Road Cycling - Campag Xenon vs Sora??

Hi

I am looking into the possibility of getting a bike built up by Ribble Cycles (ribblecycles.co.uk in Preston, England) and the entry level bikes are either Campag Xenon or Shimano Sora. Any advice which one is best???

I am trying to get the best frame I can, hence the entry lever groupset, so I can always upgrade later to 105 or better.

cheers

JOhn

Xenon!!!!!!!!!

Er, are you sure Demon?? ha ha ha (-:

Campy wears in, Shimano wears out.

Xenon. There's nowt wrong with Sora, I have it myself, but Xenon is 9 speed, (easily upgraded bit-by-bit, unlike Sora, where you need shifters, derailers, cassette and chain all at once), it's cheaper than Sora (well the groupset is a bit more, but the levers are particularly cheap) and above all it's Campy :)

Thanks guys, bit clearer now, especially interesting comments from Jonny B re upgrades etc

Neither. Entry level componentry from no matter which brand is trash. Trash. Been wrenching for a while now and yes, they both shift. must add, like SH¡t. and they do brake. At times. Save up a bit and go at least tiagra. and u can get it at lower prices now that they are discarding the 03 stuff. I say tiagra because i like Shimano better, but if yanking down a push-button with ur thumb is your thing, campy mirage all the way baby.

Why don't you grab the frame you want and eBay your way to Ultegra or the Campy comparable. I bought a Giant OCR 3 and have an Ultegra drivetrain as a result of some careful shopping. I picked up a Time Equipe Pro carbon fork and switched out the adjustable stem for a stem converter and a Giant carbon stem...

I've learned a fair bit in the last 6 months, a lot of it from this site, local riders and LBS's and I've had a blast along the way. I've spent maybe a quarter of retail on items that are new or like new, most of which were take-offs on new bikes. A big part of my savings has been a result of living in Canada. The LBS will sell me Ultegra 6510 shifters for $399. I paid $130 U.S. for a new pair on eBay. And that's twice what I paid for any other component.... now for a wheelset.

I don't want to downplay the role of the bike shops because I know the markup is the only thing that keeps them afloat. I'll buy whatever I can there. But to get something that someone has taken off their bike at less than half the price, I can't afford not to go for it.

Oh, BTW, I had the Sora 8 speed. It gave me the start I needed. But I could never go back.

This bike buying lark is a minefield, totally confused now, seems entry level bikes are a concern????
Then again, ebay is a worry??

)-:

This bike buying lark is a minefield, totally confused now, seems entry level bikes are a concern????
Then again, ebay is a worry??

)-:

Not neccesarily, My entry level bike introduced me to cycling and got me hooked to keep going. I don't know about ebay being a worry, but you certainly have to be careful and do a little research about the actual cost of components and the history of the seller. I've seen people buy components for retail and above.

Then the issue is buy entry level new or spend a liitle more, or the same?, on a used bike with good spec and sometimes upgrades??

Looking at a Specialized Comp with Mavics, and ultegra/dura ace mix etc.............

Used Specialized Comp that is !!!!!!!!

(-:

Why didn't I think of that?
You've come a long way from your Xenon v Sora days. You're good!

Used bikes seem teh way forward for me, there is that many bike nuts into their "bike porn" they upgrade all the time then sell on!! Seriously, if you look carefully there appears to be a lot of good used bikes out there that are well looked after. The better comonents should last for years and many thousands of miles so a 2 year old bike shouldn't be a problem surely????

On another subject.... Niagara hey, spent 4 weks over Christmas/New Year '98/99 in Toronto, what a place!

cheers

Mac