is the difference between them just a weight thing, or is there a difference in durability and performance also?
I had the same question at the beginning of the season, and thus far my answer is… I had 105 because my budget was short… I hated the 105 rear derailleur the shifting was always awful, the crank is ok but heavy and the brakes are better than the ones Cervelo puts on their bikes, and also much better than the Tektro ones my QR had. I’m going to buy the Zero Gravity brakes some day, until then the 105s have done an excellent job. As far as shifting I got the DA rear derailleur and things have been sweet now, the FD is still 105 but no problem there! As you would expect from shimano everything works ok but if you put 4,000 miles a year or more the 105 will turn bad soon. As you can see my bike is a mix of everything but in time it will have all DA. As for now I’m training and haven’t had time to think about upgrades which means all is good down there for now! Remember DA shifting is the ticket to happy ridding, the rest as long as its shimano and no lower than 105 it will do the job… mine has.
There’s a bit of a performance difference, for instance the rearD, shifters, and the brakes, but not as big as the price difference. There is a substantial difference in weight though, although in the big picture, it’s not THAT big, since I think it would be a difficult arguement to call any of it rotating mass- I know, the crank, but really?? I bet most people on a 105 budget could find an LB or 2 to lose to equalize things nicely. No, not saying they are fat, just so far maybe less committed?
I have DuraAce taste and a 105 budget, so I ride Ultegra…
105 and ultegra use bushings which dont last as long or work as smoothly as the dura ace which uses bearings rather than bushings, I think.
It’s all about priorities my friend, I ride 105 because it’s good enough and for me a nice carbon frame was much more important when I had the 2k to upgrade, so I bought a Lucero frame and hung my old parts to it and I’m happier than ever, next is race wheels, then a trip to South Africa with my wife, then DA for my bike. By the way equipment has nothing to do with commitment, its not the same being self employed, 30 and just married (that would be me) than a doctor, 50 and single. I know you did not meant it that way but I had to get if of my chest.
By the way BSLT rocks! and Dura-Ace taste and 105 budget that makes two of us
“dura ace taste with 105 budget, so i ride ultegra”!! that is funny!!
Not exactly. Even in the jockey wheels SRAM is going to be second (and only since Suntour is gone) to the market with bearings in the rear der as opposed to bushings. Dura Ace moved up to ceramic(ish) bushings and campy still uses steel. However, a bearing on the upper pulley has been out of fad since the floating style bushing that is needed to smooth out the tight tolerance of the 9/10 speed systems. Dura Ace does offer (with STI) more trim and the ability to move 3 gears in a shift (Campy will drop 9 in a single throw). 105 is one click per cog on STI - Bar ends you can do what ever you want with any system from any brand - but Campy does not have a friction setting on the bar ends, not sure is SRAM does or not. As was said - a front Der is a front Der…give me a 1991 Superbe Pro and I would be just as happy as a 2008 Record.
Sorry, I didn’t mean it that way…
I know you are right about not being able to stereotype “commitment” with equipment, but I’d venture to say that most self-funded elites would gravitate towards DA in the Shimano direction- not necessarily because of wisdom though- some performance, a lot of bling, and a lot of peer pressure. I do firmly think Norman would have still smoked the field on a 105 equipped K-Factor last year… and it’s only mostly “not about the bike”.
-matt
I have noticed that the dura ace rear cassettes wear much more quickly than the stainless ones (I guess ultegra or 105). The dura ace cassettes are great when they are new - light weight and shift well. But after some miles are logged, the dura ace cassettes will not shift very well. I never guessed the cassette itself would cause shifting problems, I always figured the derailleur, cables, housing, and the chain would be the problem. After replacing all those things first, I found the cassettes to be the main trouble. The heavier stainless steel cassettes seem to continue to shift well even with thousands of miles on them.
Yes I’ve heard the same complaint, and that could be the reason why Team CSC rides ultegra cassettes and not DA, at least thats what they say
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I solved the which-Shimano-to-buy dilemma by going SRAM. About a half pound lighter than Ultegra, same price range, and superior performance – although I swear you can feel the OG tooth profile through the chain, and it REALLY pisses me off.
But in the Shimano line, for all intents and purposes, Dura Ace and Ultegra are interchangeable. If there’s any real difference at the levers, it’s almost imperceptible (response), and the shift quality is damn near impossible to discern if you don’t actually know what you’re riding beforehand. In some respects, Ultegra actually feels nicer (stiffer crank, stiffer brakeset) and is worth the few extra grams. IMO Ultegra cassettes are the shit.
105, however, seems to get shat on by Shimano. It’s nice in its own way, but compared to the higher level groups, something just feels ‘off’. The crank isn’t as stiff as the Ultegra, while being significantly heavier. The shifters feel unresponsive, and give the impression that they’re just not working properly (105 STI is our most common gruppo warranty product), and the upshift levers ALWAYS feel sloppy. Ever since they came out with black 105 9s, it’s just seemed to have less of the inherent quality built into it. Kind of a shame, really.
I currently have at least 12,000 miles on my 105 cassette and it still shifts well like you describe. It is the origional one on my bike.
I don’t seem to have the same shifting problems like others describe with the 105 rear derailleurs but I also pay quite a bit attention to bike maintenance.
jaretj
Related follow up question: Anyone who has used both notice a difference between DA vs Ultegra cranksets (incl BB)? Also, anyone know the weight difference between the two offhand?
Ultegra seems to be the most durable whereas DA sacrifices durability for weight savings. That being said I just replaced my entire 105 drivetrain with Ultegra after roughly 30,000 miles. My old Ultegra 8spd stuff I put somewhere around 20,000 miles on before I gave it to my bro 5 years ago. I don’t know how many miles he’s used it for. By the way we weigh 240 and 260 lbs each. That’s some abuse!
You can perceive the difference in stiffness between the two, but it usually only becomes noticeable in grades above 10% or in bunch sprints, from my experience. As far as weight, you can really only tell which is which OFF the bike…once it’s on, it’s so hard to tell the difference on the same bike.
BB, though, don’t worry about. Just buy Ultegra – it’s the same BB, just different finish to the cups.
i would agree with everything you said except…the DA brakes are better than ultegra hands down. DA are “stiffer” and have much better modulation compared to ultegra. they look to be more aero too… 
I’m maintaining the Ultegra brakes are stiffer, but the stock pads are waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay shittier. Swap 'em out for some Swisstop yellow and, IMO, the Ultegra performs better.
Yikes!!!
$40 for brake pads? They must be awesome.
jaretj