feel mushy in braking and the detents or something used in shifting feel mushy to. Sure it can be attributed to the brakes themselves (off brand) ,cables and rim and brake pad, but I test rode enough of each to feel that the bikes with Ultegra levers and brakes felt better in a significant way to the 105 combo bikes.

I also would pass on the tip when you buy your bike to ask for a Free upgrade to Dura-ace cables before even taking the bike home. if you dont ask for a discount-then they might do this instead. My LBS offered free STI pedals with every bike, but I declined and went for AC water bottle cages and D/A cables.

I would agree that you can save some bucks on 105 fr. and rr. derailleurs and maybe a 105 crank as well.

Interesting, because my experience is exactly the opposite. I find that 105 brakes are very strong. Also, you can't attribute ease of modulation to the lever or the calipers alone without considering the pads and braking surface of the rim.
Over all, I'd say that the new 105 group kicks ass for the money. If you keep it well tuned and lubricated, it should perform very well and be competititive.

If 105 feels mushy I would hate to use a 'hard' brakeset. They are for modulation of speed, not stopping.

If you are only training on the bike, 2004 105 is perfectly fine. Training is not about efficiency, it is about having a bike which is marginally harder to ride than the bike you race on. Whether that be weight, bearings, aerodynamics is all up to you.

rayhuang said:

May I chime in and say theres a difference in shift/brake levers thats worth upgrading. Coming from a motorsports background, brakes and how strong and how well you can modulate them is very important and it should be to everyone. The Ultegra's brake better and I think give a much more connected and snappy feeling shift than the 105 levers. The 105's feel mushy in braking and the detents or something used in shifting feel mushy to. Sure it can be attributed to the brakes themselves (off brand) ,cables and rim and brake pad, but I test rode enough of each to feel that the bikes with Ultegra levers and brakes felt better in a significant way to the 105 combo bikes.

That has not been my experience at all. I have never had a problem with 105 brakes, and I have not been able to tell the difference between 105 and Ultegra brakes or shifting.

RickF said:

That has not been my experience at all. I have never had a problem with 105 brakes, and I have not been able to tell the difference between 105 and Ultegra brakes or shifting.

Interesting.