# New 105?



## baalan (Nov 18, 2007)

Any word on whether or not Shimano will release a new 105 groupset based on the 6700/7900?


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## Wheelman55 (Jul 10, 2009)

I heard that it'll be within 12 months along with XTR and XT.


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## cornas (Sep 19, 2008)

Seems like the new 105 will arrive in may 2010.

http://happymtb.org/2010/02/02/11-delat-fran-shimano/#more-3230

Text i Swedish, but there are a couple of pictures.


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## j.king (Mar 23, 2005)

Bikeradar just posted an article last week about the new 105.

http://www.bikeradar.com/news/article/first-look-new-shimano-105-road-groupset-review-24923


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## thechriswebb (Nov 21, 2008)

I'm nervous. I was a big fan of the 7700 group and the 6600 group that I replaced it with. The complaints that I've heard about the new DA and Ultegra make me afraid of what the budget version of those groups will be like. The hidden shifter cables have certainly had an impact on the shifting, even considering the people who are saying that you just need to get them dialed in. It could go one of two ways: Shimano could have learned from some issues that 7900 and 6700 have had and we will see some of that in the new 105, or it will just be a crappier version of this new technology that Shimano didn't seem to get quite right. 

The quality of this new 105 is very important for Shimano. The present version of 105 had a good reputation for being race-able and reliable at a price that most people can afford and this new version better be that way too. Sram is coming out with a group to compete at that level really soon, and Sram's pricing is competative. The Campy fans are static and will continue to be a base for them no matter what else there is competing in the market. Sram is Shimano's biggest competitor right now, and it seems like an awful lot of pros switched to Sram when 7900 came out. Some people argue that the finicky-ness of 7900 is OK because the elite racers that use it will have it perfectly dialed in and the nuances pay off in the end. At the 105 level, that excuse will not hold up. This group needs to be solid, dependable, and affordable. If this new Sram group comes out and is good and the new 105 comes out and is finicky, then Shimano is going to be in a world of hurt. I've always appreciated the quality and dependability of Shimano's products; this is a good opportunity for them. I hope they don't blow it.


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## Wheelman55 (Jul 10, 2009)

thechriswebb said:


> I'm nervous. I was a big fan of the 7700 group and the 6600 group that I replaced it with. The complaints that I've heard about the new DA and Ultegra make me afraid of what the budget version of those groups will be like. The hidden shifter cables have certainly had an impact on the shifting, even considering the people who are saying that you just need to get them dialed in. It could go one of two ways: Shimano could have learned from some issues that 7900 and 6700 have had and we will see some of that in the new 105, or it will just be a crappier version of this new technology that Shimano didn't seem to get quite right.


I've owned and ridden a lot of bikes in my life...campag, shimano, some sram, and some groups that you might not have heard of...and all of them, when properly set up, ride stupendously. I've got two downtube shifter bikes...one campag record 10 speed (you know...the one with 5 cogs in the back) and a 105 downtube sti with a 7 speed cassette. The "modern" 105 is much easier to shift and overall is superior...however the record gets the job done with no mis-shifts or failures. Both are adjusted perfectly.

Another fact is that virtually all of the goups have gotten much better over the years. So when I hear mention of groups not performing I am dubious. Get a book, take a class, learn how to adjust what you've got or find a mechanic who knows how to do it.

The lion's share of the "complaints" are from people who don't have their groups installed or adjusted correctly, are using poor quality cables/housings, or have "stupid" bends in their cable system...either at the bars or at the bottom bracket. 

Re: Shimano...I was able to put in quite a few miles on a 6700 loaner bike last year that was set up by a Professional mechanic and it was flawless. I put a few miles...200 or so...on 7900 and the same on Di2. Guess what...a professional mechanic put them together and they were perfect...yes I realize that there was a rattling shifter issue on early 7900 which has been fixed.

Bottom line is all of these groups are pretty terrific when set up properly.


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## thechriswebb (Nov 21, 2008)

Wheelman55 said:


> I've owned and ridden a lot of bikes in my life...campag, shimano, some sram, and some groups that you might not have heard of...and all of them, when properly set up, ride stupendously. I've got two downtube shifter bikes...one campag record 10 speed (you know...the one with 5 cogs in the back) and a 105 downtube sti with a 7 speed cassette. The "modern" 105 is much easier to shift and overall is superior...however the record gets the job done with no mis-shifts or failures. Both are adjusted perfectly.
> 
> Another fact is that virtually all of the goups have gotten much better over the years. So when I hear mention of groups not performing I am dubious. Get a book, take a class, learn how to adjust what you've got or find a mechanic who knows how to do it.
> 
> ...


Well, this is the kind of response that I would like to hear. For the record, I am speaking from hearsay about the 7900/6700 problems. I have never used them. I just noticed that more people seemed to be complaining about them than others. I love my 6600 group and have no intention of changing it until I have to. 

After they have been out for a couple of years, I would like to hear what people are saying about the new Shimano groups. I was pretty excited when they came out; I really like the new style and personally think they are the best looking groups out right now. 

I also know that Campy has it's die hard fans (nothing against Campy!) that will never like Shimano no matter what they do. I also know that Sram is the hip group right now and a lot of people are going for that. Anyway, I hope the new 105 rocks. It really should if it is an upgrade from the old 105 which works just fine.


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## Trek2.3 (Sep 13, 2009)

Soon the OLD 105 groupset will be a very good BEST BUY for a few months. I might grab one for a spaer.


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## MarvinK (Feb 12, 2002)

Old 105 will be a best buy for those looking for triples... otherwise, I bet brand-new Apex will be lighter and cheaper than even old 105 on closeouts... and it won't make your bike look dated.


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## zeesix (Mar 26, 2010)

Anyone have any insight on the status of the new 105. I read articles that it was supposed to hit US markets this month.


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## Clevor (Sep 8, 2005)

thechriswebb said:


> The quality of this new 105 is very important for Shimano. The present version of 105 had a good reputation for being race-able and reliable at a price that most people can afford and this new version better be that way too. Sram is coming out with a group to compete at that level really soon, and Sram's pricing is competative. The Campy fans are static and will continue to be a base for them no matter what else there is competing in the market. Sram is Shimano's biggest competitor right now, and it seems like an awful lot of pros switched to Sram when 7900 came out.


I think it's simpler than that: $$$$. The pros ride with whoever pays them the bucks. SRAM is sponsoring a lot of teams, that's why you see it on a lot of Pro Tour bikes. 

Why did Scott displace Giant frames at Columbia-HighRoad? Because they made them an offer they couldn't refuse. Same with Specialized at Astana.

If you ask me, at least Shimano has the integrity to continue manufacturing all Ultegra and Dura Ace components in Japan. The labor cost must be enormous compared to Romania or Taiwan or China. For the same price, I'd rather use stuff made in Japan over Campy stuff where who knows which parts are now made in Romania. Or SRAM stuff where I think everything is made in Taiwan or China. Yeah, all the stuff works, but the best bang for the buck has to be Shimano.

It's going to get worse with Campy, because they are building a factory in Taiwan. So spend $3-4K for a Record groupset and maybe some of the components will be made in Taiwan. I have a lot of Campy components for future builds but at least I got all my 10-speed stuff back in 2004-2005, when all of it was still made in Italy.


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## MarvinK (Feb 12, 2002)

I'd say Taiwan and Japan are reasonably comparable now--and unless you need a triple, SRAM is definitely the best bang for the buck. Even most of the Shimano fans I know will admit that.


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## MarvinK (Feb 12, 2002)

...unless we're talking about carbon cranks. Hard to compete with Shimano there...


http://www.cambriabike.com/shopexd....ra+Ace+Fc-7800C+Carbon+10+Speed+Road+Crankset (hey, at least it's on sale now!)


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## re-cyclist (Sep 12, 2008)

*New Shimano 105 5700 installed and tested!*

I just got the new 5700 105 on my bike yesterday - ordered it off Ebay last week. It arrived in a brown box from Taiwan with the pieces loose, wrapped in their instructions sheets. Probably OEM stuff. Obviously I've not put any serious mileage on it but enough to get a good feel for it after taking it out yesterday afternoon and this morning. Anyway, compared to the 5600 105 group that it replaced, I find the shifting to be much quicker, quieter, and smoother. Especially in the front. The under-the-tape cable routing has absolutely no detrimental effect, as far as I can tell. Compared to Rival, I find the shifting to be smoother and quieter, although it's probably quite a bit heavier. I'm very happy with it, and I would definitely recommend it.

I would probably wait a couple months for the best deal, though, if waiting is an option. Chain Reaction says it'll be available on 5/31, and if you need it now, you can get it on Ebay (no warranty, of course).


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## MarvinK (Feb 12, 2002)

pictures?


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## re-cyclist (Sep 12, 2008)

I'll put up some pictures tomorrow. It's too dark outside to take pics ATM.


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## jermso (May 13, 2009)

MarvinK said:


> ...unless we're talking about carbon cranks. Hard to compete with Shimano there...
> 
> 
> http://www.cambriabike.com/shopexd....ra+Ace+Fc-7800C+Carbon+10+Speed+Road+Crankset (hey, at least it's on sale now!)


other gruppos have carbon cranks for years now.

shimano is late adopter & trying to play catch up.

same goes for their shifters.


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## PlatyPius (Feb 1, 2009)

New 105 is in my catalogs (online), but doesn't show in-stock yet. Wholesale price of the shifters is $35 less than last year's.


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## re-cyclist (Sep 12, 2008)

Some pics of my new setup with 5700 105 (excluding wheels/pedals):
(sorry if they're too big)


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## tober1 (Feb 6, 2009)

Really like the look of the shifters. Crank is nice too. I like the matte appearance. The chainrings/bolts look cheap though. The previous version that had the silver circle were nicer. 
Sweet ride though. I like that stand too


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## re-cyclist (Sep 12, 2008)

I agree, the chainrings are kinda weak. I'm pretty sure the chainrings are stamped and not forged (though, truth be told, I haven't noticed any flex under heavy load). And if I want forged chainrings, with the wider spacing and longer cable pull of the 5700 shifters, I think the only choices are Ultegra 6700 or Dura-Ace 7900. $$$.
Two other things that bug me (just a little): 1) the "play" in the rear downshift lever. You have to push it a good centimeter medially before you meet resistance and it starts to engage. It's defininitely more than in the 5600 shifters. 2) A full throw of the rear upshift lever only pushes the chain up two cogs, instead of three. So to go from the small cog to the big in a hurry, it requires 4-1/2 throws, instead of three throws. Again, I don't know why Shimano decided to do this.


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## asad137 (Jul 29, 2009)

re-cyclist said:


> 2) A full throw of the rear upshift lever only pushes the chain up two cogs, instead of three. So to go from the small cog to the big in a hurry, it requires 4-1/2 throws, instead of three throws. Again, I don't know why Shimano decided to do this.


Just a guess, based on pictures -- the new shifters look smaller overall than the old ones. The size of the shifter is probably strongly driven by the size of the cable reel inside, so a smaller shifter implies a smaller cable reel. But the reel still has to pull the same amount of cable in order to shift; the smaller reel has to rotate more than a larger reel in order to do pull a given amount of cable. So in order to get 3 cogs per shift would probably require too much lever movement.

Again, just a guess.

Asad


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## terbennett (Apr 1, 2006)

re-cyclist said:


> Two other things that bug me (just a little): 1) the "play" in the rear downshift lever. You have to push it a good centimeter medially before you meet resistance and it starts to engage. It's defininitely more than in the 5600 shifters. 2) A full throw of the rear upshift lever only pushes the chain up two cogs, instead of three. So to go from the small cog to the big in a hurry, it requires 4-1/2 throws, instead of three throws. Again, I don't know why Shimano decided to do this.


If you're talking about the delay in the rear derailleur, it seems to me that the Dura Ace 7900 does those things too. I've ridden four different bikes with the 7900 group and there seems to be a delay in the rear that I've never felt on any 7800 equipped bikes, including my own. I've talked to a few riders that said that they felt it as well. The 7800 was stellar. The only thing that even trumped it was possibly the SRAM Red but I don't like the shifting action on the left shifter with SRAM stuff. My LBS said that 7900s feel that way because it's a different system than the 7800s I'm used to.Maybe there's some truth to it but the lag was felt on five different bikes from 3 different shops. The three 6700 bikes I've test ridden didn't have the play and had excellent shifting. They were from those same shops.


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## h264 (Aug 8, 2008)

Are the new shifters compatible with Avid BB7 road disc brakes? 
I have read somewhere that the new shifters does not pull enough cable for road disc brakes.


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