Shimano gears, Tiagra, 105 and Ultegra... difference??

McQue

I understand that Tiagra is not as good as 105s and ultergra is better still but how how how?? what physically makes one better than the other??

Debate.

JRooke

I hope this doesn't get debated, your question states "phisically", so instant reply, weight.

McQue

OK.....so how does the weight of the gear set affect the ride? I understand the weight of the bike makes a difference but on its own if you've got a light bike, but a tiagra gear set what would the ride differ if you had the same bike but an ultegra gear set???

Secteur

Quality of materials, precision of engineering.

I have never ridden anything other than 105, but I doubt there's a huge amount of difference to an amateur like me

I am sure a pro or an amateur racer would want the reassurance of Dura-Ace, but for anyone else, I believe wheels and carbon frame would have a bigger effect

SDK2007

Up until this year Tiagra is 9 speed, everything higher is 10 speed. 2012 Tiagra is 10 speed.

I have 9 speed Tiagra and have thought a few times about upgrading to 105 but honestly will it improve my riding - probably not.

McQue

Thanks for the good honest answers its just i wanna spend a bit of money on a new bike and i wanna be 100% clued up i just didn't understand the gearing... i'm going to be honest ha! But cheers for those comments again...i think now i can be reasonably confident a tiagra groupset or 105 will be sufficient to suit my needs.

saintdracula

If you just want to go faster: get Tiagra and get good wheels. Ultegra is like 200 quid more than Tiagra and you can get some shockingly good wheels for that difference: the Raleigh SP TEAM, a 2 grand bike, sells with Shimano RS20s, which only cost 120. I don't think you'll be able to tell the difference in terms of acceleration and holding speed.

If you want to save weight you're better off with SRAM, but Tiagra performs well enough and you might as well just get really good wheels.

Although maybe Ultegra cranks + BB may be stiffer.

Google the weights and find out.

saintdracula

and I might consider waiting for 2012 Tiagra.

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/shi ... gn=froogle

http://www.tritoncycles.co.uk/m13b123s1 ... S_GB/23859

But if you want prestige, you want at least 105.

fish156

For an amateur cyclist which gearing do you go for?

For the "amateur" I'd suggest that 105 (5700) is as good as you'll need. The advantage over Tiagra is that you can mix & match with any of the higher kit should you want to upgrade components at a later date.

I've Dura-Ace 7900 on my race bike and 105 5700 on my training bike. The performance of the current 105 kit (5700) really isn't that far behind the top end kit - so much so that I'm not sure whether there's much of a gap in the market for Ultegra these days.

Steve_b77

I've got 105 5700 on my Raleigh SP Comp and it's atleast as good as the Ultegra 6600 I had on my Airlite Race.

Cleat Eastwood

SDK2007 wrote:

I have 9 speed Tiagra and have thought a few times about upgrading to 105 but honestly will it improve my riding - probably not.

Exactly my experience and thoughts. And from what I've heard there were faults with the 105's and levers snapping. I've a friend who uses dura ace and he says the only real difference is weight.

McQue

which do ya think will last the longest given that i look after the bike..

richk

Not used anything more expensive than Tiagra as I havent considered it necessary.

Does what it says on the tin.

garnett

Interesting thread - good question, and frank replies.

I have 105 on the only bike I've owned as an adult. I found it satisfyingly smooth, precise, and robust. Unfortunately I've got nothing to compare it to.

fish156 wrote:

For an amateur cyclist which gearing do you go for?

For the "amateur" I'd suggest that 105 (5700) is as good as you'll need. The advantage over Tiagra is that you can mix & match with any of the higher kit should you want to upgrade components at a later date.

I've Dura-Ace 7900 on my race bike and 105 5700 on my training bike. The performance of the current 105 kit (5700) really isn't that far behind the top end kit - so much so that I'm not sure whether there's much of a gap in the market for Ultegra these days.

Fish, thanks for that post, very informative.

spasypaddy

someone else said it on this forum and it rings true between two levels of groupset the differences are minimal, if you skip a level its substantial. so tiagra to 105 small increase. tiagra to ultegra big increase.

i have three bikes, one with 105, one with ultegra and one with DA. the differences aren't noticeable but the DA Is on the top of the range frame and fork so it made sense to go with the best possible components. The ultegra is on the winter bike (its an old parts bike) and the mechs probably need replacing but will be replaced downwards with 105.

105 is sufficient for 99% of bikes, but if weight you can is your issue then get the best you can afford.

Simontheintrepid

Out of interest, is there much difference in how long different levels of gears last?
How long are gears meant to last anyway?

I've had a Tiagra set for about a year, I think it's done just over 2,000 miles (only had a cpu for half of that time). It seems to need a lot of adjusting, even since I put new cables in.

The caveat to that is it's just had its first gear service and I haven't ridden it since so what I've just said might be a bit silly.

Thelittlesthobo

Can i just ask about a post above. How is the tiagra not compatable with the higher range shimano?

Are you just referring to the 9spd against 10spd set up or is there other issues. I thought tiagra shifter would work with the appropriate 9spd ultegra etc

hstiles

I bought a bike with 105 and used the money I saved to pay for better wheels and a nicer saddle. If you have 105, then upgrading the process of upgrading components to Ultegra or Dura Ace is relatively straightforward. You can pick up good deals on higher spec components, so get the best bike you can with 105 and upgrade later.

PeterBL

Thelittlesthobo wrote:

Can i just ask about a post above. How is the tiagra not compatable with the higher range shimano?

Are you just referring to the 9spd against 10spd set up or is there other issues. I thought tiagra shifter would work with the appropriate 9spd ultegra etc

Tiagra is compatible with other 9-speed stuff, but 9-speed 105 and above is obsolete.

M_Griffin

This years 105 will be next years tiagra, just like this years ultrega will be next years 105. Its a continuous cycle of technology gradually improving across the board.