Is Shimano 105 Just As Good As Dura-Ace? | Di2 Edition!

A few years ago we tested Shimano's 105 and Dura-Ace mechanical groupsets against each other, and learnt that they were pretty much, in terms of feel, exactly the same. But Shimano has since released new versions of both, and what's more they're both Di2 only! So is there any difference? Is Dura-Ace still virtually exactly the same as 105? Alex and Si conduct a series of tests to find out!

Chapters:
00:00 - Intro
02:28 - Challenge 1: Hot Lap
05:32 - Challenge 2: Blindfolded Outdoors
08:10 - Challenge 3: Braking And Climbing
11:49 - Challenge 4: Blindfolded Indoors
16:28 - Conclusions

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What do you think of Shimano 105 being Di2 only? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!👇

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[gcn]

What do you think of Shimano 105 being Di2 only? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!👇

[CharlesSmith-ztvt]

As they always say, if you have to pay your own money for Dura-Ace, then you don't need it....

[DLMKGaming]

They’re more similar than ever! Even the price differs far less than before😕

[GilbertTang]

Three reasons I went Ultegra 8100 over 105 for my upcoming build. First, the hidden buttons are meaningful to me. Second, the brakes. Third, in a weird and somewhat lucky turn of events, 105 Di2 was (and remains) in short enough supply that some places were (briefly at least) selling it for *more* than Ultegra, which is bonkers.

[lsantilli]

The thing is, just because you can feel a difference, doesn’t mean it changes your actual performance in any meaningful way negatively. I can feel the difference between my Chevy Cruze and my wife’s SUV, but they both get me to work on time in the same time.

[toozydude]

So now, if they wanted, Shimano can literally program a tiny delay in the 105 shifting to make it feel worse, even when its capable of the same shifting speed.

[BennyOcean]

Thanks for the video. As someone who likes and wants to continue using mechanical shifting, I hope Shimano doesn't plan to stop making mechanical groupsets.

[SergioSeminarioC]

I just bought my first decent road bike, got a Tarmac SL6 Sport with mechanical 105s, and from the all reviews about the group set, I think i made the right choice. Difference seems negligible for a big price difference.

Granted, I didn't try the eTAPs

[Countrystock]

Think we need a Di2 Vs Ultegra Vs Dura ace. 🤞🏻

[delanerouse]

Since I started riding in 1994, Dura Ace has always been the coolest name in cycling. I’ve always wanted a bike with Dura Ace, but never had one. I currently run SRAM Red ETap and life it, but one day I’ll have Dura Ace.

[ethangodridge]

Even blindfolded, Si is still better at clipping in than Matt back in the day.

[SteveWeltman]

Another brilliant review! Glad noone wiped while blindfolded. I am really fortunate that I have a Trek Domane ProjectOne with Ultegra Di2 12 (2022) and I bypassed the DuraAce (a fantastic option, but at a substantial price jump) because the group weight and the performance differences would be imperceivable for me as an amateur athlete (and still in my first year back in about 35 years off of cycling). At the time of my purchase, the 105 group wasn't available in a Di2 12 cassette version. Any of the 3 top Shimano groups are so good, for most people it comes down to budget and preference than performance.

[bingoberra]

You should compare the best setups from Shimano, SRAM and Campagnolo in a technical nerdy way and a subjective test.

[kenneththomas]

Great analysis and dynamic . Simon and Alex should do more videos together. Thank you.

[freshairandfree]

The obvious next test is Dura V’s Ultegra V’s 105 on IDENTICAL bikes, and wear ear muffler’s when doing the blind test, then it’s completely subjective, no?

[sandydennylives]

I love Shimano...on my pub bike. I do wish in fairness though that you would occasionally discuss Shimano on your website. I know your obsessed with Campy all the time but Shimano make very good urban bike bottom brackets and their road group sets really are quite good and deserve a mention.

[chrisridesbicycles]

Having a sleeker front derailleur near the ankles might be a big plus for some. 🙃 I was riding 12s HG+ on the MTB for a few years before I got my road bike (11s Ultegra mechanical) and shifting to a harder gear immediately felt clunky. HG+ makes a difference.

[brannmacfinnchad]

That was one of the most amusing and enjoyable product comparison videos you've done in a long time. Especially Si trying to ride blindfolded.

[ayan]

I don’t know much about biking but 2 things seems a bit weird to me.

1. They boys on the track talking about how each set feels, but coming from motorcycling I would argue the wheels have the biggest impact in that area and these 2 bikes are using 2 different wheel sets.

2 on the climb they were talking about if they could feel the difference of the 600g weight, but the bikes have water bottles on them, and really any water level different would impact on the level of a couple hundred grams

[Metal-Possum]

Meanwhile I still have Campagnolo Veloce 10 speed. It's not perfect, but they made absolutely no effort to make it look or feel cheap, which is why I like it so much.