Dumb question about Shimano tigra / 105

[Celtic Dragon]

I'm about to order in the group set for the road build and want to check something before I do.

Can you use 105 levers with Tiagra mechs? The OCD in me will not let me have the cables coming out the side of the hoods!

Cheers
Simon

Edited by Celtic Dragon on Saturday 7th June 14:28

[yellowjack]

If by that you mean "Can I use 105 shifters/brake levers with Tiagra derailleurs?", then the answer is "Yes. You can, so long as they are both 10 speed kit".

[Celtic Dragon]

Thanks Yellowjack, yes I did mean that. That will teach me to proof read first when posting whilst being distracted.

[ro55a]

FYI Sky have used Durace levers with Ultegra rear mechs for the Giro, cos the Durace rear mech cage was too short for the gearing.....sorry far too geeky.

[upsidedownmark]

Even further - the mech's aren't 10 / 9 / whatever speed, indexing comes from the levers. Any old shimano mech will work, just match the levers to the number of speeds on the cassette (and make sure you've got a double / triple for the front to match the chainset) - triples will kinda work with doubles, but it's a bit of a fudge.

You can't mix shimano / sram mech/levers because the cable pull is different.

Not a dumb question tho.

[Seight_Returns]

Entirely agree that the mech doesn't know or care about the indexing.

However, be aware when mixing 9/10/11 speed components that they're designed to work with different chain widths. You can generally use a wider chain with a mech intended for a narrower chain with no problems - but be careful about doing it the other way 'round.

[SkinnyBoy]

I tried to use 9spd XTR shifters on a brand new 9speed cluster with a new 10 speed SLX mech and it wouldn't index properly at the top end of the block. Be wary of this if you are considering mix and matching shimano stuff.