Price Paid:  $0.00 at Cyclerama

Favorite Ride:
Smooth roads.

Bike Setup:
Giant TCR Alliance T-Mobile 2008.

Summary:
Before you read my review, bear in mind that my crankset is Shimano FC-R600.

This is my first road groupset and as expected, it is much better than that on my cheap commuter/mountain bike (Giant Boulder 2007). On my Boulder, the shifts are sometimes slow, something I very rarely experience with the 105 groupset.

However, the last time I tried, which was months ago, I found shifting to the smallest sprocket consistently slow whilst in the big chainring. This doesn't really bother me coz I pretty much never use that gear combo. I don't have this problem in any other gear so come to think of it, it could just be the limit adjust on the rear derailleur. I should probably check it out.

Shimano seem to have thought out their ergonomics well because the shifters feel great in my hands. I absolutely love shifting with this groupset coz it feels so crisp. Also, the brake levers and calipers are nice and sturdy which deliver stopping power equal to, if not better than, my Boulder - a mountain bike. I think the high quality of the 105 brake pads also contributes to this. And there I was expecting my first road brakes to be flimsy and weak.

Lastly, this groupset just looks slick. I personally like the smooth and sleek theme of the Shimano groupsets and cranksets because it looks aerodynamic. This is not unimportant, it can really boost your confidence and enthusiasm to have a sweet looking ride.

I think this groupset represents the best value for money, delivering excellent form and function in an affordable package.

Strengths:
Value for money, runs smoothly, shifts well, looks great and feels great (ergonomically speaking).

Weaknesses:
Heavy compared to top end groupsets, shifts slow to the smallest sprocket but that could just be the limit adjust on the RD.

Similar Products Used:
Shimano SIS-Acera mountain bike components found on the Giant Boulder 2007.

Price Paid:  $300.00 at Sponsor

Favorite Ride:
Boulder, Utah

Bike Setup:
Giant OCR 2, shimano 105 groupset, recently switched to look pedals.

Summary:
I upgraded to 10 speed compact double 105 on my 2006 giant OCR2 which had tiagra triple before I did a cross country charity ride, the Ride For World Health (www.rideforworldhealth.org). I got the upgrade from our bike store sponsor, thats why it was so cheap 2 years ago. In any case, for a recreational cyclist that went over 2000 miles across the US, 105 was the perfect choice. It was rock solid and rarely missed shifts after the break in period and fine tuning (which was admittedly at least 100 miles...about 1 day on our ride, haha). I recommended 105 as a bare minimum to the team this year and one of my girlfriends who did the ride never had issues either. If I were to buy a new bike now, I would make sure it had at least 105. It may be several ounces heavier than ultegra, but it is rock solid. As long as I kept the drive train clean, it worked beautifully. After about 3000 miles on the drive train now, after my last tune up, its shifting just as smoothly as the first time I got on it.

Strengths:
Price - in comparison to ultegra/durace, campy, sram.
Rock solid construction, very dependable if regularly maintenanced and cleaned thoroughly.

Weaknesses:
Weight, although if you are a recreational rider, the weight is negligible. I'm looking for something lighter for my next bike which I hope to race though.
Needs regular cleaning/maintenance although I'm not sure how much maintenance other drive trains require. We put on about 80-100 miles a day. I wiped everything down daily, oiled the bike every 3-5 days, and took a tooth brush and degreaser to it, disassembled and cleaned the drive train including taking apart the cassette every 2-3 weeks (about 800-1000 miles).

Similar Products Used:
Tiagra
Ultegra

Price Paid:  $0.00 at New Jersey

Favorite Ride:
around town

Bike Setup:
2007 Jamis Quest, Stock, like it a lot.

Summary:
The left shifter broke after a few hundred miles. I took it to REI (good shop in Anchorage) and they said they have a box full of broken 105 shifters. The new 10 speed shifters seem to have a problem. They also can't get replacements right now (6/17/2008). They put on an old style 9 speed 105 (it is for the front 2 gears) until they can get a replacement. The shop has talked to Shimano and was told people were 'shifting them too hard'. Ummm, sorry, have to give this a big zero.

Strengths:
shifts well

Weaknesses:
reliability, so not much use to me.

Similar Products Used:
Mostly flat bar shifters

Price Paid:  $0.00 at Used

Favorite Ride:
Anything with hills

Bike Setup:
Peuteot Helium frame, Shimano 105 groupset, Shimano Ultegra 15-25 tooth cassette, 46 tooth TA Chainring, FSA RD-88 wheels, 1 inch King headset. Not exactly a climbers dream, but it has served me very well against competitors with lighter bikes.

Summary:
Having read the previous review, I just have to comment. After 8000 km of fast riding and racing, I am amazed how well the 105 Groupset has held up. My setup is completely stock except from an Ultegra junior cassette and TA 46 tooth chainring. So far, I have only changed the cassette and all the cables once. The gear feels like new, it is still quiet and shifts very smoothly. It generally shift great, even while sprinting hard at 55 km/h on junior gearing. I think the key Re maintaining groupsets is to lube regulary, keep everything tightend to the correct torques, and to keep everything perfectly adjusted. As for the stock chainrings, I agree that that they look grannylike. However, one of my mates uses them despite the fact that he broke the chainrings on a Record ultratorque crankset...

Unlike the previous review, i have had no problems whatsoever with my shifters. I think what most people do wrong is that they put too little tension on the cables. When they try yo shift, the lever puts way too much pressure on the head of the cable, eventually causing it to sever and jam in the lever body. End of shifter!

The bike with 105 will soon be replaced by a Canyon with SRAM Red, but it will always have a place in my garage as the bombproof training bike.

Strengths:
Great reliability, shifting, smoothness, and durability. Value is top notch.

Weaknesses:
This set is one of the reasons why my bike weighs something like 12000 g. My new bike will weight only a bit more than half og that.

Similar Products Used:
MTB groups, Shimano Internal gearing (but not on road bikes :-))

Price Paid:  $0.00 at Performance

Favorite Ride:
Mountains of Misery

Bike Setup:
Fuji Team with 105 shifters, 105 front der, ultegra rear der.

Summary:
I bought an 07 Fuji Team at Performance and it came with a mix of 105 and ultegra components. The shifters are 105 and worked quite nicely but the left shifter broke within 2 weeks and 120 miles. After getting frustrated waiting for the warranty I had the shifters replaced with Ultegra. I'll report back the resolution but the shop had several identical cases which suggests that there may be a problem with the design or a bad run of parts.

Strengths:
Great shifting, low effort

Weaknesses:
broke.

Similar Products Used:
105, ultegra, and dura-ace 9spd parts.