Is 105 still entry level?

[rain dogs]

I always saw 105 as mid-level. Tiagra Entry level. Ultegra is High-end. Dura-ace was a Pro/marketing groupset.

Sure, everyone 'wants' the best, and shuns the lower levels, but there is nothing that demands Dura-ace unles you are a pro, and even then, there are lots of pros who raced on Ultegra/Chorus or partially so. Mostly at the pro-continental level.

Famously, many pros used Ultegra/Chorus front derailleurs because they were more rigid. Quickstep did for years and years.

[cgates66]

I don't like electronic shifting - not because it doesn't work - it works and looks better, but because I don't want to charge my bike. If Ultegra and Dura Ace stay all electric, next groupset I get will be 105 with a Dura Ace crank, most likely.

[muttley]

My first real road bike came with RX100, was that the Tiagra of yesteryear?

[Rabaja]

Originally Posted by muttley

My first real road bike came with RX100, was that the Tiagra of yesteryear?

Same here. I couldn't afford 105 back then (mid-1990s). Never been faster than on that bike :-)

[Michael D]

105 isn’t entry level, there are plenty of groups lower than 105 and 105 functions 90% as well as the best group sets besides being fairly heavy.

[mhespenheide]

Originally Posted by cgates66

If Ultegra and Dura Ace stay all electric, next groupset I get will be 105 with a Dura Ace crank, most likely.

The new 105 is electric-only...

[Mark McM]

Originally Posted by mhespenheide

The new 105 is electric-only...

And at a retail price of $1890 for the 105 groupset alone (before you add frame, wheels, cockpiit, etc.), it is definitely not "entry level".

To me, 105 doesn't appear to be aimed at the entry level, but instead at those who want electronic shifting but don't want to pay for Ultegra or Dura-Ace. (So maybe a new category called "entry level electronic shifting"?)

[flying]

Originally Posted by Mark McM

And at a retail price of $1890 for the 105 groupset alone

When I first saw that a couple weeks ago I felt like Rip Van Winkle


Fortunately if someone wants mech they are still available at some places like Merlin for $675
https://www.merlincycles.com/en-us/s...et-118524.html

[reuben]

As someone who enjoys his nice, quiet, Ultegra 6800 rim brake hubs, but is having trouble finding them these days, it looks like I'll be forced to use Dura Ace or 105. I probably won't be able to tell the difference, but silence and reliability are high on my list.

If they're silent and reliable, that'll probably be good enough for me.

[RoosterCogset]

Originally Posted by tctyres

105 is the "lowest" racing group. Ultegra and Dura Ace are above it.

Below 105, in descending orders, there's Tiagra, Sora, and Acera. Sora functions fine but is heavy.

Claris, Tourney...?
How does someone ask if 105 is entry level?

[tctyres]

Originally Posted by RoosterCogset

Claris, Tourney...?
How does someone ask if 105 is entry level?

Sure. I guess Acera is just mtb/hybrid now.

[AngryScientist]

While we're at it:

Does anyone know the origin of the names of the shimano groups?

Where does the actual name "105" come from? Something I have always wondered.

[MikeD]

Originally Posted by mhespenheide

The new 105 is electric-only...

And disc brake only.

[pasadena]

Always thought of 105 as mid range. Tiagra the starter budget-but still can race, Sora and Claris as entry groups.

names from the web:

105 was released in 1983 as a 6 speed groupset under the name "A105 Golden Arrow"
At the time Ultegra was known as "600" so some consistency in a 3 digit number. Dura Ace was always called Dura Ace, and Ultegra got its name in 1997
MTB groupsets have always had a name. There are no numbers for the groupset as a whole, though each year's revision has a model number.

Conjecture from the web

105 is the reverse of 501, which came from Levi's Jeans, popular in the late 80s in Japan and matching the "workhorse reliable" nature of the 105.
105 reads as "SOI" or "501" when rotated 180 degrees. But SOI is not a Japanese nor English word, like Dura-Ace ( Duralumin alloy + Ace 'best') or Ultegra = ( ultimate" + Integrity)
In the late 80s Shimano introduced SIS shifting and SLR braking. At this time many groupsets were stopped, like the 200GS, 300GS, 400GS, 500EX, and Exage. New groupsets with SIS/SLR replaced them over time.

[Coffee Rider]

Originally Posted by KonaSS

In fact, I would go so far as to say, that 96.384% of Paceline members could use a Tiagra group on a quality aluminum frame and suffer no meaningful impact to performance/enjoyment on how we use our bikes. We have all convinced ourselves that we need a "high end" bike or need some special feature, gearing, or a bike that is 1 pound lighter for our 178 pounds. When in reality, none of that really impacts our ride. I am just as guilty of this myself, but have been doing better, with my last bike being built up with 105. After buying a top of the line S-Works Tarmac Red Etap many years ago, I realized it was a really nice bike, but not any better in any measurable way than one of their models that was almost half as expensive. /heresy

I’d like to think that most of us realize that a functional bike is all we need to enjoy riding one.


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