Going from 8 to 10-speed - options?

mattieuk

Hi all

I've posted this query on another international forum, but I'm after a little bit more subjective UK-specific advice on what products might be best suited.

My chain and cassette need replacing, and I thought it might be a good time to upgrade from my current 8-speed sora to 10-speed. The guys on the other forum confirmed that I can use existing mechs etc, and I would only need to change shifters (which come with necessary cables) as well as replace chain and cassette with 10-speed variants.

Any ideas on what I'd be best off considering? I've found some 5700 105s (not sure what the 5700 signifies) for around £150 all-up, would this be a good bet or am I missing a trick in looking for something else either in the Shimano range or form other manufacturers? I'm a bit surprised by how much shifters cost, worth looking second-hand or are these likely to cuase more trouble than it's worth?

I ride a quite dated but still serviceable Specialized Allez Elite with handbuilt wheels, so not keen to scrap the bike for a new 10-speed. My riding is pretty much all commute, about 15 miles along the Bath-Bristol cycle track, so really after longevity and reliability in changeable weather than ultimate in light weight - I do enjoy the ride and do try to push it, so it's not just a mode of transport, but it's not quite racing!

As an aside of sorts - my current brakes are 105s, bought as replacement for the simply dreadful stock Specialized road brakes, do I need to be careful about pull ratios? I gather some variants have different ratios (even for calliper-style brakes), does this make much real-world difference - i.e. should I take care to match levers with brakes?

Any and all advice much appreciated.

Cheers!

Matt

duckson

I went from 2300 (8sp) to 105 on the wifes bike (Spesh Allez).
The 5700 is the model number, 5600 was out a few years back and 5800 is out later this year (11sp though).

I got some lightly used 2nd hand shifters for ~£90, a new chain (KMC X10L) and new cassette (105 5700 12-27).
I could of sworn you can get new 105 shifters for ~£125-130?

Works fine with the 2300 front and rear mech.

Your brakes should be fine with 105 or any Shimano shifters. My wifes are just generic Shimano branded and work fine.

mattieuk

Thanks Stu - sounds like you went for exactly what I'm looking into. Yep, the cheapest I've seen the shifters for is £115, with plenty on offer for around £125 in other shops, and the matching cassette and chain (although I could go for cheaper options) take it to around £150.

Interesting to hear 11-speed 105s are due out soon. Would I be right in saying 11-speed is going to cause problems with the crankset, in terms of chain width?

Assume it all went together with no drama and no fuss? I'm still very much learning on the job when it comes to bike mechanics, and I find fettling to get everything running sweetly a bit of a drag (going to a compact crankset caused all sorts of fun and games with front mech), so hopefully it's not made worse with different models of drivetrain!

duckson

11sp should be ok with the chainrings, IIRC its the outer plates which are narrower (chain is narrower overall, not the internal gap for want of a better description!).
Only thing is you would need a freehub on your wheels which take an 11sp cassette so that (if its the stock wheelset) would need changing or possibly if one wasnt available a new wheelset.

On a seperate note your current (if stock) wheelset should be 10sp compatible....not 100% certain but it probably will be but worth double checking.

Generally not so bad, can take a bit to fine tune sometimes.
I used starcycles* on ebay for new brake and gear cables (used Jagwire slick stainless) and replaced the outers at the same time; http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/starcycles*/m.html

Also i managed to unravel the bar tape and reuse that as it wasnt stuck down like some is.....depending on how yours is you might need new tape which is cheap though.

t4tomo

I wouldn't bother worrying about 11 spd on an older bike. wheels likely not to be compatible plus you are just paying more for a thinner chain and one extra cog and arguably less durability.

slowbike

I've just upgraded my Allez to 10 speed - albeit for different reasons - mine has become my TT bike with bar end shifters, so slightly different in the requirements.

Yes you can just buy the 5700 STIs, new chain & cassette ....

but ...

you'll probably need new bar tape to replace your old as it has to come off to replace the shifters.
you'd be advised to consider getting new outer casings for the brakes & shifters - depends how old yours are.
Check the crank rings for wear - the 2300 is pretty bomb proof though - I assume Sora is the same.
I did replace my 2300 rear mech with a s/h ultegra one off here - combined with the bar end shifters it's made shifting a dream...

mattieuk

Ta all, really useful comments

11-speed sounds a bit OTT for my needs, and as I can get current 10-speed 105 kit for reasonable outlay I think that might be the winner.

My crankset is only a few months old (got a cheap compact in NY sales) so it should be OK. I vaguely recalled the product description for the 5700 shifters that they come with cables, assume this is only for shifters to downtube and I'll need replacements for the 'business end' of the cables?

Forgot all about handlebar tape, so I'll factor that in!

eta: The rear shifter is Tiagra, and is original - worth replacing? No idea how much they suffer with wear.

Cheers