Williampehh

Im getting my first road bike and I've setteled on two road bikes (Both used). One is a full carbon Tiagra 4600 Groupset bike with Fulcrum quattro racing that cost about $880 while the other is a carbon fork mixed groupset that cost about $700 (Shifters: 105 5700, Crank 10S, BB: Dura-Ace, Rear Derailleur: Tiagra, Front Derailleur: Ultegra 6600, Casette: Dura-Ace, Chain: 105.Wheels: Fulcrum Racing 7. Mileage less then 1000km).

What do you guys think? And thanks in advance!

datlas 

Did you ride each one? What is your impression of how they fit and feel?

Williampehh

i haven't cycled any of them yet I'm just looking at their specs for now.

datlas 

Not enough info. Either one could be fine. Depends on fit and function (and condition since I am guessing these are used bikes).

rpenmanparker 

OP, you are deciding between a carbon frame and an aluminum frame, right? That is no small thing. Make your decision on fit and feel on the road.

I guess we are talking about used bikes. Let us know how old the full Tiagra is. The parts list on the aluminum bike is not so very much better than the full Tiagra. Depending upon the vintage of the Tiagra it might be actually a better buy.

Williampehh

alright thanks!

Williampehh

The full carbon has a 4600 Tiagra

rpenmanparker 

Go with the full carbon for sure! Assuming you like the fit and ride.

rms13

What bikes are they? Why are you withholding so much valuable information?

Alias530

A full carbon bike with Tiagra is going to have the junkiest parts and probably the lowest end carbon.

rms13

According to Alias, entry level carbon with Tiagra is what they sell at Walmart

cale

Do you have any range? Or is trash talking bikes about it?

GuitarBob

I imagine the OP to be a newer cyclist, one who is targeting complete bikes that are under $1,000. Do you think the grade of carbon is relevant? That the wheels and bars aren't those that come with top-of-the-line builds? Probably good to keep in mind that many people can't -- or choose not to -- buy at the highest level. And yet they can get just as much enjoyment out of riding as any of us do.

rpenmanparker 

So the Tiagra carbon bike may not the hottest bike on record. The aluminum bike sounds like a Frankenbike to me. Nobody sells a bike with that variety of parts on it, so it must have been either pieced together from a parts bin or modified from time to time. We have to assume these are both used bikes; what other conclusion makes sense. OP isn't being very forthcoming. Tell us the brands and models, how old they are and how much use they have had, how the Al bike got to be so cocked up, etc., etc.

Alias530

Why is everyone here so defensive?

I was pointing out that if you pick a carbon/tiagra bike it very well may be worse, overall, than an aluminum/tiagra bike. Just because it's carbon doesn't mean it's good. Cheap carbon is often worse than good aluminum.

shelbyfv

OP really needs to specify what the bikes are. Not sure why he hasn't mentioned that up front. Could be looking at a BD carbon bike vs a Cannondale Caad 9 or 10 with completely functional parts selection.

mcours2006

I've got a Frankenbike too. I love it, but it's only valuable to me, and likely no one else. The parts individually are likely worth more than the complete bike

I'd be curious to know what the bikes are too, but the OP seems to be MIA.

AlldayAdam

I can guarantee Sora is not on Wal-Mart bikes.

Deontologist

I have 8 speed Sora/Claris mix. I also have a Campy Mirage/Xenon bike for comparison.

How does it shift?

Perfectly fine. Not really much to say here. There is a hint of lag when shifting between sprockets sometimes in the back but I don't know if that's actually the groupset or the fact I decided to play with the limit screws and barrel adjuster and threw shifting way out of whack before managing to get it working again with the help of YouTube videos.

Tiagra or 105 should work just fine. I would focus more on how each bike fits. Also a lot of the impressive names on your Franken-bike are on parts that don't matter ... a Dura-Ace cassette actually isn't going to make much of a difference. Actually, some people argue that you should avoid DA cassettes and go for the more durable Ultegra cassette. Same with chains ... Ultegra, DA, 105, not really much of a difference. Plus a lot of people go with KMC chains anyway. Same with rear derailleurs - RD shifting is good across the board. FD shifting is another issue because FD shifting quality depends a bit on the stiffness of the cage.

https://www.roadbikereview.com/review...end-your-money

Also the Fulcrum Racing Quattro wheels make the first bike more interesting. Racing 7s are good too but the Quattros are unique in that they're 35mm deep aluminum clinchers ... so they're massively stiff if that's your thing.

Alias530

Have you ridden a bike with Ultegra or Dura Ace? Serious question... I'm always curious when people say that Claris/Sora works really well what they're comparing it to.

Deontologist

No, I haven't. I can't really imagine there being much to improve on in terms of lever feel, but again, I haven't ridden an Ultegra or DA bike.

GuitarBob

I wasn't being defensive, I was suggesting that your advice was off the mark -- in this case and my opinion.

Not in my experience.

Alias530

So you'd rather have a Chinese carbon frame than an aluminum one from Specialized, Trek, etc?

Chinese carbon seat post vs. a Ritchey, Thompson, etc?

rpenmanparker 

I am pretty sure that is not what was meant by cheap carbon. Not Chinese no name stuff, but rather bottom of the line from an established brand.

nastystang

Personally I would go with the full carbon bike. The fact the groupset is all Tiagra is a plus. I doubt it is lighter than the other bike but the fact we do not have any frame brands makes me think the aluminum bike may have a harsh ride despite the carbon fork. One big concern with used carbon is how was it used and is there any cracks in critical structure points. All of this is based on both bikes fitting because if it does not fit it will not be worth debating.