A good 30 years ago, Shimano launched the first generation of the 105 shifting group onto the market. At the time, it was nicknamed the Golden Arrow - the three-digit number was merely the unofficial serial number. The groupset was intended to be an inexpensive alternative for amateur cyclists and close the gap between the expensive Dura-Ace and 600 (later Ultegra) road bike groupsets and the more affordable sports bike offerings. The chic ensemble with the engraved golden bow and arrow hit the nerve of the market exactly: The Golden Arrow worked almost as well as its more expensive sisters, looked just as high-quality at first glance - and cost only a fraction of what the traditional European companies had in their racing bike programmes at the time.
The 105 quickly became a bestseller and laid the foundations for the Japanese parts manufacturer's current market power. The suppliers from Italy and France, who dominated the market at the time, were hardly able to counter this and quite a few of them soon had to give up. At the same time, Shimano evolved from a manufacturer of copied parts to a trendsetter, bringing out one innovation after another at a rapid pace and changing the road bike for good: cassette hubs, ratchet shifters, aero brake levers, dual pivot brakes and integrated shift brake levers are just some of the many innovations that became the technical standard in the years that followed.
Monopoly in the mid-range road bike segment
The sixth generation of the best-selling 105 is now being launched for the 2015 model year. The first serial number was retained as the model name as a tribute to its success, but the internal designation has changed over the years and is now 5800. It is still in third place in the Shimano hierarchy, but today it still has three cheaper groupsets below it and is therefore in the mid-range. It has an almost monopoly position, as the market shares of its competitors Campagnolo and SRAM are negligible outside the high-end market. Over the years, the 105 has cemented its reputation for offering almost the functions of a professional groupset for around half the price, if you compromise on weight and appearance. In this extensive test, we checked whether this also applies to the latest generation.
As is usual in Shimano's product strategy, the 105 with the Shimano abbreviation 5800 receives the features of the recently renovated Dura-Ace and Ultegra groupsets with a slight time delay - most clearly recognisable on the eleventh sprocket on the rear wheel. The brakes, cranks and front derailleur have also been revised. The mainly aluminium groupset bears the new Shimano design and comes in silver or black anodised colour options; in the latter, many matt surfaces alternate with a few shiny ones. In detail, the groupset is very cleanly finished, all parts fit very precisely; mounted on the bike, its single-colour design and the large proportion of matt surfaces look very simple, sometimes like plastic. The entire groupset is around 250 grams heavier than the higher-quality Ultegra, but this hardly results in any functional losses. The technical differences to the more expensive groupsets are mainly due to the quality of the screws, rivets and other small parts used, as well as the bearings of the moving components. In terms of weight, the new version has lost around 60 grams compared to the previous version - but it still weighs almost 500 grams more than the current Dura-Ace.
Shimano 105 feels good in the hand
During the test ride, it is noticeable that the ergonomics and operation in particular have been improved. The bodies of the shift brake levers are narrower and fit better in the hand than their bulky predecessors. The brake lever is made of aluminium and its outwardly curved shape improves accessibility. The grip width can now be infinitely adjusted with a screw, making the previously used plastic insert wedges superfluous.
The shifting impresses with very low operating forces, but the click is still clearly audible and perceptible when changing gears. The new front derailleur with its long lever arm is even better at changing chainrings, but its adjustment is more complex than with previous generations. The new cables with a structured Teflon coating play a large part in the good shifting characteristics. Disadvantage: Inexperienced mechanics are hardly able to fit the cables in such a way that the coating is not damaged. This requires dexterity, as the soft coating quickly detaches from the cable if it is threaded through carelessly - this can make the mechanism stiff and greatly increase cable friction. The brake cables are not coated and, together with the simpler bearings of the brake arms, the system is somewhat less powerful and sensitive than the professional version. The new, very stiff construction of the brake bodies is nevertheless a noticeable improvement over the previous 5700 groupset. Versions for the new direct mount standard will also be available, including two rear brakes for mounting on the seat post or under the bottom bracket.
New strategy with the 11-speed road bike groupset
In addition to the additional eleventh sprocket, the crank in particular is new. The Shimano standard with four mounts for the chainrings is also applied to the 105, and the new bolt circle works with all chainring combinations on offer. One advantage: If you want to adjust your gear ratio, you no longer have to change the crank between the compact and standard bolt circle, just swap the chainrings. The 50/34, 52/34 and 53/39 combinations are initially available, the triple version previously available has been cancelled without replacement - the eleven sprockets should cover the necessary spectrum and keep the gear jumps within tolerable limits.
This means that sprocket sets with up to 32 teeth can be used, after Shimano had already increased this from 28 to 30 within the 5700 series. An optional rear derailleur with a longer cage is recommended for the two largest cassettes.
The eleven-speed rear derailleur is otherwise inconspicuous and only visually modernised; we noticed that the cable between the housing stop and the clamp on the guide is severely kinked when the chain is on the smallest sprocket. A short plastic liner should protect the cable at this point. Continuous use will show whether this is sufficient.
The fact that the shifting quality of Shimano's front derailleur has surpassed that of its competitors since 2009 is primarily due to the design of the chainrings. The inner side is curved towards the small blade and catches the chain as early as possible during the shifting process. While the large Ultegra and Dura-Ace chainring is hollow and consists of two bonded parts, the 105 chainring is simpler. It is made in one piece, has the shape of the crank spider on the outside and 36 reinforcing ribs on the inside, which are arranged like turbine blades and create the corresponding proximity to the small blade. It is difficult to say whether this is due to the design of the crank or the chainring, but our measurements show that the new crank is 20 per cent less stiff than its predecessor. This is unlikely to bother amateur athletes, especially as the 5700 was one of the stiffest cranks ever.
The wear resistance of chainrings and sprockets has decreased slightly according to our hardness measurements - but not significantly; the difference should hardly be noticeable in practice. On the endurance test bench, the 11-speed chain shows a solid performance at about Ultegra level; only a Dura-Ace chain lasts significantly longer.
Conclusion: Shimano fulfils expectations
The new 105 will hardly lose any market share with this performance, the confidence of buyers and manufacturers is too great and they will not be disappointed this time either. All parts work excellently - without looking at them, they are almost indistinguishable from a top groupset. Added to this is the unbeatable price-performance ratio: online retailers offer the groupset for significantly less than 500 euros, making the 105 the cheapest 11-speed groupset on the market. SRAM's Rival 22 costs around 20 per cent more. And even if the hierarchy within the Shimano family can be recognised a little more clearly in the design - the current 105 basically holds almost all the secrets of success of an old Golden Arrow.
THE TEST BIKE: ROSE XEON
Lightweight and stable aluminium frame with a sporty, but not too stretched out riding position. Impressive price-performance ratio.
In the first practical test, the Shimano 105 had to prove itself on a Rose Xeon RS. The bike is exemplary for the 105 bikes of the coming season, because in this price range it is still worth giving preference to a good aluminium frame over carbon. The set is based on an old acquaintance that has regularly performed well in TOUR tests and has been revised once again for the 2015 model year. Its strengths are the impressively low weight of the frame and fork set, which has been further reduced thanks to a new alloy and optimised welding process, as well as its high riding stability. This puts the Xeon RS in the shade of many a mid-range carbon frame. The geometry has also been revised: the previously very race-like riding position has been toned down somewhat, although the bike is still sporty. Thanks to the consignor advantage and the top function of the equipment, you get an impressive amount of racing bike for your money with the Rose.
Price complete wheel 1,349 Euro
Weight 7.5 kilos
Available via mail order / modular system
Reference/Info www.roseversand.de
Weight frame/fork/steering bearing** 1,134/323/60.4 grams
Frame sizes*** 49,51,53, 55, 57, 59, 61 cm
Seat/steering angle 74°/73°
Seat/top tube/head tube 540/555/ 162 mm plus 26 mm headset cap
Wheelbase/caster 990/55 mm
Stack/Reach/STR**** 560/393 mm/1.42
EQUIPMENT
Steering bearing Rose, top 1-1/8, bottom 1-1/2 inch
Brakes/gears Shimano 105 11-speed
Bottom bracket Shimano 105 (50/34 t., Pressfit)
Wheels/tyres Mavic Ksyrium Equipe S/Mavic Yksion Comp 23C
Handlebar/stem Ritchey WCS Evo Curve/Ritchey WCS
Saddle/post Selle Italia SLS Momo Link/Ritchey Carbon WCS (27.2 mm)
MEASURED VALUES & INDIVIDUAL NOTES
Weight of complete wheel 7.5 kilos
Standardised weight frame set*****1,558 grams2,3
Steering head stiffness 98 Nm/°1.0
Lateral stiffness fork 55 N/mm1.0
Bottom bracket stiffness 51 N/mm2,7
Comfort frame 119 N/mm1.3
Comfort fork 70 N/mm2,0
* The frame set accounts for 40 per cent of the overall score and the features for 60 per cent. Individual grades are included in this evaluation, only some of which are printed for reasons of space. The grades are calculated up to the final grade with all decimal places; however, for the sake of clarity, all grades are given with rounded decimal places.
** Weighed weights.
*** Manufacturer's data; test size bold.
**** Stack/Reach: projected vertical/horizontal dimension from the centre of the bottom bracket to the top of the head tube;
STR (Stack to Reach): 1.36 means a very stretched, 1.60 an upright sitting position.
***** Adjusted weight for frame size 57 cm and fork steerer length 225 mm.
SHIMANO 105 - THE GENERATIONS AT A GLANCE
The development of the 105 (model years - model names - special features)
1983-1985 Golden Arrow (105), five-speed, down tube friction shifter
1985-1989 105 (1050/1051) - Six-speed, UniGlide cassette hub, SIS downtube shifters (Shimano Integration System). From 1987 (1051) seven-speed, Biopace chainrings, brake levers with Aero cable routing on the handlebars
1990-1999 105 SC (1055/1056/1057) - seven-speed, dual-pivot brakes, HyperGlide cassette and hub. From 1995 (model 1056) eight-speed, STI shift brake lever (Shimano Total Integration), clipless pedals, optional triple crankset (model 1057)
2000-2006 105 (5500) - nine-speed, Octalink bottom bracket
2007-2010 105 (5600) - ten-speed, Hollowtech II bottom bracket, optional compact crank (5650)
2011-2014 105 (5700) - ten-speed, shifter cables routed on the handlebars, curved chainring
Jens Klötzer
Editor
