New 105 5700 or 2nd Hand 7800 DA

Leroy42

Just wondering, need to get new shifters as my current 9 speed DA have seen better days and causing way too many problems.

I have 7800 DA 10 speed on my other bike so don't fancy the move to 11 speed.

Looking at ebay etc, seems I can pick up 2nd hand 7800 DA for €150 or so. I could also get new 105 5700 (with the hidden cables) for roughly the same price.

Obviously there is always the concern about 2nd hand etc, but if we take that they are in good working order which one would you guys go for?

I am thinking of the 105's as 1)they are new, 2) given the trickle down advancement in groupsets 105 5700 would be not that much different than the older DA 7800.

Any advice?

Cee-Jay-Cee

I'd advise you to get a spin on a bike with 5700 shifters. They're not great IMO, they work fine and all but the left shifter is clunky crude and horrible to use whereas I'd say your 7800 shifters are a lot smoother. I had 5700 groupset on my Felt F5 and actually preferred the 4600 Tiagra 10spd shifters on my winter bike. They are more precise, require less effort and all round nicer to use. I put it down to the hidden cable routing on 5700.

cython

Might be worth holding out for reviews and feedback on the new Tiagra 4700 stuff as well. Shifters, mechs and chainset follow the design of the 11 speed gruppos (though it's still 10 speed), which all seem to be a big upgrade on their 10-speed counterparts in more than just the number of gears. I've 5700 on my commuter, and 5800 on the good bike, and I can honestly say that if 4700 shifts like a 10-speed equivalent of 5800, it would actually be superior, IMHO. Left shifter on 5800 has been drastically improved, as mentioned, possibly by means of extending the arm on the front mech, which looks to have been done on new Tiagra too. Admittedly I'm not sure which of the 2 shapes of hoods I prefer as yet (<300km done on the 5800 bike), but neither are bad.

Price point is admittedly higher, at least while it is new, but at the same time you get the backup of a warranty for a while too.

Leroy42

Cheers for the replies guys, great to get 'real world' feedback.

comete

I've used 4600, 5500, 5700, 5800, 6600, 6700, 7800, and 7900, and out of all of them 5800 and 7800 were by far the best.

Worth mentioning that properly set up cables are just as important.