# Difference in Cassette, Ultegra CS-6800 vs 105 CS-5800



## ehcarleton

I have an 105 CS-5800 11-32 on my bike right now, the rest of the drive train is Ultegra 6800 Di2. After 600 miles on it, I have come to realize that a 11-28 is going to suit me better then 11-32. The question is:

Is it worth the extra money to get the CS-6800 or is the less expensive CS-5700 just fine? I totally get that reducing rotating weight is HUGE, but is saving around 50 grams worth paying twice the price for a normal rider that like doing 100+ mile rides?

Other than the weight difference, what are the pro's and cons?


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## bruin11

There are no pro's. Get the 105


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## Lombard

Not worth the extra $$. A cassette isn't the rotating weight that a rim is since the weight is at the center, not the perimeter.

Get the 105.


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## Mr645

The Ultegra cassettes are often not much more then the 105 parts. For $10 I would go Ultegra, but in reality, won't notice any difference


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## ehcarleton

First off, I would like to thank you all for chiming on on this question. Generally speaking, I tend to agree with all of you that there is no difference other than weight.

As we know, the teeth are shaped differently to make it easier for the chain to move up and down. Yesterday I was cleaning my cassette and a new thought came to mind... 

Could one of the differences between the 105 and Ultegra be the shape of the teeth, making the Ultegra shift a bit smoother? Has anyone every studied it at this level before?


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## Mr645

I've used Ultegra, 105 and Tiagra cassettes on an otherwise 105 drivetrain. The only difference I can tell with shifting is when the cassette and chain are clean or dirty, but no difference in performance between the levels of equipment


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## nsfbr

Frankly, I'd decide on a $ threshold you'd be willing to pay ($10 seems about at the upper end) and see what the deals are. Unfortunately, I think you missed a bunch at places like Chain Reaction, so you may want to wait a bit until the next round. Or not, if you just want to move on this. I've tended for Ultegra except where the 105 option was the only one in the version I wanted. I'm at 10 speed though, so maybe they've filled in the differences for the 11 speed cassettes though.


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## ehcarleton

Yea, I keep seeking great deals on the 10-speed, but... I need 11-speed


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## Lombard

ehcarleton said:


> First off, I would like to thank you all for chiming on on this question. Generally speaking, I tend to agree with all of you that there is no difference other than weight.
> 
> As we know, the teeth are shaped differently to make it easier for the chain to move up and down. Yesterday I was cleaning my cassette and a new thought came to mind...
> 
> Could one of the differences between the 105 and Ultegra be the shape of the teeth, making the Ultegra shift a bit smoother? Has anyone every studied it at this level before?


No differences in shape of teeth, ramps or pins that help the chain shift smoother. Only difference (besides $$) is you may save a teensy bit of weight with Ultegra.


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## Dunbar

Keep an eye out on ebay for a new takeoff cassettes. I sold my new 5800 11-32 cassette for $40 on ebay. You've got to be patient for the good deals. Ebay your old one and it ends up being a pretty inexpensive swap.


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## Maglore

The difference in weight between an 11-28t 5800 cassette and the equivalent 6800 item is a measly 25g, with the saving mainly coming from the alloy lockring of the latter, compared to steel.

Up to you if you think the extra money is worth saving the same amount of weight as a gulp from your water bottle.


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