With the current sale on Chain Reaction for components, I decided to change out my front and rear derailleurs on my tri bike with new ones. My current set up is 10-speed Shimano Ultegra and to get a new FD and RD would only be about $100 total. Easy decision considering the wear on my current ones.
This is where my dilemma starts…Is it worth it to upgrade to 10-speed Dura Ace? to 11-speed Ultegra?
If I stick with 10-speed, is it worth the extra $90 for the Dura Ace RD over the Ultegra? I’ve been told that the Dura Ace FD is not worth the extra money ($40) over Ultegra, or is it?
If I decided to go with 11-speed, I know I would need to change out the FD, RD, shifters, cassettes (race wheel and trainer wheel), chain, and get a new 11sp compatible trainer wheel. My question though is about chain rings, I have the Praxis Works rings on a P2M power meter, do they really matter between 10 & 11 speed or are my current rings fine to use? Second, is the switch to 11-speed really worth the extra $250 it would cost me (assuming I don’t need new chain rings)?
I don’t think DA is worth it over Ultegra. And for that matter Ultegra is worth it over the newer 105.
The front rings are interchangeable. I.e. 10 speed rings will work fine with 11 speed chain and rear set up.
All that being said, I would upgrade to 11 speed over 10 speed unless I was rebuilding after a crash or a new bike, etc. I’d rather spend the $250 on entry fees or nutrition for the year, etc.
IMO not worth the extra for a DA RD over a Ultegra. I have both a 9000 (on my Tri bike) and a 6800 on my road bike. Both shift well and I can’t tell much of a difference.
For the FD, I do think the 9000 is worth the extra $$ over the 6800 (I bought a new 9000 from Ribble for $53 and bought a used 6800 FD/RD set on the classifieds here for a good price). The 9000 was super easy to setup and got it right on the first try. The 6800, not so much, I tried a few times and couldn’t get all 4 trim functions to work (I sacrificed the small chainring trim function)…but that was also due to not have a properly functioning inline barrel adjuster and having to get the tension dead on the first time. Had to change the chainrings out a couple of times and then readjust…still couldn’t get it to shift right 100% on all trim settings. I’m going to redo it this winter, with a new cable as my current one is frayed from the constant work on it and a new functioning inline adjuster.
Note: I was also able to easily setup a 5600, 7800 and 7900 FD with no problems just the 6800 wasn’t very fun.
Chainrings will shift just fine with either 11 or 10 speed. Used the same set of Rotor QXL rings on both 10 and 11 speed setups with no problems. Also temporarily ran a used Praxis ring set on my bike for a couple of months with no shifting issues on 11 speed.
Worth the extra money, that is debatable but I was building a new bike and decided to go 11 speed from the get go for my current road bike. The road wheelset I reused had a easily “upgradable” to 11 speed hub body kit available that was sub $100.
Decided to also upgrade my TT bike to 11 speed while I was at it because I was able to find an 11s hub conversion for my wheels for a deal on eBay (HED Jet wheelset). (also another sub $100 score there for a never used kit). The rest was also deals I scored but I sold all my previous stuff to help off set costs so my out of pocket wasn’t that much.
I feel like the biggest factor is how invested you are in the 10-speed ecosystem. If you have other wheels/bikes that are 10-speed, and/or spare 10s chains and cassettes on ice, sticking with 10s is probably the way to go.
Depending on the age of your Ultegra group, you may also need to upgrade your brakes if you upgrade to 11s shifters due to altered cable pull.
I personally see no reason not to stick with 10s; parts are slightly cheaper and are still plentiful.
I did look into 105 as well, but the cost difference between 105 and Ultegra was only $35 total, only $23 if I go with 11-speed, so I will most likely just go with Ultegra for the small of a difference.
If you just want 11 speed go right ahead but don’t expect to notice anything about your ride once you are finished. You don’t need a new FD or front shifter. You do need a RD, chain, cassette, rear shifter and maybe rear wheel. I converted my Renn disc in twenty minutes with a flat file. Take a look at your wheels, all you have to do is take 2 mm (actually 1.8 mm) off of the shoulder on the inside of the freewheel. If there is room, it’s easy.
But, it’s not worth the money unless there is some other reason for doing it.
I just changed my Colnago road bike from 10 speed Ultegra to 11 speed 105. The shifting of new 105 compared to 6 year old Ultegra is a big upgrade. That’s not the reason for this. I also have a 9 speed Trek 5200 road bike with Ultegra that just won’t shift right. I put on new cables but it didn’t help. So I upgraded the Colnago to 11 and put the 10 speed stuff on the Trek. The side benefit is that I can now switch the Zipp 404 wheels to my 11 speed Felt IA16 without switching cassettes if I want.
So it’s worth it to me, even though I don’t think it’s worth it just to upgrade to 11 speed for just one bicycle. I still don’t think we need anything more than 9 (maybe 8) speeds in the rear.
That was biggest concern. My 808 and disc both have a 10/11 hub, so not an issue, but my non-race wheels are 10sp only, and my trainer wheel is 10sp only, that and I have three different 10-speed race cassettes I switch between depending on the course and of course the cassette on the trainer wheel.
I am upgrading the brakes since they are starting to get a pretty good amount of corrosion on the bolts. Being a tri bike the new shifters don’t affect the brakes.
I am definitely interested in having that extra gear in the middle of the cassette since I am so OCD about sitting on the perfect cadence, but with the right cassette, it’s never really been that big of an issue, more of a want than a real need.
I’m going to guess based on your handle you’re riding in at least the general Houston area most of the time as I am. Even when I head up to the hill country I have never found a need for those extra gears, so if it was me I would stick with the 10s - still good deals to be had on the secondary market for lots of components/wheels so can probably save more money in the long run too - if that is a relevant concern for you, for me it is. If you do decide to upgrade to 11s I don’t suppose one of those race cassettes is a straight block 12-21 that you would need to get rid of?
I am in Houston, but I like to travel for races. I have an 11-28 that I used for Lake Placid, a 12-25 I use the majority of the time in Houston and for races like Arizona, and a 12-23 I use for the dead flat races like Galveston. Believe it or not, it’s the flatter races/rides where I find myself wanting the extra gear so I can dial in my cadence better. It never even occurred to me to go with a 12-21 for Galveston to get the extra middle gear, I may have to look into getting one.
Based on the input, I think I’m just going to go with the new 10-speed FD & RD and use the extra $250 for some new tririg brakes since mine are getting close to needing replacement anyway. Might as well have it all installed at once to save a little money on labor with my mechanic.
I don’t think you will be unhappy with either Ultegra 10 or 11sp. Or 105 11sp for that matter. I think the D/A derailleurs are worth it if you do crits or are a sprinter. D/A feels like it shifts a little faster to me. Not sure if that’s just a feel thing or not.
I have not owned D/A since 7800. I have Red 10, Ultegra dI2 10, and Campy 11.
Certainly Shimano 11-speed is worth it over Shimano 10-speed. Shifting is much better. Whether that Shimano 11-speed is 6800, 9000, or whatever, probably doesn’t matter so much
My opinions (as AG racer and home bike mechanic, so YMMV):
Upgrade to 11 sp.
DA is not worth it over 6800 Ultegra. 6800 is a fantastic group.
Chainring is the same between 10 and 11sp. Marketing says otherwise, so now you know not to listen when they try to sell you an “11 speed chainring”.
You will need front and rear derailleurs and new indexed shifters, plus 11 speed chain and 11 speed cassette. Friction shifters (front) would be fine but I’d replace both shifters just to keep them matching.
BTW online you can find rear derailleurs for about $50 and front for about $30. 6800 STI shifters are $200 minimum. You probably want bar-end. Those are likely around $100 but not totally sure.
Dilbert, I just upgraded from Ultrgra 10 to 105 11 on my road bike. I bought a RD, cassette, chain and brake/shifters. No FD. I left the Ultegra FD and didn’t even have to adjust it. Just pulled the cable tight and tightened the bolt. It shifts perfectly, better than with the Ultegra shifter.
I built my first 11 speed setup last November. Only real advantage I notice is I can run the cassette I want and I got one bail out gear back. This is all road bike related, my TT is still 11 speed. I run 50/34 in the front so I need an 11 in the back. When my roadie was 10 speed I would run an 11-23 because I like the tighter spacing than the 11-25 or 11-28. Worked fine most of the time but for long climbs I sometimes wished I had another gear. With the 11 speed 11-25 cassette I get the same gears as the 11-23 but it adds the 25 as the 11th gear. No more swapping cassettes depending on terrain. I don’t use the 25 often, but it is nice to have for the steep stuff.
Dilbert, I just upgraded from Ultrgra 10 to 105 11 on my road bike. I bought a RD, cassette, chain and brake/shifters. No FD. I left the Ultegra FD and didn’t even have to adjust it. Just pulled the cable tight and tightened the bolt. It shifts perfectly, better than with the Ultegra shifter.
You are absolutely right. Existing FD would work fine in an 11sp system. I suggested he replace it too because FD is one of the cheapest bike components and might as well get it to have the gruppo match. Just saw 6800 FD for $25 online somewhere. They are usually around $35.
Dilbert, I just upgraded from Ultrgra 10 to 105 11 on my road bike. I bought a RD, cassette, chain and brake/shifters. No FD. I left the Ultegra FD and didn’t even have to adjust it. Just pulled the cable tight and tightened the bolt. It shifts perfectly, better than with the Ultegra shifter.
You are absolutely right. Existing FD would work fine in an 11sp system. I suggested he replace it too because FD is one of the cheapest bike components and might as well get it to have the gruppo match. Just saw 6800 FD for $25 online somewhere. They are usually around $35.
Dilbert - That was my thought as well. My FD can’t be adjusted because the limit screws are rusted into place, so for $25 it’s worth the swap. FD was a no brainer even if I technically don’t “need” to change it out.
What bike is this? How old? I ask because you also posted that your brakes are corroded and your FB screws are rusted in position. What are you doing to this bike?
It’s a 2012 but I just ride it a lot. 3 sessions a week indoors and a long ride almost every Saturday. It’s gets washed, decreased and re-lubed after every lond ride, but I think the indoor rides is what killed the screws. The screws are the only thing on the bike showing any wear. Same thing happened to the screws on my BTA cage. On the front brake, it’s the cheap calipers that came with the bike, the screw that holds the cable in place is corroded, back brake is fine, but it also doesn’t get sweat and sports drink on it on a routine basis.