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TECH NEWS
Shimano 105 goes 11-speed
Shimano has launched a brand new version of its 105 groupset – the most popular road groupset worldwide – that features an 11-speed drivetrain and, says Shimano, improved braking power.
The new 5800 series 105 features technology that has trickled down from Shimano’s high-level Dura-Ace and Ultegra groups.
“The main thing about 105 is that it’s now 11-speed,” said Shimano’s UK brand manager Mark Greshon at the UK launch. “With it being 11-speed it brings many of the functions and features that you get with both Ultegra and Dura-Ace to a much wider range of riders.”
So, 105 follows in the footsteps of Dura-Ace and Ultegra (and groupsets from Campagnolo and SRAM) in going 11-speed. Shimano has redesigned the derailleurs and shift levers and included polymer coated cables to replicate the light shifting of its higher level groupsets – and, judging by the demo components available at the launch, it really is noticeably lighter than previously but still with a very definite click engagement.
Shimano says, “The shift levers have a compact grip which provides more comfort and control during a ride. The lever can be customised for different hand sizes with a 10mm screw-type reach adjust.
“The front derailleur has a longer link arm combined with a new spring mechanism. Also, the rear derailleur has a new spring mechanism and cable pitch, which provides robust adjustability.”
That’s the official line. The four-arm crank has trickled down from Dura-Ace too, with the uneven spacing between those arms that some people like and some people can’t stomach. Visuals aside, Shimano says that this gives the best transfer of power and balance between lightweight and stiffness.
This design also means there’s just one bolt circle diameter (BCD) for compact and traditional double chainsets. In other words, one crankarm fits all chainring sizes.
The standard chainset combos will be 53/39T, 52/36T and 50/34T. If you want to swap from 53/39T to 50/34T, for example, you can do that using the same crankarm – you can just change the chainrings rather than the whole chainset.
There will also be a non-series regular five-arm chainset.
The 11-speed cassette is available with 12-25 tooth and 11-28-tooth sprockets, as before, but there’s also a new wide-ranging 11-32-tooth option.
A short cage derailleur will handle sprockets up to 28T, but if you want to go to 32-tooth you’ll need the long cage derailleur.
Shimano treat the chain with a Sil-Tec surface-plating technology that they say makes it run smoother and wear longer in all conditions.
Shimano also say that they have improved the braking power by 10% over that of the previous 5700 series 105 groupset… and we love a statistic around these parts!
Shimano attribute most of that increased power to the new symmetrical dual-pivot brake caliper. Those calipers have a higher arch so they are compatible with tyres up to 28c – and there’s a general trend towards increased tyre size on the road these days.
The brakes are also available in a direct mount version (BR-5810), direct mount being an increasingly popular choice on road bikes as well as time trial bikes.
The 5800 Series 105 groupset will be available in black and silver from June. We don’t have prices on any of the components yet.
Shimano have an 11-speed flat-bar shifter that you can use with the new 105 components if you like, or with Ultegra or Dura-Ace for that matter.
Shimano has also introduced road hydraulic disc brakes that you can use with an 11-speed mechanical groupset like new 105. Check out our other story for all the details on that.
If you were hoping that Shimano would roll their Di2 technology down from Dura-Ace and Ultegra to 105, sorry, but that's not happening – not for the time being, at least. Electronic shifting will doubtless filter further down the road groupset hierarchy at some stage, but not yet.
Shimano say that 5800 Series 105 will be available from June.
Mat has been in cycling media since 1996, on titles including BikeRadar, Total Bike, Total Mountain Bike, What Mountain Bike and Mountain Biking UK, and he has been editor of 220 Triathlon and Cycling Plus. Mat has been road.cc technical editor for over a decade, testing bikes, fettling the latest kit, and trying out the most up-to-the-minute clothing. We send him off around the world to get all the news from launches and shows too. He has won his category in Ironman UK 70.3 and finished on the podium in both marathons he has run. Mat is a Cambridge graduate who did a post-grad in magazine journalism, and he is a winner of the Cycling Media Award for Specialist Online Writer. Now over 50, he's riding road and gravel bikes most days for fun and fitness rather than training for competitions.
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88 comments
Been playing with 6800 lately and I have to say that I am very impressed.
The design of the new lever and the gear change is a significant improvement over 6700. However in saying that I have to acknowledge that 6700 was a step back in performance over 6600.
So... I guess what I am saying is that I expect the shifting of the new 105 to be significantly better than the 5700 version. That has to be a good thing.
Also, with regards to ratios, I think 11 speed is the end game of the more is more mentality. It is not efficient to go smaller than an 11tooth sprocket, and even that is taking the piddle a bit, so we can't really go further that way...
Looking at the other end of the spectrum, will roadies go for bigger than a 28t sprocket, or more commonly the 25? Either way, with an 11speed set up you get a good, close ratio block across the range, so there is no advantage. Indeed a 11-25 can include an 16t sprocket... after 19t, you need to go up in 2 teeth at a time as the percentage of gear increase gets too small.
What I am saying, with 11 speed there is no longer a gap in the ratios as there potentially was with 10 speed.
No... actually thinking about it... there may still be an argument for a 12 gear set up... damn that 18t sprocket.
Well Shimano's engineers must have worked really hard to manage to add "more weight and fragility"; those Japanese really don't know what they're doing.
Why, when reading these comments, am I reminded of the "What have the Romans ever done for us" scene from The Life Of Brian?!!
About time Shimano. Funny how the mighty Shimano make you wait for top end refinements yet Campagnolo can introduce up dates across the whole range at once.
Perfect timing by Shimano so this up grade misses all the new 2014 bike. I bet also that 105 cassettes are not compatiable with current 10 speed cassette bodies so you have to fork out for new wheels.
Dave, I am pretty sure that most people with 10 speed drivetrains would be comfortable with all of this - as long as Shimano said that there would also be a 10 speed groupset with some of the same benefits.
Hopefully the recent introduction of Claris means Shimano is still looking to trickle some of the benefits down as far as the perfectly serviceable and inexpensive 8 and 9 speed drivetrains.
Damn... might explain why the 10 speed 105 groupset I just bought was so cheap LOL, still means I can buy spares really cheaply as well.
Apparently you can use 11-speed cassette on a 10-speed Shimano freehub.
Easy! Just leave the 1mm spacer on there, and leave out the 14t sprocket, and it fits perfectly well.
So you won't have to throw out your 10-speed wheels, and if you are really exercised by 11 speed, you can enjoy the refinements of the 5800/6800 groups and still keep your 10-speed.
Anyway, here's hoping they keep the 12-27 105 combo, I find that perfect as it moves the most-used cogs further to the right for big ring riding, plus you get a bail-out cog.
Oh, and I still have a 10-speed steel frame downtube-shifter bike in the shed, it's glorious, love taking it out now and then, but never in the wet.
Interesting comments.... not the only person to have a 'favourite gear combo' then!
I do like a triple (or is that a tipple?) But 11 cogs gets around most of the problems. Well it would if 34x32 was low enough, but it isn't quite low enough for grovelling at the end of an Audax. Guess that makes me not a real cyclist then.
Other than that, 11 speeds, hydro braking, sure why not? If you don't want it just don't buy it. Some of the comments above.... I mean no one's forcing you FFS!
I can see myself buying that disc-braked 11 speed Giant Defy with carbon mudguards in a couple of years. I won't be exclusive or cool but I'll sure be getting the job done
A
no complaints from me about 6800 Ultegra or this new 5800 105 groupset
I'm currently riding 6700 Ultegra on my best road bike, and 5700 on my other road bike.
Have custom built many bikes for customers with 6800 and test ridden many demo bikes with 6800 and its a very impressive groupset in terms of shifting / braking function, and coming in at a great price
This news about the 5800 groupset is fantastic, its going to introduce a more "affordable" priced 11 speed shimano groupset
This means sub £2K 11 speed Shimano equipped road bike for the masses, and could herald a large takeup of hydro disc brakes with the mechanical shifting / hydraulic disc brake versions of 5800
oh shit, you people dont like change do you.
yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaawn
bet you wish your car was running on carbs
and whats this new fangled remote central locking? nothing wrong with a key!
bey eck when i where a lad down't pit etc
I think it's great that people want 11 speeds and less moneys, that's why I just got a 5700 groupset for £300.
Best price I've seen for the 6800 groupset is £510, so it's already cheaper than 6700, which in my view was a step backwards from 6600 in shifter actuation, though the brakes were better.
I now have a double compact with a wide ranging cassette and it can be difficult finding the right gear sometimes. It's generally easier to find the sweet spot using the small ring and the high gears on the cassette. But thats cross-chaining.
If I wanted a wide range of gears I would go for a triple with a narrow ranging cassette.
With the debate about longevity of modern chains appearing once again, it's worth reflecting that the late Tommy Chambers, that most eminent Glaswegian clubman who in his lifetime rode a documented 799,405 miles no less, meticulously records in his diaries that he wore out 76 chains.
In other words, a decidedly impressive average of 10,518 miles per chain.
I want a 12-28 11-speed option...
This doesn't make any sense.
That may be the case but he also rode old steel bikes, fat heavy tyres, baggy clothing, fixed wheel and pedals with toe straps (not even clips on the pictures i have seen) so what exactly is your point? That old technology is better than modern stuff maybe? I, for one, dont think so.
Looks way nicer this year!
I've just gone up to Ultegra 11sp on the new bike...still finding it a bit awkward to find my sweet spots tbh. Though it's come in really handy for climbing in races, less clunks as I'm on a 28/11.
Some wheels are OK with swapping using adapters too which means I can swap my powertap wheels between any bike.
Good job Shimano, can't fault this kit for the price, nice to see the quality filtering down to entry level.
Breaking news:
Major bicycle component manufacturer introduces another new product to make a profit, yet some members of the cycling community find this unacceptable.
Stay tuned for more unbalanced comment, vitriol and other stuff about bananas.
On a slightly related note, how long before a new tiagra groupset is announced, under bar shifting ten speed (with improved braking maybe) if they lose the gear indicators then I think Tiagra would be even more of a bargain than it already is.
Does Tiagra still use the little sticky thumb shifters? or is that Sora I'm thinking of...?
My first bike (ridgeback radium 2012) had those.... if they got rid of those it'd be amazing.
My 2014 Marin has Sora and it has double levers. I think the previous incarnation had a lever and thumb button. Not sure about Tiagra
Yeah, i like triples (esp 52/42/30) with a 12-25 too. But Shimano - and everyone else - are obviously just pushing compacts now. Hence the 11 tooth cassettes. I can see the logic that the same overall gear range is covered, but the 34 ring is very (too) small for general riding. And it takes some effort pushing a 50 tooth up a rise.
I see Dave's comment above about pros leaving 42 tooth rings behind years ago, but it is a shame as that is a great size for general riding. Also, the old 52/42 had a manageable gap between chain rings. 16 teeth is a bit of a big change for my liking.
I can't help but feel that the chain ring and cassette combos still aren't right. 53/39 is only really suitable for flat runs or racing, 52/36 is a decent all rounder (with a big ish casette out back) but suffers from a 16 tooth gap at the front and a 52/11 is an enormous gear most mortals would barely ever use, 50/34 is a bit pants for rolling terrain as you basically have the choice of pushing the 50 or riding in what is effectively a granny ring.
Maybe the 46/36 cyclocross chainset is the most useful of them all?
Ahhh perhaps they've got ride of them then, that'd be excellent! Cheers
I agree. I like triples because of the 39 ring, which is good for rolling terrain and when it's windy. I still need the bail out ring though as I can't do everything in the 39. 50 to 34 is a bit of a jump
I'm thinking maybe 50/36 with a 32 cassette, but then you lose out on nice closely spaced ratios of a 12-25...
However, triples seem to be going the way of the dodo, so I'm just going to have to get use to it.
For some purposes, yes it probably was. Commuting to work on a fixed wheel with chain guard, toeclips and fat tyres means I can do it in normal clothes and shoes, comfortably, and cheaply. Maybe I could do the ride quicker on a carbon road bike with high-end Shimano shiny bits, but as a means of converting money into commute miles I reckon my nasty steel fixed wheel wins.
Also 50/36 doesn't seem to be offered by Shimano, although of course you can buy a separate 36 ring and fit it to a compact, but it drives up the cost.
Have come to a similar conclusion myself.
Like MrC I like my triple because I find the 39t middle ring ideal for steady riding.
For those asking: Sora dropped the thumbshifter when it went 9 speed (Tiagra with a new badge?)
http://road.cc/content/review/100555-shimano-sora-3500-groupset
and in 2013 Shimano announced the same has happened to 8 speed with the Claris groupset.
http://road.cc/content/news/77271-shimano-unveil-new-claris-groupset
yeah, that does seem odd when it's a simple option to add
talking to shimano it seems that consumer demand for triples has rather dropped off a cliff in the past few years, presumably due to the increasing availability of wide-range double setups. they also don't think that the shifting across a triple and 11spd cassette is up to scratch either, due to the more extreme chain angles over a double.
whether that's manufacturer focus driving the demand down, or manufacturers responding to consumer demand, well...
i suspect that sora/tiagra level groupsets will persist with them them though
Still no DI2 in the 105 range then?
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