itsonlysmellz

Buying a CAAD8 Claris 2015 for $890 tomorrow in 61cm frame. Super excited.

Im on a strict budget, but have got a lot of mixed feelings on the groupset and if I should go ahead and purchase a Sora or Tiagara group instead.

Is this really necessary? Will it drastically impact my biking experience? It seems most sites ive read on purchasing higher sets seem to be sales people. Would appreciate some practical advice from experienced cyclists.

Thanks

sleepy

I'd recommend Tiagra, you'd be on a 10 speed group. Be easier to upkeep, imo.

I have the CAAD10, amazing bikes with those SAVE dropouts and geo.

itsonlysmellz

Comparing the speeds between the sets and doing some math:

Claris: 12-28 , 50/34. 50/12 = 4.16
Sora: 11-28, 50/34. 50/11 = 4.54

So would the Sora in fact be faster then the Claris?

sleepy

Faster is how you pedal.

I'm just speaking terms of upkeep, cassettes and stuff like that.

prathmann

Only if you have the legs to spin that high a gear (50/11 and 700c is 123" gear) at a reasonable cadence. Personally the 50/11 combination would be worthless to me except on a few downhill stretches - and I'd be inclined to coast on those anyway.

itsonlysmellz

I understand what you mean, but would the Claris not bottleneck me on speed with the maximum output when pedaling with the ratios compared to the Sora ive shown above?

dave1442397

Yes, it would to an extent. My CAAD 10 had a 53/11, but I very rarely used the 11, so I switched the cassette from an 11-25 to a 12-28 to give me more useful climbing gears. My new bike has a 50/11, which I think will be just fine.

I rented a bike with a 50/12 combo on vacation last year, and I found myself spinning out in that gear a few times. I had windy conditions and was going for a few Strava segments, but couldn't quite make it I'd say that 50/12 was good for 90% of my riding, but I would want 50/11.

RollCNY

The numbers don't directly port to speed. I own a bike with new Sora, and it works swimmingly. I know nothing of Claris. You mentioned Tiagra in your first post, and it is a fine group, but I would choose 9 speed Sora over 10 speed Tiagra. The 9 speed stuff is cheaper to replace chain and cassette, and in my experience wears longer.

Gear ratios become largely irrelevant to speed over an extended period. On group rides, my speed depends far more on the weather and group mood than it does on what gear combo I brought.

velociraptor

If you're a good negotiator, you can likely get the 10sp Tiagra for close to the price of the 9sp Sora.

Talk to a few Cannonade LBS's in your area – don't limit yourself to just one inquiry.

In general, the first reason why I'd choose a 10sp over a 9sp would be wheel choice (which will be your first upgrade for the bike).

Most new wheelsets are 11sp but include a shim for 10sp cassettes... Yes, you can shim an 11sp for a 9sp cassette... But that brings me to my second reason –

With the 10sp, you're getting an incrementally better groupset to start with, and the selection for further component upgrades becomes greater from that point.

EDIT:

Also, The Tiagra model comes with an (arguably) better bottom bracket than the Sora & Claris versions: BB30 vs cartridge. FWIW...

Fly2High

In a nutshell, yes, going up the group set ladder will get you something more. I have a 2014 Sora and it works great.

The next thing to ask is how often do you ride, is this a first bike and how athletic are you? How much do you plan to ride? Is it for fitness or fun?


By answering these questions will determine how fast you could improve. I know I have few uses for the 12-11 and even the 13 T sometimes. I too just got into cycling this year and I just do not have the strength and cadence to leverage those gears much. If this is true for you, it won't matter one bit which set you get. you will not be using the upper gear anyway. Why spend the money on them.

Someone else needs to answer for me but I thought pretty much all wheels today are made for 9-11 speed. I do not think I know of any wheels made in the last 2 years that are 9 speed specifically that cannot be swapped for a 10 or 11 cassette. As for upgrading, few would recommend spending the money later since the bike is only $800 and the upper group sets are $300 plus. It would be wiser to buy another bike at that time and keep the current as the daily commuter, use when the ride goes through less desirable neighborhoods or the weather is less than stellar. Or just sell it for a few bucks to apply to the next bike.

As for getting a better/ worse bottom bracket and if you are a beginner, I do not thin you have the ability (nor do I) to see or feel any difference between them. As I have found out, even having a square taper cartridge can be upgraded to a better setup. I doubt you will need to.


Let's not forget that it would be a good idea to also purchase:
1. bike shorts with a chamois
2. saddle bag
3. spare tube
4. tire levers
5. multi tool
6. patch kit
7. water bottle and cage (2 of them if you plan longer rides)
8. headlight
9. helmet
10. taillight
11. pump or some means to inflate tires. I prefer a Lezyne Micro fframe pump or the Topeak mega morph pumps. Are a liitle larger but inflates a tire quick. Also, you do not need to keep buying CO2 cartridges.
12 saddle - RARELY have I heard that the stock saddle is perfect. I would expect to need to change it


These things will help you to get back to riding when you are miles from home and it is better to ride than to carry the bike and walk. If you still have money after this and still wish to upgrade, then do so.


Nice to haves:
1. jersey
2. jackets
3. bike computer(I got a Nashbar Dual Sensor Tempo that does speed tempo and cadence for $50. wireless and cheap and covers all I needed for training. Could also use a cellphone app for 3 hours endeavors or less but it will use battery quickly.
4. tools (to me this is more a must have than a nice to have) - not all household tools cover all the jobs needed on abike. I prefer to do my own work after a bad experience with a bike shop. Plus it adds to the fun.
5. clipless pedals
6. clipless shoes
7. winter clothing - now is when it seems they are on sale. Wait for winter and they will be full price.
8. workstand - makes it easier to tune up and clean a bike

I am sure I left stuff out but it is a pretty good list.

Frank

cale

It won't matter so much if you get Sora or Tiagra (btw, I like your bike choice), they are both strong groups and it's hard to find fault in either. More important for anyone on a strict budget of $890, is that you leave room for any additional items you need to include with your purchase. Are you really going to wear your old helmet on your new bike? Would a computer make riding more enjoyable? Make training easier? How about a good lock?

Enjoy your new bike!

Fly2High

More gears help to fill in gaps since each tooth will allow easier pedal pressure but faster spinning by moving down a gear (moving to a gear with more teeth in back or to one with less up front). Now, if you are not planning on group rides, what does it matter if you change gears and end up dropping a little more mph or need to turn the pedals a little faster? If this matters, then get an 11-25 on the Sora or Claris and you will have a tighter cassette with smaller gaps. If you live in a relatively flat area, 28-32 tooth gears might not be of much use to you anyway. I told soneone that I had a Sora with 11-32 cassette and they said , 'was I planning on climbing Mt. Everest?' The point was that spinning 34Front-32Back would allow me to produce about 4-5.5 mph speed at 70-90 cadence(rpm) and why would I need it where I live where we have hardly any hills.

How much help do you really think one extra gear will really provide (going from Sora to Tiagra) Starting in 2013, Sora was revamped and now has similar features/functions to the upper groups. It is much better than when it had the thumb shifter.

On a side note, if you are new like me, make sure you have the bike shop explain the trim function and how to use it.

Frank

milkbaby

If your budget is very limited, then going higher up the groupset hierarchy is just a luxury. When I was looking for bikes for my gf, I test rode Claris and was impressed. The entry level bikes from Specialized, Trek, Giant, Cannondale, etc. all seem pretty nice to me. Adjusting the bike to fit your body proportions is much more important to the ride quality than which groupset you get on the bike.

I wouldn't worry about having the 11t or 12t as the smallest cog. Spinning the cranks at 120 rpm you'll be going about 39 mph with the 12t or about 42.5 mph on the 11t. I'm not sure how much cycling experience you have, but unless you are flying down a mountain, it's not all that often you'll be going 39+ mph, and if you are always riding that fast on the flats, somebody else will be buying a bicycle for you to ride.

cellery

RE: gearing -- I've gone down from a 50 x 11-28 back to 50 x 12-27 because I found it was about the same result to just coast in the rare instances I would shift to 50x11. For me, on ten speed 11-28 has some mighty jumps where you are either mashing too slow or spinning too fast to fit in with group rides. I imagine the 53 or 52 chainring would be good if you either like using your small chainring a lot or you're doing hard sprints and intervals. Probably not the best combo for beginners.

Groupset is fairly irrelevant this day in age unless for the bling factor. I have 105, shifts great on my road bike. I also have a combo claris/tourney on a CX bike, shifts great too.

rms13

I doubt you'll see major performance jumps from Claris to Tiagra. This is an entry level bike. Don't buy it planning for upgrades down the road. If you really think you want better wheels or 105, or Ultegra etc, buy a better bike now and it will be cheaper in the long run. Otherwise buy an entry level bike that gets you the best deal and saves money for all the other things you will need and if you fall in love with cycling upgrade to a new bike next year

DXchulo

Theoretically yes, but in the real world not really. As mentioned, it's rare that you'd spin out the 50/12. I can only spin out on a long descent or when there's a big tailwind (20+ mph). It's not an issue on the descents because I'd spin out either a 50/11 or a 50/12. Once you hit a certain speed/gradient you're going to go faster by getting more aero, not by pedaling.

The tailwind thing is pretty rare. I think I would need a 53/11 on those days, not just a 50/11. But then I wouldn't last very long into the wind with the 39 instead of the 34.