Originally Posted by
mstateglfr
You mention compatibility being a reason to go with Claris and while that is certainly a good thought, I just cant imagine it being needed in practice.
You're right of course, and with 3 other bikes if one of them broke I'd just use another one until I could get it fixed. I'm a pretty casual rider at the moment (working from home) so it's not a priority.
None of this really makes any difference though, since I think it comes down to whether for an extra $75 or so USD is it worth the upgrade to 9 speed from 8 speed? The range of gears is identical so for me I wouldn't fuss about it really.
I'm not sure I'd notice much difference with an extra speed though I'm sure it wouldn't hurt.
I'm always wary when it comes to buying things like bikes that I fall into the "For just another $x I can get..." and my £899 Contend AR4 becomes a £1599 Contend AR1!
