Road Cycling - Whats the most important component?

This may be a real dumb question, but which one matters most shifters, derailleurs (front, rear), etc? You see a great deal of bikes with mismatched and I just was curious.

And I know, there are no dumb questions, only dumb people!

the engine. that's you.
the driver. that's you.
the suspension. that's you.

the rest is just the frame surrounding the engine...and almost all bikes and drivetrains are stiff enough to do a very good job.

sd

i agree with shaq-d, the most important component is YOU...

ok, ok, let me clarify the question, excluding the rider, whats the most important? For instance, when you go from tiagra to 105's, which would make the biggest difference in how smooth or efffective the machine performs?

IMO, the whole 105 group is a step up from tiagra and therfore shifts smoother. I've upgraded my bike to the full 105 sti group, except for the front derailleur which is still deore (I can only guess because deore is a bit more heavy duty). I'm gonna swap out the deore derailleur for a 105 when I replace the chain...just so everything "matches".

Technically I shouldn't notice a difference between the two, and the deore is fine..but I still get people commenting on why I have that and oh "must be because it's a hybrid". I swear it's like if you don't have ultegra or dura ace components and a specialty name on your bike...you are shunned from the group rides... :(

The wheels.

55/Rad

This may be a real dumb question, but which one matters most shifters, derailleurs (front, rear), etc? You see a great deal of bikes with mismatched and I just was curious.

And I know, there are no dumb questions, only dumb people!

A properly fit frame that flexes for comfort, yet is stiff enough to enhance your riding style and goals (centuries, club rides, races, etc). A great frame with tiagra will perform much better than a poor frame with DA, regardless of weight.

-murray

The wheels.

55/Rad




Bingo. Shifters, derailleurs, cogs, cranks, stems and posts are nice for the smoothness and weight reduction but it's all for naught if you have heavy rims and tires. Rolling resistance and "unsprung" weight is what slows you down.

You know, the most important component is the rider (as said above). I've been a poor boy most of my life and have ridden with the best of them (in our local area, those with high end bikes) with suntour and shimano of lesser quality.



Olds

ok, ok, let me clarify the question, excluding the rider, whats the most important? For instance, when you go from tiagra to 105's, which would make the biggest difference in how smooth or efffective the machine performs?

I think that bikes work best when all of the components are matched. High end derailleurs work best with high end shifters and vice-versa.

Find a bike that has Tourney components or equivlent. The rear derailleur isn't manufactured to tolerences as close as the better ones so it has a little more slop in it. To make up for that slop, the lower end shifters don't have detents that are as crisp as the better ones. They allow you to "overshift" a bit initially before they drop into their resting place.

The upper end stuff, when it's all matched together, has a little better tolerences in each part so it works together more crisply. When you mix and match, if you go up or down just one group or so, you probably won't notice any difference. More than that and I think that you're more likely to get the performance of the lower end component than the benefit of the upper end one.

As you move up the food chain, the cost of components increases at a progressive rate. Consequently, I think that the optimum cost/benefit point is reached when all of the components match.

May not be a good indication because the bike is about an '88, but when I upgraded the wheels from 27" Araya's I noticed a big difference. Then when I upgraded the Shimano light action to 105's I noticed a huge difference in smoothness in shifting & the quietness of the ride.

The wheels.

55/Rad

Ditto.

i would have to agree with the wheels. more aero if you ride the flats and light if you ride the hills

This may be a real dumb question, but which one matters most shifters, derailleurs (front, rear), etc? You see a great deal of bikes with mismatched and I just was curious.

And I know, there are no dumb questions, only dumb people!


Engine
Wheelset

man, you didn't get one straight answer in the whole thread!

i really think he meant something like 'if i could only replace one thing from a gruppo/group, what would it be' i don't think that should include a wheelset since nobody rides 105 wheels - past the hubs the wheels are not that sort of 'component'.

i can't give a straight answer either just because i'm too inexperienced. the bike i just took on a long testride had a mix of stuff (tiagra, 105, ultegra and then cdale brakes) and i really didn't like it - esp the brakes, they felt like ****.

105 shifters are nice...i'd say swap out the RD and shifters. any FD will function like any other FD, since it's so much god damn more simple than anything else. two plates the bump the chain from one ring to the other, pulled by a cable and held in place by a spring. they pretty much all function on the same level. the only differences that i have been able to tell is maybe weight. with the FD, the shifter is what makes the most difference in functionality.

a rear derailleur is a little more complex, and there are a ton of different designs out there. although, sora/tiagra/105/ultegra/dura ace all seem to use the same basic design. i do feel like the upper-level RDs function much better than the lower level stuff. the little cage for the pulleys has a lot less side-to-side wobble on the higher-end ones, so shifting is of course going to be much more precise.

i would agree that the most important component, aside from the frame and the pilot, is the wheels...although, brakes are pretty important as well...and the sora/tiagra calipers are pretty crappy from what i've seen and experienced. they'll stop you and everything, but they're flexy, the quick releases are super janky, the cable fixing bolts strip out, and they don't look all that great...oh yeah, and they flex quite a bit. bottom brackets can be important as well, but they're generally the most durable part of the bike (aside from the frame and wheels).

if i was going to upgrade just one component on my bike, it would be the shifters right now. i have 105 everything, and i want to get the dura ace 9-speed shifters, just for the aluminum shift paddles...hmm...maybe i can find just that part in a catalog at work....hmmmm.....

Well, I just upgraded from Sora to 105 and the one part that was BY FAR the biggest improvement was the crankset. Way stiffer and way lighter. Everything else was a very slight (if even noticable) improvement.

What did you have to replace to upgrade from Sora to 105? I'm pipe-dreaming about doing something similar.

What did you have to replace to upgrade from Sora to 105? I'm pipe-dreaming about doing something similar.

It depends on what you want to upgrade :)

I got the "9 speed upgrade kit" from performancebike, which includes the STI shifters, the rear der, an Ultegra cassette and new chain (and all new brake and shifter cables). Pretty good deal for a little over $200.

While you have it apart you might as well pop on a new crankset. The 105's are under $100 and they are by far the best part of the upgrade, especially if you're going from Sora. (Make sure you order a new BB).

So the only thing that is still Sora on my bike are the front der and the brakes. Front der is probably the next to go.

I'd do brakes{that you use all the time** before front der that you hardle use.

the original poster asked dissimiliar questions. The MOST important component is by far different than upgrading from XXX to XXX.

I believe that on a purely engineering point, using the bicycle as an engine, the most important component is the bottom bracket/crankset assembly. It takes your power and energy and puts it to the wheels. Look at it another way, without it, you can't move the bike. For example, If you install the BB not optimally, 1/2 degrees out of paralellism has so much more effect than anything else.

The most bang for the buck upgrade is the wheels, like 55/ Rad has said, and he is almost never wrong. :-)

Shifter and RD will give you smoother shifts and would be the frist upgrade. I would then follow up with the crank,BB, and brakes, the higher up the line you the better the brakes. Then a good set of wheels.
One of upgrade kits from the online retailer, should work fine for you.

your knees...

The frame is the 'heart' of any bicycle. Next, a great set of wheels. Then the best you can afford for all the other stuff!
Enjoy the ride!