Just so you know, in the weighing part of the video, I weigh the 105 stuff first and then the ultegra version of it. just so there is no confusion. if you have any questions about the two groups, please do not hesitate to ask me.
I have a quirky question, that has yet for me to find an answer to. Which is i was wondering if i can fit the ultegra 52-36 chainrings on the 105 cranks.
very useful, and I agree this decided me to buy 105 - 239 g is a big gulp of water. $750. Having had both sets on recent bikes, I feel no difference in braking and I never use the top buttons so it was a no-brainer
There are much bigger differences. 1 - Third button 2 - Brakes, Servo Wave is a BIG diference on Ultegra. 3 - Front shifting, is mindblowing on Ultegra 4 - Hyperglide+ cassete, that will be the biggest difference. To optimize I will choose. ultegra rings with 105 cranks :p Calipers + shifters - Ultegra Front Derreilur - Ultegra Rear Derraileur - 105 Cassete - Ultegra (HG+) Chain - Ultegra (HG+) Rotors - Ultegra if you want to reduce weight, if not 105.
Installed 105 di2 on my bike and upgraded the cassette to an ultegra for the hg+. Put the 105 cassette on my trainer. My thoughts on upgrading the front derailleur after looking at the data from my last 3h ride is 4 front shifts and 400 shifts rear. Modulated braking requires hills which I don’t have any. Only brake when stopping for traffic 😊
@@rioblast here with streets at 7% 8% and HC climbs just 40km from town servo wave is a blessing for my hands and shoulders. (And still I'm terrible descending)
You say that about the servo wave and I see it says it as well but the calipers look identical for these systems. And when i have had 105 brakes and ultegra brakes which I run now. They fell the exact same during the brake pull. Like literal exact same.
A 105 set with Ultegra shifters seems the way to go, especially it you'd like to use extra satellite buttons. The 105 cassette and those lockrings for the discs are a huge surprise weight wise imho, for opposite reasons. Thanks for pointing it out:)
That’s my plan for my Bianchi Oltre XR2. It’s a rim brake frame. I could just upgrade the group set and keep everything else. It has SRAM Force 22 now, however I’d need an XDR compatible wheelset also.
One thing I would recommend for anyone considering 105 is upgrade the rotors, I had constant issues with warping which immediately went away after swapping to XTR.
Jesus christ same here. I never had a problem with Ultegra r8000 rotors, but those r7000 rotors warped so easily. It's not as if I was descending mont ventoux every weekend, no excuse for it.
They make them by sandwiching a sheet of aluminium in between 2 sheets of stainless. Stainless is very sensitive to warping when heated and the spider supporting the rotor is very small compared to the RT-MT800 (XT) or Ultegra rotor. That makes the rotor less rigid. I prefer to use Shimano Deore Rt-64, they don't warp as much because they are solid stainless. I also found that they don't wear as fast as the ICE-tech.
I have the buttons on Ultegra 11 speed, I have them set up to change pages on my wahoo, it's not something I miss when I ride other bikes. 105 di2 for my next build :)
The lockrings are different type so in reality cannot compare them (105 are outer/external and ultegra inner/internal) Outer is always heavier. Some hubs can only accept outer so it also depends on your wheelset which one to choose.
All brand new RT-MT800s I've seen so far come with externally-splined lockrings. For my Ultegra R8020, I deliberately bought some internally-splined lockrings separately.
There is an optional 50/34 105 crank that is heavier and cheaper than the 105 hollowtech version. That may add up to 100 grams. When figuring the significance of a 2-300 gram difference, divide that amount by bike and rider weight. 200/80,000= 0.25% Totally insignificant. SRAM Force and Rival are both less expensive.
From 105 5700 to 5800 to R7000 105 never has let me down I’ve raced it on pavement and gravel. Realistically I could see myself upgrading to R8000 if there is a deal. But the shift buttons on the hoods make the R8000 STI Shifter very attractive
I went 105 di2 on my new Emonda (chose SL6 over SL7) and saved $2.5k NZD. Sold the 35mm carbon wheels that came with it and had $3.5k to play with. Spent that money on ENVE F65 wheels, ultegra rotors and chain. Way better bang for my buck when compared to an off the rack Ultegra model. Ultegra is obviously better, but there are better places to put your money to gain performance if you have a capped budget.
The 105 to ultegra brake calipers have been the same or almost the same weight even on the previous groupsets. They perform exactly the same I've tried both. Putting lighter rotors and aftermarket cassettes with the 105 you'd get ultegra weight. Be careful mixing derailleurs as Shimano may have made 105 non interchangeable
Been a 105 rider for years. After 4 years upgrading bike. Wanted 105 DI2. Finally bought Ultegra equipped bike was really no price difference between 105 and ultegra in the UK. Just looked some 105 bikes more expensive than what I bought. 105 now on premium/Pro level bikes, does not make sense for people groupset
105 Di2 with Ultegra shifters and the Ultegra FD would give you the best of both worlds :). I'd love extension ports on the 105 shifters (for satellite shifters or a wired setup). They do have one port, but it cannot be used to connect components.... not really :)
Over the years, I have found that the main differences btw 105 and Ultegra and D/A out side of obvious price and weight is fit and finish, precision and longevity. This is particularly apparent in the mechanical shifting of 11 speed variants of the previous gen. Granted this is Di2…. The higher the group level the nicer the finish, the less slop and tolerances, and better durability over long term. You are absolutely correct that functionality is no different, but there is a marked difference in feel to how the Ultegra performs compared to 105, much less btw Ultegra and D/A…a case of splitting hairs outside of cost. Just my opinion…35 years of riding with Cat1/2 experience in my youthful days.
as you said, granted this is DI2. I agree if this was mechanical, but with DI2 and brakes seemingly the same, there is no difference in feel of the shiters, the shifting itself and the braking. What may differ is speed of shifting and smoothness of shifting, but a big (the biggest) part of that is the cassette (whether it's hyperglide or not), and not so much the shifters and RD (in DI2).
After being told how good 105 is, I've found my 105 mechanical to be noisy, needing regular adjustment, and never seem to have the right ratio. Bit disappointed in it really.
Both of these groups work so well, the step up in price to dura-ace is really dramatic--for a non racer who rides for fitness, spending $13000 on a bike is to impress your friends..Ultegra will shift just as fast, brake as hard as Duraace can...and maybe the cranks will not split like the top tier cranks have!!
GC - There is a massive opportunity and opening in the market for electronic groupsets below USD 2000 from other non major manufacturers. The cost of a complete bike outweighs the benefits of an riding an electronic group set fitted bike given in a few years they will be obsolete as new iterations come out. Yes major manufacturers are cashing for now.
there was one video on YT where a guy was repairing the shifters: 105 and Ultegra. And only when he opened the plastics etc. he realised how different component are in these 2 groups: one was plastic one was metal - and which one was to fail faster. You guess what is what ;-)
I feel Shimano may have shot themselves in the foot with the 105 set as it may make the current ultergra obsolete given how closely matched 105 is. Who's paying nearly 1000 extra dollars for about 200g less
I have the pervious version of the ultegra, and those extra buttons aren't worth it. You can't really reach them on top.of the hoods without moving your hands. If they were on the side of the top "nubs" instead of right on top then you could squeeze it with your thumb and it'd be perfect. Until then I wouldn't bother, if I were buying right now I'd get the 105 levers.
Just built my new bike and went for 105 Di 2 there is no reason in the world I would go for Ultrega Di2. If you are paying for it yourself you don’t need Ultrega thats my motto.
Besides the price n weight. Would there be a difference in ride smoothness n shifting smoothness between the both? Plus Ultegra hood buttons which 105 had opted to omit would be pretty useful for some to cycle through bike computer screens. But still price conscious riders would definitely super happy with the long awaited 105 Di2!!
Awesome video and info as always, thanks man! just one thing, the music, I’m not opposed for music, great idea but maybe…other type? Or maybe it’s just me 😊😅
Since 105 di2 I had this question and I would be really thankful if you could give me an answer.Is it's possible to mix Ultegra 12speed shifters with the other parts being 105?
I think Shimano are going to lose a huge section of the market when the Chinese groupset manufacturers release their electronic and fully hydraulic disc groupsets.
This version of 105 exists because of SRAM Rival AXS completes. The Electronic Groupset of the People. Consider including info on the other 105 crankset. FC-RS520. It is on completes and sold separately as part of 105.
Yep. Look at new Trek Domane SL6 105 Di2 vs Rival ETAP. Rival is about $500 cheaper if you buy the group set alone but the Rival complete bike is $500 more. Same bike otherwise.
As long as there are enough threads for engagement, it shouldn't be a problem. This thing doesn't see 2 Nm of torque anyway unless you're on angular contact bearings.
Didn’t watch this video. But it’s the Ultegra. 105 doesn’t get those buttons on the hoods. That beats the purpose of having an electronic grouppo D.Ace is just really expensive but the callipers is something I am eyeing on. So, full Ultegra Di2 with D.Ace callipers ftw
not at all, that is the least thing I use on the group itself, I thought it would be a cool feature but I find myself using that the least just the nice brakes and also the smooth regular gear shifiing, I would go 105 bcause it is $700 for 250 gram difference, and jsut get ultegra rotors and uletrga chanin and cassette and ur golden
@@GCPerformance18 okayyyyyyyy. But, apart from the buttons on the hoods, 105 Di2 also doesn’t get satellite shifters. If I were to ONLY shift with the buttons/pedals on the shifters, I’m ayy-okay with mechanical shifting. The best part about electronic shifting is the ability to shift from various positions like from the tops, in drops using your thumbs. Which can never be done with mechanical.
Do it for Red, Rival and Force! Or have you already? I'm in the process of upgrading my Rival build with Red cranks, chain and cassette and it was super confusing on the weights where different sites would give different results. Do you have a reco on what you'd upgrade if you were mix and match both SRAM and Shimano on road groupsets (I'm not sure Shimano is as mixable).
We don't hate you per se... LOL🤣🤣🤣 It is we who keep coming back for the punishment.🙃 Surprised the chain is no different in weight, Dura-Ace too. Humph.🤔 Thanks!
My bike came with Ultegra however I'd buy 105 to save $700. I already have 105 long rear derailleur cage to fit my 105 34 cassette when they were all I could source.
I use servos in R/C airplanes and such, no way I need them on a bicycle. I have ridden and worked on bikes as a trade for decades and for certain top of the line fad is an expensive hobby. The real deal is keep the wheels trued and the mechanical top notch. I haven't bothered even a ride computer in decades. At 58 I'm still going by folks on a 38 lb. Mth bike with pump and tools, water etc. , It's the motor that matters mostly, seen a lot of people over the years spend thousands on bling meanwhile they are 20+ lbs overweight..
Very interesting, with Ultegra you pay a lot more for a small increase in performance, like the cassette coating which probably lasts longer or something
That's what I did on my s-works tarmac build..I had it built up with the ultegra 12 speed di2 with the RT-MT900 dura ace black disc rotors which to me look stealth..
Prices are all over the place. 105 is ok and you're better off buying a bike with 105 rather than building a bike with 105. Fyi, a SRAM Force complete set is cheaper here in Aus than a complete 105 set. Bikes however are a different story 🤷♂️😅
You’re more likely to lock your brakes up with servowave on a road bike. Servowave makes sense on MTB’s with fat, chunky tyres that need to stop in a hurry… makes very little sense on a road bike with 28-32mm slick tyres
105 best group set for the price and durability for sure, but hey for those who's got the money and they just want that extra help on saving weight i don't blame them tho
Yes but you also have to look at the actual durability and strength also weight can be a pro on a bike instead of a con depending on what your doing and where
Are those a newer style of ultegra disc rotors??? My ultegra di2 12 speed set up came with the 4 star RT-MT800 disc rotors which to me look alot better..
My understanding is the higher end groupsets have better manufacturing tolerances which should manifest in areas such as smoother shifting and what actually looks like more efficiently cooled brake discs, so it’s not all about weight. Hyper glide, hood shifter buttons, etc cool, but even all of these things together… …$750 more for Ultegra? It’s a good strategy. Folks paying $7k for a bike prob gonna want Ultegra for that $ even if objectively the $ could be spent on other stuff like a pro bike fit that makes a huge difference.
You're exactly right. These review is nonsense. Many of the mechanics and materials are higher quality in the Ultegra components. This is information that's readily available, if had just done a little research.
@@Davek111 not only widely available but widely known to anyone whose been around bike equipment for more than 30 seconds. This is such an obtuse terrible take, I’d implore the authors to address this issue if they have the integrity and fortitude…
Ultegra almost feels redundant - with the exception of having Ultegra and it's prestige stamped on your groupset. If Shimano got rid of Ultegra and just have 105 and Dura-Ace as their race-ready groupsets, they can focus on getting them better - maybe will leap frog of the competition.
The 105 brakes are not supposed to be as sophisticated as Ultegra and Dura Ace. The differences between the two are more than just weight. (modulation)
thats what Iheard of as well, but from pure looks, it looks identical and the feel is the exact same I had ultegra and now I have the 105 version and I can not feel the difference
@@GCPerformance18 Well then might as well save some money and get the 105 version. But you ride in Florida. No crazy descending at high speeds. That is probably where you can "feel" the difference.
52T max based on Shimano documentation. you can always drop a DA FD in the mix that supports 54T :p 12s 105-Ultegra-DA components can be mixed with no problem.
@@PatrickLino no idea if the FD has any differences. In theory Ultegra has a 52T limit an DA 54T but visually for me are exactly the same. So is possible it works with 53T
Hey GC, what would you recommend more? upgrade from mechanical Ultegra to previous Ultegra Di2 (8070) assuming that i need to change only levers rear and front mech? Or upgrade to 105 Di2 that would include crankset and cassette to accumulate 12 gears? Thanks for advice!
The crankset you can’t compare due to the different CR size, but that said, can you verify if the 105 is still a one piece forging, or hollow tech bonded like the Ultegra?
but ti would be minimal, it looked different to me, but the weight was so simiar I wouldnt doubt that they gave it hollowtech just to save money for one mold and just stamp it different and us heavier bolts
@@GCPerformance18 reason I ask, 105 has always been a one piece forging before, and was not affected by the hollow tech bonding separation that was seen in Ultegra and Durace.
The prices of this stuff are ridiculous. Especially if you consider the weight of some components. That crankset is a real boatanchor at 764 grams. The hollowgram SI crankset on my 6 year Cannondale weighs less that 600 grams. And the complete bike was cheaper than this whole groupset. My advice would be to not buy the whole groupset, but mix and match with lighter components from other brands. Lighter crankset, lighter brake calipers, lighter cassette, lighter rotors. That way you end up with a lighter bike and more money that you can spend towards other improvements (handlebar, seatpost etc.)
Basically they have been quite clever, unlike sram the weight difference is spread over the entire group set meaning its very hard to make a weight saving upgrade down the line with any one component. And out of pure vanity id upgrade the rotors, the 105 versions look wank and cheap.
So who should buy Ultegra and who should buy 105? I want to buy a aero or race bike next year and I am not sure if I need the Ultegra, bcs I dont wanna waste so much money if the 105 does the same
im running 105 right now on myaero bike and I love it shifts so nice and has all the tech of the ultegra, get 105 if strapped for cash get ultegra if you can afford it
