[roadbikepilgrim]

Before rim-braked mechanical Ultegra 8000 disappears from being buyable new on the internet, I have been thinking of buying it and replacing the 105 7000 on my Merida Scultura.

Yes, I know, I know, this is not necessarily a good bang-for-buck upgrade to the Scultura given the quality of 105 7000 and the less-than-200g weight saving with Ultegra. However, I am not ready for electronic shifting or discs yet, and buying a second tier groupset for rim brakes from SRAM is already impossible, and soon to be impossible from Shimano. Campagnolo Chorus may be a little dear for me and involve buying Camag tools (£130 for a chain splitter, anyone?)

However, I thought that I could put the 105 7000 on a B’Twin Triban 500SE frame, which came with a mix of Microshift shifters/derailleurs, Claris triple crank and Tektro rim brakes.

So questions are:

1) Is Shimano 105 7000 just simply too good for the Triban 500SE frame?

2) Given that I sometimes lock the Triban up on the street (it is my commuter bike), is the groupset too good for a bike that is “accessible” to the public? A scallywag with a few allen keys and other tools that fit in the pocket could strip the groupset from the frame very quickly.

interested to know your thoughts.

Regards,

roadbikepilgrim

Topic

[Brauchsel]

I managed to get the insurers

I managed to get the insurers to pay out the cost of a whole replacement bike, so it could have been worse. I also managed to salvage some bits from the old one before the pandemic intervened and I had to abandon what was left in situ.

The replacement has been up and down the country (mostly London) without further incident, including being left overnight at train stations. I just don’t leave it anywhere that doesn’t have a fairly constant flow of people going past any more: the original was left in a dark spot under the Westway, which in hindsight was a bad idea even during office hours. 

[David9694]

*tremble*

*tremble*

[roadbikepilgrim]

I did upgrade to 11 speed
I did upgrade to 11 speed wheels from Shimano. The original stock wheels were awful.
However, Brauchsel’s comment and all the other good feedback is convincing me to think again. Either the whole bike or its 105 components will be nicked…

[roadbikepilgrim]

Sorry to hear that Brauchsel.
Sorry to hear that Brauchsel.

I am getting a definite feeling that using my 105 groupset on a bike that is not either being ridden or sitting safe in my flat is a baaad idea!

[Brauchsel]

I had my R7000 105 shifters

I had my R7000 105 shifters nicked off my Triban bike, with the scrotes simply snipping the cables and making off with the whole bar and stem. Not even an angle-grinder required, just cable cutters, an Allen key and a dozy/corrupt security guard looking the other way. 

[ChasP]

Unless you’ve already
Unless you’ve already upgraded the wheels the originals won’t take an 11s cassette. It’s not so much that 105 is too good for the frame but maybe too good for commuting, 8s consumables are cheaper? I’ve seen one upgraded to Sram red, they were well regarded at the time but a bit restricted in tyre clearance by modern standards.

[roadbikepilgrim]

Hi Rendel,
Hi Rendel,
Yes, you are probably right about choosing a different project. My fantasy project was a bespoke Racer Rosa carbon frame in red with a Campag Super Record build and carbon wheels until I thought about cost.
Perhaps a Racer Rosa alloy frame with Ultegra 8000 would be more realistic.
Food for thought….

[roadbikepilgrim]

?
?

[roadbikepilgrim]

Yes, you are right, I did not
Yes, you are right, I did not pick the best example, but Campag’s online documentation for a Centaur chain was the only one I read briefly. I have not looked into it yet in any depth; just read that a Campag build could involve one buying proprietary tools.

[hawkinspeter]

David9694 wrote:

*tremble*

That’s an ɐɹƃǝʇl∩ crank – they’re fine.

[Rendel Harris]

I’d say no 105 is definitely

I’d say no 105 is definitely not too good for the frame, I’ve never owned one but had a go on a couple owned by mates and the quality is fabulous for the price. However I’d ask what advantage you’ll be getting from switching to 105 for a commuter bike, as far as I recall the Claris/Microshift setup worked fine and seemed pretty bombproof. I’d be inclined to keep the 105 for another project or sell it to fund the upgrade on the other bike, especially as (to answer your other question) yes 105 definitely makes it more attractive to thieves. Very much anecdotal (friend of a friend who knows a copper so take with a pinch of salt!) but I have heard of instances of scrotes being pinched with angle grinders and wishlists sent out by their Fagins of the brands and groupsets to go for, 105 (used rim brake R7000 groupsets currently selling for £250+ on eBay) would definitely fall into their desirable category.

[hawkinspeter]

It’s not that the groupset is

It’s not that the groupset is too good for the frame, but it won’t make much difference apart from being shinier. Also, Ultegra cranks are a cracking choice, so you might want to avoid them.

If I were you, I’d save up money to instead get a new (new-to-you) bike.

[wycombewheeler]

£130 for a chain splitter?

£130 for a chain splitter? what? all 11 speed chains are the same width and pitch you can use any chain on any 11 speed groupset. If campag chains need a special tool, then use KMC or SRAM.

 

[Anonymous]

No groupset is too good for
No groupset is too good for any frame or any rider. Thieves will love it too.

[Author]

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