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New bike stuff needed - Tiagra vs 105 vs Ultegra
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I am in the market of new stuff for the bike and I need some advise. I am looking to buy a 10 speed cassette, chain and crankset + chainrings
For the cranks and crankset I am looking at the 105 fc-r7000 It is for 11 speed but should work with a 10 speed setup, right?
Chain - Ultegra CN6701 (or even Tiagra CN-4601)
Cassette - is where I'm not sure what to do, I am considering the Tiagra cs-hg500 because of the price but I have never had Tiagra before, is it as good as ultegra? I am currently not interested about the weight but rather on the quality of it, will it wear faster than ultegra? or any consideration I should take?

I want to spend as little as possible but without wasting money on something that will not last, in that case I am willing to spend a bit more. Will this combination of 105 crankset/Ultegra chain/Tiagra cassette work fine?
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Re: New bike stuff needed - Tiagra vs 105 vs Ultegra [JorgeRamos] [ In reply to ]
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Why not go with 11 speed?

Personally I find the shifting quality on 105 Lackluster vs ultegra. I’d personally spend the little bit more on ultegra
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Re: New bike stuff needed - Tiagra vs 105 vs Ultegra [JorgeRamos] [ In reply to ]
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If you’re buying the entire group set I would go 11 speed unless there’s a significant price difference. Nothing wrong with 10 speed though. I have 105 on all my bikes and have zero issues. On my road bike I previously had tiagra and it was fine. 105 definitely shifts better but I had no issues with tiagra. Honestly any of the shimano stuff will last.
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Re: New bike stuff needed - Tiagra vs 105 vs Ultegra [mvenneta] [ In reply to ]
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mvenneta wrote:
Why not go with 11 speed?

Personally I find the shifting quality on 105 Lackluster vs ultegra. I’d personally spend the little bit more on ultegra

probably because he is already running 10s shifters and derailleurs, and possibly older wheels that are not 11s compatible.

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Re: New bike stuff needed - Tiagra vs 105 vs Ultegra [JorgeRamos] [ In reply to ]
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Tiagra will be fine for the cassette* It will be a little heavier than ultegra, but the ramps and all of that stuff is the same.

* if your wheels have an aluminum cassette body instead of steel, go with ultegra. the cog carrier will spread the load and prevent pitting.

For chains, I always go with ultegra (or the SRAM equivalent, but I think ultegra shifts a little better)

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Re: New bike stuff needed - Tiagra vs 105 vs Ultegra [JorgeRamos] [ In reply to ]
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Tbh, if I was blind folded, I probably couldnt tell the difference between tiagra and ultegra. All of them work - aside from marginal gains on weight, there’s not much difference, if any from 105 over ultegra to dura ace. If anything, the cheaper groupsets last longer. Unless you have 10-speed now, i’d go with 105, again, unless you want di2, then ultegra, the current 105 groupset is great. I would be cautious about 10-speed tiagra, mainly because the next version is likely to be 11-speed and would probably be compatible with older (and newer) ultegra/dura ace parts, which means more to choose from. And secondly because all shimano 10-speed parts arent compatible.
Aside from weight and bling, there’s no reason not to choose 105. Although, if your wheels are old, they might not be 11-speed compatible
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Re: New bike stuff needed - Tiagra vs 105 vs Ultegra [JorgeRamos] [ In reply to ]
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Never had Tiagra before, but don't see any issues. My take on is that the Tiagra chain and cassette would be a bit heavier than ultegra but can't think of any shifting quality issues. What do you have for shifters and derailleurs? In my view, this would have a higher impact on the overall groupset performance.
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Re: New bike stuff needed - Tiagra vs 105 vs Ultegra [JorgeRamos] [ In reply to ]
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I recently put 10sp Tiagra on one of my bikes, since I wanted to keep 10sp compatibility with my 10sp DA on my TT bike.

Tiagra shifts fine - the main thing I noticed is that it corrodes fairly quickly - mine is all scarred up with sweat and water corrosion with rusting bolt tops with only 1.5 yrs of not so heavy use.

In contrast, my cold-forged TT bike DA parts are totally shiny after 10 years with no corrosion. (A few scratches from trauma, but that's it.)

Never thought I'd notice that cold-forged DA effect when I got it, but here I am, admitting it's real.
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Re: New bike stuff needed - Tiagra vs 105 vs Ultegra [JorgeRamos] [ In reply to ]
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I have used tiagra, 105, ultegra, and now Dura-Ace Di2...

We're not going to talk about Di2 because that's not even close.

Yes, there is undoubtedly a discernible difference between the levels. I have a tiagra long-cage rear derailleur put on my bike for a trip I took to Colorado years ago. I couldn't wait to take it off. 105 is definitely good, and shifts perfectly fine when dialed in, but I have Ultegra on my CAADX right now and despite it being a 2014, it still shifts effortlessly, moreso the FD... the FD on my 105 took a lot of effort to shift, the Ultegra FD shifts very easily and requires not much effort. But this could also be influenced by the cables

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Re: New bike stuff needed - Tiagra vs 105 vs Ultegra [JorgeRamos] [ In reply to ]
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JorgeRamos wrote:
I am in the market of new stuff for the bike and I need some advise. I am looking to buy a 10 speed cassette, chain and crankset + chainrings
For the cranks and crankset I am looking at the 105 fc-r7000 It is for 11 speed but should work with a 10 speed setup, right?
Chain - Ultegra CN6701 (or even Tiagra CN-4601)
Cassette - is where I'm not sure what to do, I am considering the Tiagra cs-hg500 because of the price but I have never had Tiagra before, is it as good as ultegra? I am currently not interested about the weight but rather on the quality of it, will it wear faster than ultegra? or any consideration I should take?

I want to spend as little as possible but without wasting money on something that will not last, in that case I am willing to spend a bit more. Will this combination of 105 crankset/Ultegra chain/Tiagra cassette work fine?


Road bike or TT bike? Mechanical or 1st-gen Di2? What gear range are you looking at?

There are other options besides Shimano. I have had good luck with a SRAM PG1070 cassette paired with Tiagra 4700 RD. I really like the cog selection in their 12-28.

I'm currently running a Miche 13-26. Now that I have the right derailleur for it (SS vs the GS that was originally on the bike), I love it. BTW, I find Tiaga SS to be much crisper shifting than GS.

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Last edited by: gary p: Jul 8, 20 17:37
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Re: New bike stuff needed - Tiagra vs 105 vs Ultegra [lightheir] [ In reply to ]
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Can you offer any thoughts on the ergonomics of the Tiagra 4700 shifters? Particularly, do they fit and feel at all like 11 speed 105 and Ultegra? I have SRAM Force 10 speed shifters and really dislike the fit and feel. Thanks. David K
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