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5 things we hate about Shimano 105 Di2

We really like that Shimano has brought Di2 to its 105 groupset, but it isn't all good...

Shimano 105 Di2 is a brilliant groupset, but there are still some things that we really hate about it. Here are 5 things that we’re really not that keen on. 

Wireless in name only

2022 Orro  Terra C Shimano 105 Di2 - front mech.jpg

The first issue that we have with 105 Di2 is the same issue that we share with all of the latest 12-speed Di2 systems. We don’t think that you can call a groupset wireless if there are wires running between the battery and the derailleurs. This annoys us on a number of levels. Firstly you're not actually removing that many cables and the ones that you are removing are arguably the easiest to route.

The main cable that has gone is from the shifter down to what used to be the Junction B box, but this was threaded down through the head tube and came out at the bottom bracket which made it one of the easiest cables on the bike to route. Now we're all for making life simpler but seeing as you're still going to need to route the hose for the rear brake through the frame, the omission of one small Di2 cable isn't actually that helpful.

> Shimano road bike groupsets 2022 — Everything you need to know

Any mechanic that feels capable of installing a new group set to their own bike wouldn't be phased by routing such a small cable. For really fast groupset installs SRAM still wins.

And then we have the fact that most of these group sets will be bought on full bikes making the wireless feature simply a selling point.

RIP rim brakes

2022 Orro  Terra C Shimano 105 Di2 - rear disc brake.jpg

With the sales of disc brake road bikes absolutely dominating the market these days it's no surprise to see the humble rim brake group set being phased out. But with the phasing out of what was one of the most affordable racers group sets, we are concerned that there will be a gap in the market where a section of riders will be left without a product for them.

There is a popular saying amongst local road racers which goes “race what you can replace.” For the majority of junior races and people that just want to give the sport a go at the weekend, Shimano 105 always represented a great balance of performance, and not crying in the car on the way home because you've just cost yourself hundreds and hundreds of pounds due to a crash in the sprint finish.

> 8 reasons not to get disc brakes

There is another aspect to consider as well. Which is that rim brakes are actually really really good. Okay, so we know the benefits of disc brakes: They offer more power than a rim brake and give better modulation too. They also continue to provide that power in wet weather and when set up correctly there is really no maintenance required.

But that doesn't mean you can't have a good bike ride while using rim brakes. There are plenty of us that came up using rim brakes and we still had an absolute blast on our bikes so you definitely don't need disc brakes to enjoy cycling.

There are still rim-brake options available in the form of the 12-speed Ultegra and Dura-Ace groupsets but it's still sad for the humble 105 rim brake to bite the dust. That means less choice for consumers and the potential to have to pay even more. (Apologies for the hiccup in the video) 

Mechanical shifting is gone

2022 Orro  Terra C Shimano 105 Di2 - drop bar and lever.jpg

In a similar vein to our point on rim brakes, mechanical shifting has always offered the best balance between price and performance when it comes to your groupset. Well, this is the cheapest ever Di2 groupset but we still don't think it offers better bang for your buck than 105 mechanical did. 

A well-tuned 105 mechanical groupset offered fast, accurate and dependable shifting with really nice hood ergonomics and relatively easy setup too. 

Maintaining mechanical 105 front and rear derailleurs was a rather simple task and if you were ever stuck, there was always a helpful YouTube video to guide you through the process of setting limits, indexing, and optimising cable run.

> 33 bikes that feature Shimano’s new 105 Di2 groupset

There are also plenty of practical advantages to using mechanical shifting with the first of those being that it's never ever going to run out of battery when you’re miles from home. This is something that has happened to me on several occasions and while you think I'd have learned by now, it seems that I can keep making this mistake.

Okay so a mechanical groupset can go wrong but you can generally bodge into a suitable gear to get you home. When the battery on an electronic groupset goes flat there's absolutely nothing you can do but crawl your way home in the gear you’re stuck in, or find the nearest bike shop and hope that they’re open.

The price 

2022 Orro  Terra C Shimano 105 Di2 - crank.jpg

We've already touched on the fact that Shimano 105 DI2 has long been seen as the entry-level racers groupset. This was because you could get the full groupset for well under £1000 which made building up a brilliant bike relatively inexpensive and that allowed the largest number of people to give cycling a go with a brilliant bike. These days entry-level electronic shifting bikes start in the region of £3000 which for a huge amount of people is just silly money. 

> 6 road bike upgrades you don't actually need

But if we take a look at the actual figures when compared to Sram Rival eTap, the picture is even worse. Rival eTap as a group set costs around £1300 whereas the new Shimano 105 Di2 groupset will cost you over £1700. 

But thankfully, Shimano does claw back some ground here as it looks as though prices for 105 Di2 bikes will be closer, if not cheaper than Sram Rival eTap bikes. Given that this is how most people will be buying the groupset, it is likely to be the most important factor.

Brain location

2022 Orro  Terra C Shimano 105 Di2 - rear mech detail.jpg

In our eyes, one of the stranger decisions that Shimano has made with its new 12-speed Di2 systems was to pack all of the brains into one of the most exposed parts in the whole groupset. 

Essentially, Shimano has made the rear derailleur the control centre for the new groupset, packing the shift signal receiver, Bluetooth communicator and a few other bits into the derailleur body. 

This then connects, via a wire, to the battery and then runs to the front derailleur.

But derailleurs have always been an exposed part of the bicycle and they are generally the 1st to take a hit in a crash so what's the problem? With all of the brains of the system being packed into the rear derailleur, it has become the most expensive component within the groupset. That means that if you slide out in a corner, come down in a sprint finish or simply get ridden into by another rider, you could have a very expensive repair bill.

> Shimano 105 R7100 Di2 Groupset

We do wonder why the clever bits weren’t simply bolted onto the battery which is, these days, hidden away inside the frame or seatpost. Anyway, if you wreck a rear derailleur, be prepared for it to be a very costly day on the bike.

So, while we do love Shimano’s 105 Di2 groupset, it isn’t all sunshine and roses. Is there anything that you don’t like about this groupset? Let us know in the comments below.

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19 comments

Avatar
leaway2 | 10 months ago
1 like

And discs save your precious rims.

Avatar
gareth@attrill.uk | 10 months ago
0 likes

It's not really just one small cable - the cable has to be routed up to the bars (possibly through the stem), and then either through the bars or along them to a shifter, and then you need another cable between the shifters too. This is a huge faff and one of the trickiest bits to get looking nice. There's also reliability issues - the cable will be constantly flexing, and you need to leave a loop at the shifters to take account of movement so it doesn't unplug itself if you adjust your bars or your clamps slip slighty sometime.

If you are doing a groupset upgrade from mechanical then, yes, it means you'd need to remove the BB whereas with a fully wireless system you won't need to, but for a new build it would remove a chunk of faff and ends up with a much simpler setup.

 

Avatar
Mike Jones | 1 year ago
0 likes

For the past 30 years I've been using 105 (and latterly Ultegra) for touring. Reliable and cost effective groupsets that could be tweeked to give me a 1:1 gear ratio for hills. Generally, "fast touring" between hostels/hotels, but occasionally bike camping. No fancy, STI levers (easily damaged), but Dura-Ace indexed downshifters. Ironically, Dura-Ace now have a 1:1 ratio, perhaps I should upgrade 😂

Avatar
terry@bettershi... | 1 year ago
0 likes

For me, 105 Di2's worst part is that they have removed the hood button AND that there are no extension ports on the shift levers ;-).

Avatar
ibr17xvii | 1 year ago
3 likes

All fair points.

Cost is the main gripe for me - absolutely ridiculous price for what is supposed to be a middle tier groupset.

Avatar
marmotte27 | 1 year ago
1 like

"and give better modulation too"
Not in my experience.

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Runtilyoudrop replied to marmotte27 | 1 year ago
0 likes

Then you haven't ridden the 12 speed shimano disc brakes. They are the best.

Avatar
IanMSpencer | 1 year ago
2 likes

I suspect the bluetooth is in the derailleur because they cannot guarantee that the signal is reliable if it is fitted within the frame (depending on materials usedwhich Shmano can't control). Then they can't put it in the front mech because not everyone has a front mech. As the idea is to avoid wires running to the front of the bike, there aren't a lot of places to fit a little black box with the gubbins in (and don't want to spec special holes in frames), so the wireless connectivity ends up at the RD.

Once you've put the circuit board for bluetooth and controls there, then it doesn't make sense to have a second circuit board for the rest of the control electronics - and the bluetooth would be required to have some complex signals sent down the wire to chat between controller and wireless systems, rather than the trivial signals that control the derailleurs. 

So all in all, it would seem inevitable that a wireless system is going to end up with the complexity in the rear mech.  It would be nice if they modularised it a bit, as I guess that the control electronics could be sealed in a small unit and reused with replacement mechs, but I suspect that the cost of the packaging might outweigh the cost of the electronics it is trying to reuse.

Avatar
Secret_squirrel | 1 year ago
0 likes

Speaking as someone who's just binned a Grx815 di2 rear mech about a month after a fairly innocuous crash I'd have to second the concerns about having the brains in the mech.

I would take issue with the assumption that R7000 105 is dead though. 9 months after the Ultegra 12 speed announcement Ultegra R8000 is still freely available - even the rim stuff!

Avatar
Surreyrider replied to Secret_squirrel | 1 year ago
0 likes

Maybe revisit this comment in a year or two. Direction of travel is obvious and Shimano have no assurances that mechanical would continue beyond the short term when they moved to 12-speed shifting - in fact, they sought to say it without actually stating it in words of one syllable. 

Avatar
Secret_squirrel replied to Surreyrider | 1 year ago
0 likes

That could go either way though. In a year or 2 there is likely to be 11speed tiagra or equivalent, which will be a close relation of "old 105"

Avatar
majikstone replied to Secret_squirrel | 1 year ago
0 likes
Secret_squirrel wrote:

In a year or 2 there is likely to be 11speed tiagra or equivalent, which will be a close relation of "old 105"

I agree, yet I am pretty sure the new Tiagra 11 speed will be heavier and more agricultural than the R7000 105. Small details such as no alu spider for the large cassette sprockets, forged crankset arms instead of the hollow ones, a steel RD cage, steel small bits and pieces instead of aluminium ones, enough to make it some 200-300g heavier than the R7000 105 and therefore less of a lightweight rival to the 3 kg boat anchor of a groupset called R7100.

Good news is that they probably will keep it on the cheap side (about 500-600€ for the full groupset), which will leave you with a lot of budget margin relative to the 105 to pony up for better wheels, a lighter crankset or any 11 speed cassette. Or you can simply buy the Campagnolo Centaur, which is easier to find in stock nowadays anyway.

Avatar
Surreyrider | 1 year ago
1 like

What are disc breaks Liam?

Avatar
Troon replied to Surreyrider | 1 year ago
2 likes

Also "fazed".

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swldxer replied to Troon | 1 year ago
2 likes

FAZED - saved me a job!

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IanMSpencer replied to Surreyrider | 1 year ago
4 likes

Surreyrider wrote:

What are disc breaks Liam?

Presumably faulty.

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Brauchsel replied to Surreyrider | 1 year ago
2 likes

"They offer more power than a rim break", obviously. 

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andystow replied to Surreyrider | 1 year ago
4 likes

Surreyrider wrote:

What are disc breaks Liam?

In contrast to the "rim breaks" also mentioned. Rim breaks are definitely more dangerous than disc breaks.

In fairness, 10 uses of "brake" and 3 of "break", so he's got a passing score.

Avatar
Liam Cahill replied to Surreyrider | 1 year ago
0 likes

They are a typo 😂

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