Expensive components on cheap bike

[wafter]

I literally just read this article

You can tell that the difference between 105 and Ultegra is not that big and also you can tell that many riders prefer to save some bucks and buy 105 because the difference in prices between the 2 groupsets keeps reducing in total terms (or, to be put in another term, people keep choosing 105 so its price is holding up slightly better than the ultegra one)

I'm looking on wiggle for the a head to head price comparison between 105 and Ultegra (same specs)

105 R7020 = £550
Ultegra R8020 = 847

Difference in this case is "just" £297

I think for me £300 of difference is still making me sway towards the 105, but if the difference keeps reducing to say £200, that's when I'd pick the Ultegra.

Yup.. of course everyone has their threashhold where the higher prices become acceptable. The £297 might not be a whole to you in absolute terms, but it's still a hike of around 55% (again ) over the cost of the 105 and a good wedge towards other components (such as wheels) that would potentially give much greater performance gains.

FWIW I'd agree with you (and most others) that the 105 seems like by far the most sensible option

EDIT: If you want to save another 10% it might be worth looking at an alternative rear cassette (if you've not already) - CRC list the R7020 at £500-550; the 11-28 and 11-32 cassette options being £50 less than the 11-30. Further, you could then buy the 11-30 separately from the same source for only £35 (still saving £15 and essentially getting a free cassette) and keep the less desirable size as a spare / flog it for a bit of money back / post it to me

 

[davidphilips]

Dont know about the latest 105 groupset but only difference i notice is the ultegra has better jockey wheels, the ultegra wheels can be bought for about £10 when the 105s wear out but when cycling i can not notice any difference?

 

[Mark pallister]

I literally just read this article

You can tell that the difference between 105 and Ultegra is not that big and also you can tell that many riders prefer to save some bucks and buy 105 because the difference in prices between the 2 groupsets keeps reducing in total terms (or, to be put in another term, people keep choosing 105 so its price is holding up slightly better than the ultegra one)

I'm looking on wiggle for the a head to head price comparison between 105 and Ultegra (same specs)

105 R7020 = £550
Ultegra R8020 = 847

Difference in this case is "just" £297

I think for me £300 of difference is still making me sway towards the 105, but if the difference keeps reducing to say £200, that's when I'd pick the Ultegra.

I can tell the difference between 105 and Ultegra no problem
105 is not as smooth and a bit noisier at least on my bikes
As usual it all comes down to what people can afford

 

[vickster]

I can tell the difference between 105 and Ultegra no problem
105 is not as smooth and a bit noisier at least on my bikes
As usual it all comes down to what people can afford

Or justify

 

[Gunk]

Or justify

105 is fine for me, 11 speed, good enough quality and I’m too old and slow to benefit from anything fancier.

 

[Shearwater Missile]

105 is fine for me, 11 speed, good enough quality and I’m too old and slow to benefit from anything fancier.

105 is fine with me. When I bought my summer bike bike back in 2015 I had decided on 105 after reading countless reviews etc of bikes and groupsets. 105 was probably the best value for money. I don`t know whether Ultegra would feel any better. Bearing in mind that when Shimano upgrade their groupsets the next one down the line gets a makeover or at least so I have read.
I can tell the difference between my Sora 3400 and my 105 5800 in changing gear but then the Sora is from 2010. Does it bother me ? No. I just enjoy both the bikes I ride. Sure the Sora is cheaper to replace parts but then it is on the winter bike.

 

[BigMeatball]

I can tell the difference between 105 and Ultegra no problem
105 is not as smooth and a bit noisier at least on my bikes
As usual it all comes down to what people can afford

I've found a very nice and useful video of a former road cycling racer and now bike mechanic who explains the differences between 105, Ultegra and DuraAce.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFaH4VkQAf4

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

Cheap frame is a cheap frame..buying it some nice parts won't make it a quality frame, or a good bike.

There's a difference between a badly made cheap frame though, and a low-budget but still decently built one. It's over-simplistic to dismiss all plain-gauge hi-tensile frames as cheap & nasty when some of them actually ride and handle well. There was a time when hi-tensile frames were a good selling point, because the then standard material was thicker and much heavier mild steel! Up until the time tubes like 531 appeared, a hi-tensile frame was a lightweight bike! One of my best riding frames is a cheap-as-chips Puch hi-tensile job, but I've jumped on it before now with the intention of only doing an hour's local pootle and ended up riding for well over two hours and about 25 miles - which is a good distance on a 3-speed weighing 35lbs.

 

[Johnno260]

My bike was RRP £1000 and for some that’s cheap, for others it’s expensive.

My bikes has had wheels, tyres, and a newer group set, false economy? Possibly, but the frame I’m super comfortable with and the bike makes me happy.

I can always move the better components to a new frame at a later date if I wanted to to as well.

like others have said some cycle mags really turn their nose up at sub 1k bikes, but who cares if it makes you happy.

 

[Pale Rider]

I was a proper Raleigh bike I've even spoken to the guy that designed the frame.

I think I can recall the Y frame Raleigh @numbnuts refers to.

It had a Y frame of pressed steel and came in a bluey green colour.

It was a dreadful contraption in terms of weight and probably design, but it was a proper Raleigh, and above my budget at the time.

I literally just read this article

You can tell that the difference between 105 and Ultegra is not that big and also you can tell that many riders prefer to save some bucks and buy 105 because the difference in prices between the 2 groupsets keeps reducing in total terms (or, to be put in another term, people keep choosing 105 so its price is holding up slightly better than the ultegra one)

I'm looking on wiggle for the a head to head price comparison between 105 and Ultegra (same specs)

105 R7020 = £550
Ultegra R8020 = 847

Difference in this case is "just" £297

I think for me £300 of difference is still making me sway towards the 105, but if the difference keeps reducing to say £200, that's when I'd pick the Ultegra.

Another point about the weightier and cheaper component is it's often more durable.

High end light as a feather MTB tyres wear out in no time, particularly if they are used on road which they inevitably are for part of the time by a leisure rider.

Tales of MTB riders wearing out expensive 12 speed cassettes and chains in only a handful of rides.

 

[screenman]

When the glossy cycling magazines started labelling them as such.

My wife has never once read a shiny magazine, yet she has at times paid between £1000 and £2000 for bikes. A grand is not much money for many nowadays, but it is for some.

 

[Levo-Lon]

There's a difference between a badly made cheap frame though, and a low-budget but still decently built one. It's over-simplistic to dismiss all plain-gauge hi-tensile frames as cheap & nasty when some of them actually ride and handle well. There was a time when hi-tensile frames were a good selling point, because the then standard material was thicker and much heavier mild steel! Up until the time tubes like 531 appeared, a hi-tensile frame was a lightweight bike! One of my best riding frames is a cheap-as-chips Puch hi-tensile job, but I've jumped on it before now with the intention of only doing an hour's local pootle and ended up riding for well over two hours and about 25 miles - which is a good distance on a 3-speed weighing 35lbs.

I based most of my comments on bikes I've owned.

My first modern road bike, 2014 Merlin,£600 tiagra spec
I thought it rode a bit harsh.

Swapped all the bits onto a Planet X RT58 frame, Better by a good margin.
I've since swapped all the parts onto PX Pro Carbon, much better

I have ultegra crankest now with 105 mech with tiagra brakes shifters. Light Campagnolo wheels ,quality bars, post and expensive tyres 25mm.
It's a super nice ride.
That said I find road bikes pretty damn horrible to ride for more than an hr or 2


Maybe it's aluminium that's the problem ?

 

[BigMeatball]

Another point about the weightier and cheaper component is it's often more durable.

Sounds about right. The guy in the video I linked says pretty much the same.

In his comparison of 105 vs Ultegra vs DuraAce, he says the 105 is a heavier, more reliable, maybe a bit clunkier groupset, more of a "training groupset" meaning you can use it day in and day out and requires minimal maintenance.

DuraAce on the other hand is more race oriented, lighter and you may want to take care of it regularly to keep the performance up.

Ultegra seems to be somewhat in between the 2, with racey performance without requiring as much maintenance and love as the DuraAce.

 

[Pale Rider]

As a general point, I like replacement components which are at a similar level to what's already fitted.

So I wouldn't put a cheapo derailer on a bike with an Ultegra groupset, but neither would I put an Ultegra derailer on £250 Halfords roadie.

 

[Johnno260]

tbh with my upgrades I stuck with 105 but it's R7000 over the 5800, the beauty with bikes is, components can in general be moved to a new frame if you want, I took the same route with astronomy, I purchased pretty decent eyepieces as they will compliment a better scope at a future point.

Also my old 105 5800 I already have someone wanting the parts replaced so it's win win from my point of view.