# Ultegra vs 105 Hand position



## bdr (Dec 18, 2010)

I have a bike with 2010 Ultegra 6700s and my wife has the 2011 105s. Is there a difference--even a very subtle one-- between them in terms of shape, distance from the bars, etc.

I have had the shims put in the Ultegra but I am still having trouble getting enough leverage on the brakes when my hands are on the tops. I have to slide my finders further down the lever and this pulls my palms off the side of the bars. Very uncomfortable, and terrible even for small descents if I'm not in the drops.

Her 105s seem not as far out from the bars and to have more braking power closer to the top where I can just rest two fingers. In fact, they are a lot more comfortable. Is this an adjustable element? Seems crazy to put 105 levers on an Ultegra system so looking for info I can take to the person working with me on my fit.

Thanks for any info.


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## DaveT (Feb 12, 2004)

bdr said:


> I have a bike with 2010 Ultegra 6700s and my wife has the 2011 105s. Is there a difference--even a very subtle one-- between them in terms of shape, distance from the bars, etc.
> 
> I have had the shims put in the Ultegra but I am still having trouble getting enough leverage on the brakes when my hands are on the tops. I have to slide my finders further down the lever and this pulls my palms off the side of the bars. Very uncomfortable, and terrible even for small descents if I'm not in the drops.
> 
> ...


The difference most likely lies in the shape and contours of the two handlebars.


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## RussellS (Feb 1, 2010)

You are on Ultegra 6700. Is your wife on 105 5600 model? Not the older 5500 model. Both levers have the cables routed under the bar tape? I am pretty sure both 6700 and 5600 levers are the same shape. I agree with the other person, you are running different handlebars and that makes the reach different. And you may have the levers mounted in different positions so one is higher and closer and more upright than the other. One sticks traight up on top of the bars, and one sticks straight out on the ends of the curve. That will affect how you get your fingers onto the brake levers.


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## bdr (Dec 18, 2010)

She is on a 2011 Specialized Ruby Compact triple with the 105 STI levers, so they are the newest version. Oddly enough, I changed my handlebars to a Specialized shallow drop, so the shape of the bars should be the same, But you may be right about where they are mounted. At work ow but will look when home. thanks


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## bseracka (Jun 25, 2009)

Calipers to close to the rim?


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## Camilo (Jun 23, 2007)

If you look at the spec online at the Specialized website, you see the handlebars on the Ruby are woman's specific, possibly different in shape and reach than regular Specialized Shallow Drop. This could make a significant difference in lever fit. Also, do the levers have shims or some other set up to match the woman's specific design of the entire bike, i.e. set up for smaller hands? The spec says "BRAKE LEVERS: Shimano 105, 10-speed, STI, flight deck compatible, with brake lever extensions" which leads me to think there's shims or something else to make them fit a smaller hand better.

If you like the exact feel of her levers, get the exact same handlebars (even if they're "woman's specific" - that matters none) and make sure the levers are adjusted and/or shimmed exactly the same. I believe Bontrager did away with the woman's specific label on their bars. Why? there were a lot of men that liked the curve and reach of the woman's bars but didn't like the label.

As an OT aside: isn't it Ruby Comp (not compact), similar to other Spec. lines which go Comp, Expert, Pro?


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## bdr (Dec 18, 2010)

Right, it's a Comp triple, with 105s. The bars are the same model (both Expert Shallow Bend) but you're right that hers is the women's. I'll look into what the differences are.

But the key thing that seems to be the consensus here is that the size and shape of the levers are the same between the two model/years


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## Camilo (Jun 23, 2007)

Just curious if her WSD Expert Shallow Bend bars are the same as yours, except maybe for the width. Is the curve, reach, drop, etc. the same?


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## bdr (Dec 18, 2010)

The drop and reach are 125 and 75 on both. Not sure about the curve but I would think they are the same. She has very small hands but is very comfortable getting two fingers on the brakes near the top. I find I have to slide mine further down to get leverage. But if they specs are identical, then it must be a position issue, which is easily addressed.


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