105's vs Tiagra

[lpjr]

Just gathering thoughts on this issue. I finally put a deposit down on my new bike today. One of the decisions I had to make when picking the bike was which derailleur to go for. We all know 105 is better but would a complete novice notice the difference? When in the LBS today having the above two explained to me I realised how out of touch I was with modern racers. I spent a couple of minutes looking for the gear levers, my last racer was a home build Eddie Merckx's, how shocked I was to be shown they were part of the brakes. Weird. My budget put me in at the top of the Tiagra spec bike. I would have had to stump up at least another £150 to get a bike with 105s that I liked.

So going back to the question, being a complete novice would I notice the difference? Would the difference be worth the price hike? The bike is going to be used as a commuter bike.

 

[Fab Foodie]

Ooohhh tricky question now that you've spent your dosh...

However, Tiagra is a big step over Sora IMO* and Tiagra is a smooth and reliable groupset. What do you get for spending 105 money... well smoother operation and slightly lighter componants. But on a commuter bike that's probably irrelevant as durability and replaceability is important. No point in covering expensive componants with road crap on a daily basis, commuting takes its toll on bike parts. IMO you made the right decision, it'll work faithfully for years.

* Sora's good too for commuting, tough, cheap and reliable, but Tiagra is an improvement in slickness of operation and control layout on the shifters... IMO!

 

[Garz]

Reiterating FF's points, Tiagra is great value. 105 is better but only if you can afford the price penalty. The next grade above doesn't necessarily justify itself as the price usually is more than the improvement.

 

[Alan Whicker]

As I understand it, Tiagra is the roadie equivalent of Deore, found on MTBs and hybrids. Perfectly reliable and proven kit.

 

[MacB]

I would add that, compatibility wise, Tiagra is now the top of the 9 speed stuff and 105 the bottom of the 10 speed. Personally I prefer the feel of Tiagra hoods over 105, I've tried both and didn't notice any performance difference, but that was on brand new bikes taken for test rides.

 

[Alun]

Tiagra is 9 speed with a max 25 tooth cassette, 105 is 10 speed with a max of 27 or 28. This might be a factor in a hilly area. Does the bike have triple chainwheel? That could cancel out the need for a lower gear than 25. If you need any lower ratios then it might be possible to fit a MTB cassette to a tiagra setup but not 105, but you would need a long rear derailleur and a longer chain.

 

[Alembicbassman]

I've got a 105 setup on my Roadie, 50/34 compact chainset with 12-25 cassette, plenty of range for the hills. A 52/42 with 11-23 would not be good for me.

My other bike has 2200 hardware, it works well but isn't as nice to use as 105.

Tiagra is good reliable stuff.

 

[PaulB]

The best mechanic I know (a truly great one) reckons that 105 is THE best Shimano groupset you can get! Yes, even better than Ultegra or Dura-Ace! He reckons 105 is virtually bomb-proof and is the best value for money gruppo on the market. I don't have 105 but Dura-Ace (which broke) and he told me that on all the many, many systems he's worked on down the years, he hardly ever needs to fettle with 105s and they represent the best in yer actual bang for buck and so that's what I should have gone for to ensure longer trouble-free riding.

 

[PpPete]

Tiagra is 9 speed with a max 25 tooth cassette, 105 is 10 speed with a max of 27 or 28. This might be a factor in a hilly area. Does the bike have triple chainwheel? That could cancel out the need for a lower gear than 25. If you need any lower ratios then it might be possible to fit a MTB cassette to a tiagra setup but not 105, but you would need a long rear derailleur and a longer chain.

Tiagra cassettes only go up to 25 T.... but the mechs & shifters are rated for a 27T (and you can push them further if needed)

 

[MacB]

The best mechanic I know (a truly great one) reckons that 105 is THE best Shimano groupset you can get! Yes, even better than Ultegra or Dura-Ace! He reckons 105 is virtually bomb-proof and is the best value for money gruppo on the market. I don't have 105 but Dura-Ace (which broke) and he told me that on all the many, many systems he's worked on down the years, he hardly ever needs to fettle with 105s and they represent the best in yer actual bang for buck and so that's what I should have gone for to ensure longer trouble-free riding.

I've heard similar but Shimano really messed up my build plans when they switched to 10 speed only for 105 and above. In fact I find a lot of the incompatibility with kit rather irksome.

 

[lpjr]

Thanks for the feedback. I did not stump up the extra in the end and went for the Tiagra set, it does not have the triple set, it's a SHIMANO TIAGRA 12-25 9S if that means anything to anyone. On fun days I was going to aim for Rivington Pike Tower,(RPT) . Hope this set is up to the hills.

 

[Crankarm]

I've been using Shimano Ultegra 9spd on my Trek road bike for 6 years and it is still changing faultessly. I don't think I have needed to adjust the cables or the deraillieur once. I just keep everything clean and well lubed. It is a joy to use as shifting is crisp and effortless. I'm sure the lesser groupsets are the same albeit with less attention to ergonomics, materials, detail and weight.

 

[John the Monkey]

Have Tiagra on my bikes, it's fine.

9 speed saves you about a fiver per chain over 10 speed, which is significant on a commuter.

 

[rusty bearing]

I built my old road bike with Tiagra, found it reliable and never gave problems. Just built a shiny new bike on a custom frame so moved up to 105. The shifting is good but the thing I ni=oticed most is that the reach to the brake levers is slightly shorter which suits small paws like mine.