Shimano

105 - 5700 Complete Build Kit

Let's play a word association game. We'll give you a phrase, and then we'll guess the first word that comes to mind. Ready? Shimano 105. Did you think think "workhorse"? Because we always do. Shimano 105 has long been the standard for durable drivetrains, and, with the 10-speed 5700 Groupset, you can now build an economical but quality bike for winter training or everyday, all-conditions reliability.

The main parts of any groupset are, from front to back, the shifters, the crankset, the derailleurs, and the wheels. The shifters set the tone for the whole drivetrain, putting the safety blanket assuredness of 105's logo right at the front of the build. The brake lever on the shifters has an inset pivot location, so they're easier to pull while you're on the hoods. Lever reach can be adjusted by 2 or 5 millimeters with the included shims.

The wheels are Shimano's WH-RS21, which benefit from several trickled-down technologies. Chief among these is the Offset Rim innovation featured in Dura-Ace wheels, which — as you might have guessed — uses an asymmetrical rim design to account for the different amount of stress placed on the drive and non-drive sides. These are mated to wide flange hubs to increase lateral and torsional stiffness, which means more power goes to the road than to flexing wheels.

The crankset is Shimano's compact 5750, so it's ideal for cyclists who are into climbing but don't have the engines to ride 20 miles-per-hour up a mountain. It takes advantage of Hollowtech II technology, which strategically voids internal material to strike the ideal balance between weight, stiffness, and durability. It includes Shimano's BB5700 bottom bracket with English (68 millimeter) threading.

The derailleurs are also both Shimano 5700, and — when combined with the 5700 shifters and crank — they complete a shifting system where every component was designed to integrate flawlessly with the group. The front derailleur is braze-on, for ultimate flexibility in installation. The two derailleurs coach a Shimano 5701 chain across the 5700 cassette, whose Hyperglide construction redefined the industry when it was unveiled and continues to keep your chain glued to the cassette.

The rest of the kit doesn't let down the reliability of Shimano's 105 drivetrain. The 31.7 millimeter Deda RHM01 bars, made of double-butted 6061 aluminum, attach to a Deda Zero 01 Stem, which uses the same alloy and is 3D forged. The bars and stem vary depending on the crank arm length, with corresponding increases in width (bars) and length (stem) as the crank arms grow. The 31.6 millimeter seatpost is also Deda, the RSX01, and it continues the 6061 alloy trend. Deda's black handlebar tape is the venerable Italian manufacturer's fourth and final contribution to the build kit.

The Selle Italia SLS Kit Carbonio Flow saddle keeps us in Italy for a bit longer. It's combination of thoughtful padding distribution, manganese rails, and flow vent cutout will keep you in the saddle a bit longer, too. To complete our international tour with the tires and tubes, we leave Italy behind for France. Michelin's PRO4 Tires and Aircomp tubes bring ProTour quality to your connection with the road.

The Shimano 105 5700 Complete Build Kit is available with three crankarm lengths: 170mm, 172.5mm, and 175mm. As the crank arm length increases, the handlebars increase in width (42, 44, and 46cm) and the stem increases in length (90, 100, and 110mm) accordingly.