# Ultegra vs 105



## hellorobreese

Greetings,


I'm shopping for my first road bike and am looking mostly at a Giant Composite TCR, either the 3 with the 105 parts or the "Limited Edition" for $300 more.

The cheaper bike is already more than I thought I was going to spend on this venture, but if the Ultegras are really worth the bread, I might take that dive.

I plan to be riding mostly for exercise, 3+ times a week. I have the bug in the back of my head that I might like to try some racing, but want to get back into shape first.

What do you think? Will I be swapping out my 105's in a year? Would I be swapping out a set of Ultegras anyway?

Rob


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## Takashi

Hmmm... Is it the 105 10 speed? 

But if you're anything like me, you'll be swapping out for Ultegra bits within a year. Just because I like fiddling with things. But realistically for recreational use and even entry level racing, 105 is more than enough. I assume that the limited edition comes with full Ultegra?


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## hellorobreese

Takashi said:


> Hmmm... Is it the 105 10 speed?
> 
> But if you're anything like me, you'll be swapping out for Ultegra bits within a year. Just because I like fiddling with things. But realistically for recreational use and even entry level racing, 105 is more than enough. I assume that the limited edition comes with full Ultegra?



Yeah, limited edition is full ultegra, but the Composite 3 is 105 except for a Tiagra front Derailleur. I don't think that one lower part is going to kill me.


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## estone2

hellorobreese said:


> Yeah, limited edition is full ultegra, but the Composite 3 is 105 except for a Tiagra front Derailleur. I don't think that one lower part is going to kill me.


beg to differ - the tiagra is probably the front derailleur. i have a tiagra front on my Trek 1200, and i hate the thing; it can NOT shift under load; if im pedaling hard and try to drop from the third ring to the second, it will grind for 2 or 3 seconds, losing momentum, and then will drop to the FIRST chainring, make horrendous screaming noises, and force me to frantically shift up back to the third ring, and while the chain is over the second ring, i hit the downshift and pray. not fun. i've ridden 105, and it's pretty nice, it's what my rear derailleur is. however, its shifts are not as fast as i like; they're clean *usually*, but not the most crisp shifting. ultegra is much much smoother, faster, crisper, and cleaner, throughout its range. not to mention, 30/20 speed vs 18/27. it sounds sick, but in the hills, i've often wanted one more gear in mid range, with my 27 speed; the 30 speed provides that. if your thinking about racing i'd definitely say go ultegra, trust me you'll get in shape alot faster than you'd think (i lost 8 pounds in a month, from 150 to 142. and iw asnt fat; i was doing 10 mile runs).
if you really want to get the 105/Tiagra, get it. but i'd definitely recommend the Ultegra, and one other thing; this is the case for trek, and i believe for giant; if you swap out or upgrade any parts on the drivetrain, it voids the warranty. which is why i still have my tiagra front. but its for the reason as well as ultegra's good performance that i say go for the $300 upgrade to ultegra. (also, it's going to have other parts in the lineup than just the initial ultegra upgrade so its ultegra+random bits here and there that are improved)


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## hellorobreese

I need to double check about an upgrade voiding the warranty. It turns out that the front derailleur, while specified as Tiagra on all the stats online, is actually shipped as Ultegra. All the other components are 105.


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## MikeBiker

I have one bike with 105 and one with Ultegra. I cannot tell any performance difference between the two sets. Both shift fine and stop good.


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## chrisjohn

I recently bought a TCR Composite Limited and have been extremely satisfied. Ultegra 10 shifters feel better and shift more precisely than my 105 shifters ever did. Is the difference night and day? Nope, but enough to justify the money.

If you're looking at any of the TCR's with Rouleur cranks, make sure the LBS either tightens the BB to spec or preferably face the BB. The Rouleurs on my bike would loosen every 30 miles. My LBS tightened and loc-tighted, so I'll see how they hold up. Friction on the BB increased.

Depends on the deal you can get. The TCR Comp 3 is a great bike at the right price, but see if your LBS will cut you a deal on the Limited, that's what happened to me.


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## Evan Evans

estone2 said:


> beg to differ - the tiagra is probably the front derailleur. i have a tiagra front on my Trek 1200, and i hate the thing; it can NOT shift under load; if im pedaling hard and try to drop from the third ring to the second, it will grind for 2 or 3 seconds, losing momentum, and then will drop to the FIRST chainring, make horrendous screaming noises, and force me to frantically shift up back to the third ring, and while the chain is over the second ring, i hit the downshift and pray. not fun. i've ridden 105, and it's pretty nice, it's what my rear derailleur is. however, its shifts are not as fast as i like; they're clean *usually*, but not the most crisp shifting. ultegra is much much smoother, faster, crisper, and cleaner, throughout its range. not to mention, 30/20 speed vs 18/27. it sounds sick, but in the hills, i've often wanted one more gear in mid range, with my 27 speed; the 30 speed provides that. if your thinking about racing i'd definitely say go ultegra, trust me you'll get in shape alot faster than you'd think (i lost 8 pounds in a month, from 150 to 142. and iw asnt fat; i was doing 10 mile runs).
> if you really want to get the 105/Tiagra, get it. but i'd definitely recommend the Ultegra, and one other thing; this is the case for trek, and i believe for giant; if you swap out or upgrade any parts on the drivetrain, it voids the warranty. which is why i still have my tiagra front. but its for the reason as well as ultegra's good performance that i say go for the $300 upgrade to ultegra. (also, it's going to have other parts in the lineup than just the initial ultegra upgrade so its ultegra+random bits here and there that are improved)


I have had the opposite experiance. I have a Klein with 105 / Tiagra mix. I went into the deal thinking i would upgrade after the parts crap out. I'm into my 3rd season of riding & they still work great. Take my testimony with a grain of salt! The bike i used prior to this one had a 6 speed freewheel & friction down tube shifters.


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## estone2

Evan Evans said:


> I have had the opposite experiance. I have a Klein with 105 / Tiagra mix. I went into the deal thinking i would upgrade after the parts crap out. I'm into my 3rd season of riding & they still work great. Take my testimony with a grain of salt! The bike i used prior to this one had a 6 speed freewheel & friction down tube shifters.


oh wow i hate you... lucky... eh its all good
do you do anything special with your bike that i could maybe do to make mine be nicer to me?


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## DaveK

*105 Tiagra and ramblings*

I will start with..Get to know your Mechanic, ride with him, talk to him know all of his personal issues, make him your friend, because in the end riding with him, he will become like a brother......

105 triple needs tuning constently, doubles as a rule are race worthy.

Tiagra is for recreational use only, don't expect these components to shift under load etc. 

Ultegra is a training component and is very reliable, the only difference between them and Dura Ace is Weight and the fact that Dura Ace needs tuning more often.

my take. What is your Mechanic's name? I ride with Dave and Mike..........There is nothing wrong with 105's on a good frame, Ultegra is the price/performance best value. My Mechanics hate working on Campy stuff...They all ride Ultegra/Dura Ace mix Stuff....They drop me like a bad habit regulary, but we have great laughs about it in the shop work room when the day is done.

DK


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## Evan Evans

*I still can't break the stuff!*

I can only repeat that my experience with the 105 Tiagra mix is nothing but good. I put maybe 3k 4k a year on my road bike not including those on the trainer. They don't register on the odometer. Someone who rides more than me may run into problems. As for shifting under load i have had zero problems. It's hilly here in north ga. & it handles a wide 27 rear. A funny side note. My sometimes riding partner ,bike mech & Campy freek drops the chain off the front at lease once every ride. My smirk says it all. 
Soon tiagra my go 10 speed. At the end of the season i will have riden this bike 4 years maybe i will change to 10.


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## DJF

I just recently purchased a Specialized Allez comp w/ the new 105 10 spd double group. My bike before was equipped with a full 105 triple with the exception of Tiagra front derail. My opinion only is that the new full 105 double is far ahead in smoothness, shifting AND comfort (redesigend brake levers) than my previous 105/Tiagra setup. I also read a recent Cycling Weekly article which reviewed the new 105 double and they feel it so much better that it asks the questiuon - Why does Shimano continue to produce Ultegra line?


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## Maverick

*get the 10speed 105...u can't go wrong with it.*

i own both 10s D/A and 10s 105 groupset..

personally, i feel that the 105 is an extremely well made grouppo.
never ridden nor tested the Ultegra so i can't say much..
let me compare the 105 with D/A (seems unfair comparison to some, but i personally think it's comparable) 

the weight difference is negliable (less than 0.5 lbs it think)
brakes are as good as the D/A. 
the crankset is stiff, no noticable difference with D/A
RD, FD are both well made, no shifting problems whatsoever

my only complain (or shall i say comment) would be the STI levers.
on the 105, the RD down shifters are not as smooth as D/A, upshifting is has quite a similar feel with D/A though.

btw, haven't put in much mileage onto the 105, as such long term durability is unknown
my D/A has appprox 8k miles on it

my two cents worth..


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