Shimano 105 Shifters

gary.hounsome

Hi all,

I am looking at some Shimano 105 shifters online to upgrade from my 9 speed Tiagra set up.

There are 5600 and 5700 models, do the 5600's allow the cables to run under the bar tape? What difference if any is there?

Also would it just the shifters and cassette I would need for now or the rear derailleur as well?

Thanks in advance

TommyEss

5600 has the cables out the side, like your Tiagra. 5700 runs under the tape á la Campag and newer Shimano groupsets. Having both, I can't say I can really tell any difference bar the aesthetics. Some reviewers say there is a little more resistance running the cables under the tape.

I always get confused as to compatibilities and interchangeability with 9 and 10 speed, so I'll leave that side of things to someone else (or try a search - it's definitely a perennial topic)

cooper.michael1

The 5600 versions were a flawed design, which is why you can pick them up cheaply. I broke 3 left hand levers in 6 months (I've never broken any other lever in 15 years). At the time these levers were produced about 5 years ago, this forum was littered with warranty returns (which in fairness to Shimano, they always honoured).

Do not buy 5600 levers, virtually anything else will be better (including the Tiagra you already own).

cooper.michael1

TommyEss wrote:

5600 has the cables out the side, like your Tiagra. 5700 runs under the tape á la Campag and newer Shimano groupsets. Having both, I can't say I can really tell any difference bar the aesthetics. Some reviewers say there is a little more resistance running the cables under the tape.

I always get confused as to compatibilities and interchangeability with 9 and 10 speed, so I'll leave that side of things to someone else (or try a search - it's definitely a perennial topic)

You should be able to get away with Shifters, Cassette and Chain. It is however the about worst value for money upgrade you can make as that lot will cost you approx £200 all for one extra sprocket, and little/no performance gain (a better set of wheels/tyres/chainset, would potentially be a better use of the money).

gary.hounsome

Thanks for the replies, I'm looking at second hand levers to keep cost down as it is purely an aesthetics reason, wheels are certainly out of my budget with a little-un on the way!

passout

http://www.merlincycles.com/bike-shop/r ... 055700Sale

Merlin Cycles may interest you, they have some relevant offers.

Semantik

Not trying to rock the boat but I have 5600 10 speed levers on my road bike and I have had no problems whatsoever with the left hand double shifter in 3 years' riding. perfect shifting up or down.

TommyEss

Mine lasted about 3 years as well...! *(I'd forgotten it had gone until someone else mentioned that little "quirk") - Wishing you the luck I didn't have!

cooper.michael1

Semantik wrote:

Not trying to rock the boat but I have 5600 10 speed levers on my road bike and I have had no problems whatsoever with the left hand double shifter in 3 years' riding. perfect shifting up or down.

Fingers crossed you got a good pair! Maybe the later versions were more robust?

A quick Google shows the number of people who had problems:

https://www.performancebike.com/reviews ... evers.html

http://www.roadbikereview.com/cat/contr ... 11crx.aspx

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthre ... p=79770383

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to- ... TI-5600-L/

mikenetic

There are two revisions of the 5600 left-hand shifter.

The original one is the 5600. This works with both double and triple chainsets, with the third shift effectively "concealed" when set up for the double. However, in practice, you can actually activate it if you push the lever hard when you're already in the big ring and forget. This overstrains the components and leads to failure. You can get around it by setting up the shift so the middle one covers the inner ring, and the third shift puts you on the big ring. However, you'll end up with loose cables if you shift down too much.

The revised models are the 5601 (for double) 5603 (triple). If you get a later 5601 you should be OK. The original model is the weak one. Version is stamped on the body, under the hoods IIRC.

keef66

Mine are the original 5600 but since I have a triple I'm using all the clicks, so I'm hoping they'll continue to be OK. Coming up for 6 years use, fingers crossed!