Is Shimano 105 all the groupset you really need?

Shimano 105 hits the perfect blend of performance and price, so it is all the groupset anybody really needs in 2020?

@RideShimano

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[vaponte]

The 105 is in my opinion the best for the buck.

[SIvers-orke]

I actually like and appreciate the fact that there’s no carbon on 105.
The workers groupset suits me just fine thank you.

[cypriano]

200 grams, no even half a pound is nothing to 99.9% of riders. because 99.9% could use to loose weight. thats where the real performance gainz lie. the difference in price between a 15lbs bike and a 18lbs bike is huge, from 7000 to 3000 can dollars. 3lbs to a guy that could use to loose 30lbs is nothing. the reality it seams like half the reason people buy high end bike is for status, for bling. most buyers dont ride much, are overweight and just like the look of the bike hung up either on the bike rack in the living room or the car. riding is what ultimately makes you faster not weight weeny status bikes

[GregGrude]

I recently made the jump from Sora to 105. It made a big difference and was worth the money. Being a recreational cyclist, 105 is all that I will ever need moving forward.

[robertnoltefavorite]

There’s a difference in what we need and what we want (and buy). Cycling is a cosmetic sport with a lot of emotion 😉

[LuciTulcea]

Had a 10 speed 105 on my roadbike. It worked wonderfully!

[veRodriguez]

I had Ultegra on my CAAD12 and now have 105 on my TCR and it’s great!!

[elmerrichardson]

Your reviews are straight and to the point without all the fluff. I'm glad to hear that about the 105. I have an older 105 5800, that gets the job done. The bike came with only partial 105 components, so I filled out the groupset with 105 brakes, bottom bracket, crankset, wheels with 105 hubs and pedals too. Also I upgraded to long cage derailleur as well. This works for me, can't see any reason to spend more money on either Ultegra or Dura Ace upgrades. I'd just by another bike.

[stevecox]

Thanks, David, that’s a very helpful video. I’ve been “weighing” the choice between 105 and Ultegra for my next bike. You reassured me I’ll likely not miss very much if I choose “less-blingy” 105 (especially for the recreational riding I’ll be doing now, at 64 yrs. old.). What’s also reassuring is knowing I have a “low enough” choice in gear ranges to help me pedal the hills here in the east San Francisco Area. BTW, I appreciate your “enthusiastic-but-low-key” narrations; just technical enough to be informative, while still accessible and enjoyable for someone who rides informally ... and perhaps not that regularly ... like me. 😉

[donharrold]

I’ve just upgraded from 105 R5600 to R7000. The extra gear (11 speed versus 10 speed) is hardly noticeable but the quality of shifting, particularly from the front derailleur is much better. I replaced the bottom bracket and installed some aero bars at the same time and the bike feels like it’s re-born.

[kennethstreet]

Even the new tiagra is better than you would expect for the price. 10 speed is still good for most people.

[knife]

I will say 105 shifters are a few levels down behind ultegra as far as build quality goes. 105 shifters will usually develop play and rattle as they get worn in, ultegra is built to prevent this with a different side pin and rubber stops on the inside of the hoods that 105 has neither. Everything else is pretty spot on though.

[Shawntrow]

Shimano 105 is my favorite groupset due to the performance quality whenever i have looked at buids for my personal bikes i always choose the 105 line. I have been trying to recommend this to all my friends that ride and are looking for top quality at a lower cost. The Newer 105 group set is amazing my Old school Lemond could really use an all black set up like that hahaha. Awesome work brotha.

[colinsteel]

Another cracking review Dave, by far the best Bike and equipment channel around.

[mancello]

Good honest review. I run Ultegra on two bikes and 105 on another bike. Performance is quite similar. I like the aesthetics of Ultegra more but I can't detect any significant difference in shifting or braking. I use mechanical shifting and hydraulic disc brakes.

[JonFairhurst]

I’ve got a previous generation 105 bike and it’s so-so. From new, the shifting wasn’t very good. Index one gear and two cogs down were noisy. After three years, the rear derailleur fell apart. (I also have a SRAM NX derailleur that failed on my XC bike. This isn’t a Shimano vs. SRAM post.)

I upgraded from a non-series crank to the R7000 crank. It’s great! About the same weight as a 7900 Dura-Ace and very rigid. I heard that the offset changed a bit with the R7000, so I upgraded to the R7000 front derailleur. It works great and accommodates my upgrade to Absolute Black oval rings nicely.

Back to my blowed up rear derailleur. Rather than go to 105, I chose to go with GRX. The shifting is now PERFECT, and I’ve got the clutch for the light gravel I might do on this 32mm tired winter bike. Frankly, the indexing across the cassette is even better than on my almost perfect Ultegra Di2 bike.

It seems that R7000 105 is a nice improvement over the previous generation of 105. And the GRX rear derailleur is the best mechanical gear changer I’ve ever experienced.

[kellrockets]

Always look forward to David Arthur reviews!

[antonoat]

Glad I found your channel, loving the clear, informative reviews, quite refreshing actually!

[jamesphillips]

I’ve got a full 105 group set, 100% top Quality I’ve recently changed my cassette from 11-32 to a 11-36 excellent shifting and even better for the hills 👍🏻👍🏻

[chrismadden]

Raise your hand if you're dying for a Di2 105 🕺