Shimano 105 5800 Front Derailleur compared to R7000.

Who here had experiences with both Shimano's 11 speed front derailleurs? The 105's.

I'm waiting for a outdated 5800 model to come through the post and replace the R7000 that isn't working anymore. I like the old model better. I hate the new model.

I had a few problems with the R7000. Shifting up to the big ring takes a lot of effort. I had to reach my hand underneath the handlebar, grab the brake lever with my hand still upside down and pull it sideways just so I can access the 50 teeth ring. And should I find myself cycling through the rain, the derailleur won't shift at all! So I'm stuck on my 36 teeth ring. When it stops raining and all the water on my bike has dried up, I can use the front derailleur like normal again.

With the old 5800 model, it can shift regardless of dry or wet weather and I can push the left brake lever sideways the normal way to use the big ring. Light, smooth and didn't have to fatigue my poor left hand at all.

The only problem with the 5800 is the tension scew which it lacks, just the R7000 where you scew it in until the two white lines matches up. Thats the only thing I like about the R7000.

I wish the R7000 had the long arm. I don't know why Shimano designed the derailleur like that and choose not to include it. That arm is present in the 5800 and makes me believe why shifting is so light.

Comments

  • Yes the new mechs are a pain in the ass, even when setting the high setting it affects the low setting also find the mech crank arm clearence is very tight, like you said the long arm makes for a much easier pull. Think the other problem is the angle of the cable coming up from the frame differs on many bikes, this can affect how hard it is to pull because the fulcrum point on the arm is then not in the correct place, making the initial pull very hard then moving very quickly because of the tension on the cable.
  • trevor.hall12
    trevor.hall12 Posts: 496
    edited December 2022
    It is a little more involved but can't say I've had any major issues once it's set up .
    The biggest thing alot of people miss is the half click down before lining up the marks with the cable tension screw
    The older FDs always had an inline tension adjuster on them.
  • I’ve had both of these. I prefer 7000 as it has better clearance especially in conjunction with mudguards. The swing arm of the 5800 used to hit the mudguard. If the R7000 is set up correctly it works perfectly. This guy seems to explain it well https://youtu.be/8SO54cdwtxc
  • Had both too, and found the R7000 a vast improvement over the 5800, used that video to set it up and not had any issues at all.
  • wongataa
    wongataa Posts: 1,001
    Flasher2 said:

    Had both too, and found the R7000 a vast improvement over the 5800, used that video to set it up and not had any issues at all.

    You had no issues because the instructions in that video are the instructions in Shimano's installation manual. They just need to be followed exactly. I suspect most people who have issues aren't following them exactly.