Ultegra vs. 105?

[Starfish]

Hi all - tried a search and didn't find this discussion...sorry in advance if this has been talked to death!

What do you all think about the difference between Ultegra & 105? If you have a strong feeling that Ultegra is waaayyyy preferable, I would be curious to hear your thoughts, with as much description as you can muster, and about whatever components (derailleurs, brakes, whatever).

I have 105 and have never ridden Ultegra. Thanks everyone!

[Grog]

The current 105 is the Ultegra from a few years ago, more or less.

I have no strong opinion. I just have last year's 10s Ultegra (and triple crank), and really like it. It never needs to be adjusted (in normal conditions at least) and stays very precise for a very long time. I never had anything else, so I can't tell you more.

If you have 105 for a few years ago, switching to this year's Ultegra would probably be a big gap. Switching to this year's 105 would probably also be great. I have heard a lot this year that "105 is the new Shimano standard". This may just be a spin from the company, though, but the message is pretty much "the average roadie will find a good value in 105". Frankly if I was to buy a new bike I'm not sure I'd invest in Ultegra (the bike I have I have not paid for) after hearing what 105 is supposed to be now...

Any wrenches out there?

[mellic]

Ultegra is a little lighter, a little smoother and holds tune for a little longer, but I don't know whether it is necessary to achieve that by upgrading to full ultegra. Perhaps you might consider upgrading just a few of the components to ultegra, such as the rear derailleur, cluster and chain. I found that by changing these parts alone (keeping everything else 105) is all that is necessary to match the performance of a full ultegra groupset.

[betagirl]

I have a bike that's full Ultegra 10 and one that's got 105. The gearing ratio is a bit different, so I have more power with the 10. It also shifts smoother. But is there an enormous difference? Not really. I prefer the ultegra, but it's not a chore to ride the 105. The bike with the ultegra is overall a better bike though (lemond zurich vs. trek 1200). So there are other things going on there that make the ride better. But my trek is a good bike and was about $1200 cheaper than the Lemond.

Hope that helps.

[Brina]

I don't have ultergra and the 105 was a big step up for me, so I can't really contribute much to this discussion, just wanted to point out that the 105 for 2006 is a 10 - no longer 9.

[bcipam]

I'm not certain if 9 vs 10 is a big deal - I have both and I have to say the 10 doesn't do all that much for me - I'm just as happy with the 9.

But if you are talking 105 v. Ultegra - yes there is a big difference. As stated before Ultegra is lighter, smoother and can be trimmed. If given a choice, I would have Ultegra over 105.

But why are you asking? Are you looking at bikes and you need to choose between Ultegra and 105? The issue is the price break. If the frame is the same but components are different, is the price break enough that at some later time you can upgrade to Ultegra and save money in the process? 105 is good, Ultegra is just better but if you can save $500 - 1,000 buy the cheaper bike and upgrade later. Same goes with Ultegra and Dura Ace.