Groupset advice

beefcake2

Hello

I am after a bit of advice. I am thinking of upgrading my groupset to Ultegra 6700 Grey from 105 (9 speed triple) but before I do it I have a few questions.

1. Shimano have just released Dura Ace 11 speed. I know they trickle down the technology through the group sets and with this in mind is it likely that Ultegra will go to 11 speed any time soon? Am I right in thinking this would happen to Di2 before going to conventional Ultegra.

2. If I decided to go with a compact over a triple and went for a 12-28 cassette would I have roughly the same lowest gearing as on a triple? (I am a tad on the heavy side and need all the help I can get going uphill).

3. Is there a noticeable difference over 105?

I have explained to my wife that if I do upgrade to Ultegra it will clearly make a massive difference to my cycling in that it should take about 30 minutes off a 40 mile ride!

Thanks in adavance

Beefcake2

Wheelie Bin

Q1. Why do you want 11 speed? Forget it - there's no 'real world' advantage over 10 speed, unless you have to have the latest thing (in which case go electric and regret at your leisure).

Q2. 50/34 will not give you the lower gear advantage of a triple... that's the point of a triple on a road bike (and why many touring bikes use a triple - for the heavy load and/or if you live in the mountains), but you can work this out with a calculator.

Q3. In the past I've 'upgraded' to Ultegra from 105 and I know you want to go from 9-speed to 10 (or 11), but I'd stick with 105 because you will notice zilch difference with Ultegra, other than that your wallet will be lighter. There's nothing wrong with 105... Ultegra is slightly lighter and it looks different.

If I were you - and if you can continue to live with a triple - I'd upgrade your wheels before anything else, because that's where you will notice a difference. But anyway, enjoy your tinkering - it's irresistably good fun!

ajb72

Wheelie Bin has it spot on I think. You'll save a bit of weight swapping from a triple to a double, but will lose the very lowest gears which seem to be your key requirement. Spending the money on lighter wheels would be the biggest potential upgrade to weight saving and performance advantage. I'm not one to bang the hand built wheel drum usually, but if you are a bit heavier you could get some sturdy wheels hand built and perhaps save weight (depending on what you currently ride of course).

I ride 11 speed Campag and I would expect to see Shimano trickle this down to at 105 at least eventually. In terms of gains though, the only advantage is less gaps in the middle of the cassette so it's easier to always find the perfect gear. Given a triple chainset though you won't be short of gear options anyway!

Wheelie Bin

ajb72 wrote:

I ride 11 speed Campag and I would expect to see Shimano trickle this down to at 105 at least eventually.

Not so sure ajb - my theory is that 11-speed had to come in at the high end simply for product advancement and marketing... they simply couldn't take Dura Ace much further. With Campag, there's no Veloce 11 speed yet - I hope it stays that way because 10 speed is easier to fine tune and offers an excellent 'basic' alternative to those who are unimpressed with the latest gimmick.

A bit off topic for OP.

rolf_f

Wheelie Bin wrote:

Q2. 50/34 will not give you the lower gear advantage of a triple... that's the point of a triple on a road bike (and why many touring bikes use a triple - for the heavy load and/or if you live in the mountains), but you can work this out with a calculator.

Touring triples are different to road triples. For one thing, the chainrings are smaller (48-38-28 the norm rather than 50-39-30). Secondly, the cassettes are wider range and used with long cage rear mechs. So a road triple gives nowhere near the same low gearing as a touring triple.

If you run a road triple with a 25 tooth biggest cassette sprocket you get a gear ratio of 1.2. A compact small chainring of 34 teeth combined with a 28 tooth sprocket gives a gear ratio of 1.21. So much the same.

So a compact with 12-28 will give a similar low gear to a road triple assuming with a normal 12-25 cassette.

ajb72

Wheelie Bin wrote:

ajb72 wrote:

I ride 11 speed Campag and I would expect to see Shimano trickle this down to at 105 at least eventually.

Not so sure ajb - my theory is that 11-speed had to come in at the high end simply for product advancement and marketing... they simply couldn't take Dura Ace much further. With Campag, there's no Veloce 11 speed yet - I hope it stays that way because 10 speed is easier to fine tune and offers an excellent 'basic' alternative to those who are unimpressed with the latest gimmick.

A bit off topic for OP.

That was kind of my point when I said I thought it might trickle down as far as 105 - with Campag it goes as far as Athena but no further. Time will tell. I have owned Chorus and Super Record in 11 speed. Both work very well, no gimmickry! Apologies, definitely off topic now!

beefcake2

Just checked my bike and the largest cog on the cassette is 25 teeth so I guess if I went with a compact and a 28 tooth largest cog I should be okay. I tend to struggle on anything over 10% but am a slow climber anyway. I guess riding my bike more will help.