Shimano 105 Di2 Vs Dura-Ace: What’s The Difference?

Now that Shimano has released a wireless Di2 version of their popular 105 groupset, we thought it would be interesting to take a deep dive into the differences between 105 R7100 Di2 and the latest edition of Shimano’s top-tier groupset, Dura-Ace R9200. There’s a video over on @gcn which compares the two on the road, but this is GCN Tech, so let’s get into the nerdy details here…

Chapters:
00:00 Intro
00:51 The groupsets
01:40 Cranks
03:27 Levers
05:20 Rear mech
06:48 Front mech
08:00 Cassette
08:39 Brakes
11:12 Battery
11:46 Chain
12:25 Price
12:53 Speed difference
13:42 Summary

Useful Links:

What groupset do you have on your bike? Let us know in the comments below! 💬

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[gcntech]

What groupset do you have on your bike?

[Bethman-cp]

Dura Ace is far lighter than 105, why? Because your wallet you take on the ride has nothing in it anymore xD

[DanRC]

105 is definitely the better option, especially when 105 cranksets don't disintegrate like Dura-Ace ones do.

[jasonxiong]

When every winter my weight gains into 98kg, sora works the same as dura-ace to me.

[andreemurray]

The dura ace power Crank is not very accurate and a lot of reviews have said it not good and price of the group set have go very high and do we really need 12 speed I find personally 10 speed is fine and a good mercancal set up is fine and no battery problems

[dueber]

Campy Record Ergo 11. Sorry, I'm a 75 year old retro grouch.

[stevefraser]

A similar comparison between 105 & Ultegra would be very useful.

[ktube]

If you have to pay for Dura-Ace, you don't need it. Doesn't mean you shouldn't have it, doesn't mean you shouldn't eat Corn Flakes for a month to help save up for it, but the differences aren't that big of a deal to anyone to matter. That said, DA is really really nice, and Corn Flakes aren't so bad.

[GeorgeD]

At its current price the new 105 is sadly just a decoy product to push you into spending more and going for Ultegra.

[seattlegrrlie]

I'm planning to buy Ulterga. 105 bikes don't have the upgraded components and dura ace bikes are too expensive for what I do. I'm not a pro and I'm not made of money. Ulterga is the happy middle

[jk]

Could you do a video on the differences between GRX di2 and 105 di2?

[markcowen]

105 r7000, can’t be beaten for my needs

[jasonp]

Okay GCN now how far back in time do you have to go for the current 105 set to be better than the Dura-Ace? So compare today's 105 to say Dura-Ace from 5 years ago and so on until the 105 is better. Please.

[TheKMov]

Dura-Ace rotor easier to bend compare to 105 rotor.

[Silidons]

Still running mechanical here, and will for the foreseeable future!

[rangersmith]

For all but pro racers, there's no real-world, practical reason to go for Dura-Ace over 105. But a lot of wannabe racers will pop for the Dura-Ace set anyway, and that's fine. Two key things to consider when making the choice: 1) Ultegra, which sits in between and can scratch the ego itch similarly, and 2) all the other things that two-grand difference can buy, such as a way better frameset or a round trip ticket from the US midwest to Italy.

[Hambini]

No mention of the cranks falling apart

[Z-u-m-a]

New 105 costs the same as my entire new (Ribble) carbon bike with mechanical 105 on? Crikey.

[dyzoly]

You call it trickle down tech, I call it trickle up price.

[adambranson]

WOW, how many times has that Orbea with 105 dropped its chain? Look at the frame damage through the chainring.