Ultegra vs 105

golfergmc

I have a Cube Streamer 2009 with ultegra groupset and am looking to buy a carbon bike but for my price point the bikes seem to come with 105, is there much difference in the two and will I notice it.

Lemond75

I've got 105 5700 on my winter bike and Ultegra 6700 on my best bike and would recommend 105. Whilst the Ultegra brakes seem to be more powerful, and that could be down to differences in braking surface between the wheels on both bikes, the shifting with 105 has been flawless whereas the Ultegra shifters occasionally miss shifts despite regularly replacing the cables and having them set up by an ex GB mechanic.

golfergmc

Thanks for the reply, put my mind at rest.

MaxwellBygraves

In terms of functionality, I doubt you would notice much difference between the two. If its weight you're worried about, get Ultegra (or even better, Sram), 105 is a bit on the heavy side.

cougie

Ultegra may last a bit longer than 105. My dura ace just never wears out.

Bobbinogs

cougie wrote:

Ultegra may last a bit longer than 105. My dura ace just never wears out.

Is that really the case Cougie? I thought that going up the spec was a bit like performance stuff for cars in that it cost more and lasted less time, but was better. It would be nice if the higher spec stuff really did last longer (I only have experience of Ultegra and 105 but neither pure bred so I cannot comment on its relative merits btw).

TMR

Out of curisoity, what is the difference in weight between Ultegra and 105 GS?

antlaff

105 - 2412g
ultegra - 2312g

TMR

antlaff wrote:

105 - 2412g
ultegra - 2312g

Wow. Given the difference in price I'd expect it to be more than that.

Thanks.

mallorcajeff

ive just moved froma cube with ultegra to a wilier with campag and its the biggest disaster ever what ever you do dont get a campag one! I hate it. Will be goign over to shimano again soon i think. My mate runs 105 and never had a problem. I think mere mortals done notice the difference. i thought i would notice the difference going to nearly 3k worth of carbon and stuff and i have noticed the difference i ride a hell of a lot less as its always in the shop trying to fix it. been again tonight and its there for anotuher 4 days at least. Sorry to rant on your post but just dont buy a campag one!

Karl2010

What campag is it jeff?

cougie

My dura ace groupset is on my best bike so doesn't have to cope with mud and grit of winter but it must be 9 or 10 years old and still good as new. My winter bike has a DA hub on the front wheel and that must be fifteen years old now and I've not even had to replace the bearings.

tigerben

You may find that if you get bike with latest version of 105 (5700 i think) then it will share many of the same components of your 2009 version of Ultegra due to the trickle down of technology over time.

I have 6700 Ultegra and 5700 105 on my bikes and I find difference is minimal - at a push I would say the Ultegra needs slightly less tweaking to keep it shifting sweetly (although this could be down to human error in building the bike rather than actual difference in equipment).

Biggest difference for me is that the 105 looks cooler as i have it in black..

rogerthecat

Biggest difference for me is that the 105 looks cooler as i have it in black

Always a good reason to buy. Camp should be the obvious option then 100% of the time

mfin

Karl2010 wrote:

What campag is it jeff?

Its campag thats either not setup properly, or the lbs havent been sharp enough to pick up on what the problem is, cos it seems to work on millions of other bikes.

Wappygixer

We got one of our new bikes in today, which has 5700 105 fitted.I think it feels slightly heavier to shift than Ultegra.I'm also not a fan of the black finish of the 105, I think it looks a little cheap to be honest.The chainset looks like a £30 afare.
I've been running 6700 Ultegra for a while and really rate it, it replaced a full Centaur ultra shift carbon groupset.

Guinea Pig

I thinnk it is down to personal choice really - I have Dura Ace on my best bike and Ultregra 6700 on my second bike. I love them both - I have had Campag Chorus in the past too and also thought that was great.
Choosing between the two I prefer Shimano because of the really light action but I wouldn't deter you from Campag as it has a very positive action and it is very durable. I also like the apperance of Campag

lfcquin

I found that Ultegra had a similar feel to Dura Ace, both are responsive and don't often miss a gear for me. 105 seems to be slightly poorer quality in my view, I have more trouble keeping the gears indexed, but as others have mentioned, the difference could be because I use 105 on my winter and cross bikes, so they get gunked up more than my summer bike.

I wouldn't be worried buying a bike with 105 on though, the shimano kit all works with each other so you can swap and change the components with Ultegra if you so wish.

twotyred

I've got 5600 105 on my winter bike and 6700 Ultegra on my summer bike. Shifting on the Ultegra bike feels a bit more refined especially at the front but that may be due to the 105 having been used more- but then again the Ultegra chain rings are meant to be stiffer than 105 which could have something to do with it.

I've been told by bike shop staff that Ultegra has better quality internal components and so should last longer- but that could be BS to get me to buy Ultegra. Anyway when new and properly;y adjusted I doubt you'll notice a difference between 105 and Ultegra.