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Shimano upgrade? |
I bought a tri bike this year and it is a great bike, but has Shimano 105 components. Please give me your thoughts on upgrading to Ultegra or DuraAce next year, and the expected cost of each. I am familiar with Ultegra as I have this in my road bike. Is Dura Ace that much better? The majority of the 105 components have the highest functional level possible. There's one big bad exception: The 105 octalink bottom bracket is sheer garbage and below the quality level of many comfort bikes. Switch this to the Ultegra bottom bracket. On to the rest of the question. . . Ultegra has the lightest weight possible without affecting durability. Dura Ace components are weak, prone to fail, and wear out quickly. The exception to this is the lovely Dura Ace chain, which is simply the best. Oh, and of course the Dura Ace shifter cables. Those are nice too. For the rest of Dura Ace, it is not better than Ultegra because of the high risk of breakdown of the Dura Ace group. Where else could your 105 use an Ultegra substitute? The Ultegra chainrings are lighter weight. The Ultegra left side shifter is usually much more copasetic if you happen to need a feathershift and less time-consuming chainring dance. Of course, Campy on the left is better than either and does work your current front derailleur (may have to run cable over tab, depending on crankset). This is because a non-indexed front derailleur (left shifter) will allow you to use the largest rear cog from every chainring, saving a lot of time. If that's too weird, just bear in mind that the Ultegra front drive system is slightly superior to the 105. However, the 105 rear drive system and right side shifter operate at the highest level for Shimano's road bike components. The Ultegra hill climber cassette 12-27 makes you prepared for nearly all courses plus one heck of a fast sprint, and it is much lighter than 105. Of course, an extremely important and inexpensive upgrade would be a performance wheelset containing 20/20 or 24/20 evenly spaced and appropriately tensioned spokes to facilitate highest speeds with your particular bike. Rough riding 16 spoke, any decorative spoke patterns, and Alex rims should all be cast off right away. Bladed spokes are okay, but front wheels should not have the "fat" blade. Non-bladed are just as nice. The point of a great wheelset is to eliminate drivetrain flex on the rear and to enhance steering on the front, plus the front needs to have optimum tension so that your bike does not "push" against road abberations--so that the front wheel rolls over road abberations, yet maintains or enhances steering. Rol race wheels are good at these enhancements (new model with 20 or more spokes), engineered in Colorado, uphill speed gets quite the boost. Whatever brand of wheelset you choose, the small weight reduction can be multiplied by 3.14 (pi) because it is "rotating weight." For some simplistic and more-durable application of the Dura Ace approach, just put lightweight and strong parts wherever there's no wear surfaces. You know those 10 to 15 steel bolts (counting the sleeves) that hold the chainrings and the four steel water bottle bolts? Might as well be titanium. Are the water bottle holders steel or something lighter? Do you have a carbon fiber seatpost? What about titanium saddle rails? Is the air pump a Hurricane HP micro or similar speedy featherweight? Do you have medium performance inner tubes (high perf rubber is too thin) with aluminum valves or basic with brass valves ? And, the rubber compounds. . . Do you have Kool Stop (lighter, more effective, don't eat rims) brake pads? If using flat protection tires, does it happen to be Serfas Seca RS at 210 grams? Next, for your 105 rear derailleur. Give it some maintenance. Unscrew one sprocket at a time (never both)--wait till one sprocket is re-installed before unscrewing the other sprocket. Clean the sprocket parts (plastic sprocket, metal cylinder/bushing, two caps, sometimes a washer--and if there's a washer, it must return to the same side it came from and in the same orientation)--clean with Simple Green, dark green formula. Insure that there is absolutely no grit on the parts. Put automotive axle grease into the caps and Singer Sewing Machine oil into the bushing. Put the bushing in. Oil again. Put the caps on, and pinch between thumb and forefinger. If it does not spin easily, put in some more oil. Re-install the sprocket. Do the other sprocket. Now they spin with zero friction. If shifting is affected, either a washer-equipped sprocket is in backwards or the lower and upper sprocket got exchanged (that's why you only do one at a time). This maintenance lasts about 3 years at a time because the grease in the caps will not allow dirt to enter unless it is accidentally washed out with degreaser. Do avoid getting any lubricant onto the orange threadlocker that coats the bolts. However you can purchase new threadlocker to paint on at the auto parts store. Also, use Singer Sewing Machine oil on the chain. It goes inside the chain easily. Inside? Yes. So does moped chain oil, but Singer works best for bicycles that don't see gravel roads. Rub the chain a lot with a washcloth. Repeat oiling and rubbing till the chain has no black residue. However, for very dusty environments, an additional step--rub the oil off as much as possible and then apply EPIC lube so that dirt can't get inside the chain. This (either version) lube method lasts an extraordinarily long time because oil is trapped inside the chain. Also, with EPIC, you can squeeze the brake levers and flood the internals (with EPIC) to wash out dust and grit. This should not be done very often, because it can wash the grease out too. Maybe just once every time you change the chain. Be sure to remove extra so that your levers aren't greasy. Specifically, spray a paper towel with Simple Green and then rub the levers with the towel. Don't spray degreaser anywhere there should be grease. ;) At least the right side shifter will now have the "Dura Ace feel." Anyway, these tips can give you Dura Ace performance and weight bracket, without leaving you stranded. The question is, why do you want to upgrade? If you're not racing (or riding extremely competetitvely in one fashion or another) then anything above 105 is not really worth it. All you're getting for the huge amount of money you will spend to upgrade to Ultegra or Dura Ace is a little bit of lighter weight and possibly a little "nicer feel" to your shifts (if you're into that kind of thing). Net result is you'll get home several seconds earlier than you would have on 105. That's great if you're racing but if you're not... I have an Ultegra/Duraace bike I built myself(I work at shop)Ithe things I upgraded to Duraace were my derailleurs,however in your case since its a new bike I would just ride it for a few years them upgrade to a Campy Centaur or Chorus,or Record new bike,one easy thing you can do is get a set of racing wheels just for events,low weight Aero types..hope this helps da shop 25= years in the trenches Ultegra is probably one of the best values dollar-for-dollar that you'll find. I've had a bunch of Ultegra stuff, and most of it has lasted for eight years. Only the past weekend did I replace any of it...the shifters were pretty shot, so I treated myself to some Dura-Ace stuff that the local shop had for a good deal. The Dura-Ace shifter does have a more precise, metallic feel. But overall, Ultegra is the best value...and 105 is not far off, either. For value, I'd also stay away from the Dura Ace crank...big bucks! I'd go for the Bontrager Race Lites with the outboard bottom bracket bearings. I would go ultegra, but, that is not always the best deal. the first thing you would want to upgrade on any bike is the wheels. Why? Because wheels are where bicycle weight impacts performance the most. It is not only traveling forward, but in a circular motion as well, creating two motions in which you are going to have to carry that weight. Besides that, in a triathalon, aerodynamics are key, and wheels, besides the frame, are the biggest part of the bike. Investing in a good disk rear wheel and an aero front will do you more good than upgrading drivetrain components. Ultegra and dura ace are both great components, with ultegra being the better value, but dura ace better performing. It depends what you are looking for, good qualtity and performance at a decent price, or outstanding performance at a price most people would call ridiculous. Budget vs Performance. Whats most imposrtant to you. But let me say to you a bike with 105 components and Zipp wheels, looks and performs a lot better than one with dura ace components and normal wheels. But if you really want to upgrade, mix and match where it counts. Dura ace rear derailers are the only place besides cranks where a noticable difference is present. everything else could be ultegra or 105 and TT chainrings could help you out as well. Honestly, there is no reason to upgrade at this time. 105 is a great component set, and will last three or five years if maintained well. I raced on 105 for many years before I upgraded to ultegra. There is just no reason to throw away perfectly good stuff. Your best bet, and others have said this too, I just want to make this point. Buy a race set of wheels. That is by far the best investment you could make. Especially for a TT (which is the bike component of a tri). Get aero wheels...either disc in the back or the carbon three spoke, or at least a honking set of good aero rims. Much more savings in time than a little Ultegra upgrade. Train on the stock wheels, and put the race guys on for game day! |
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