donrhummy

How do I find the generally accepted price range for upgrading a bike's shifters/brakes from sora to tiagra (or a tiagra/105 mix)? Does it make a difference if it's being done when purchasing a new bike?

Thanks.

CastIron

My LBS's policy is if I buy new and want to upgrade the bits then they'll give me wholesale/cost in trade value against the new parts. Better than nothing, I guess. Better still to get the bike spec'd with what you want.
I must say though, if you're going to upgrade then, UPGRADE! Your return on investment is painfully low when going up a single step.

demoncyclist

It is way more complicated than that. Sora is still an 8 speed system, while Tiagra is 9 speed. You will need to change your STI shifters, cassette and chain at a bare minimum. At that point, you are probably better off buying the next model up from the Sora equipped one. You will probably get other upgraded parts as well if you do it that way.

johnny99

You're much better off buying a nicer bike to begin with. Piece-wise upgrading is expensive and the gains are small unless you upgrade big items like the wheels or frame.

Remember that Sora is 8 speed and Tiagra is 9 speed, so upgrading shifters requires replacing your cassette and chain as well.

OrionKhan

I agree with the others. Upgrading to Tiagra isn't worth it unless you're going to do it yourself and snipe the parts off of eBay. You're better off getting a new bike. Plus, you probably get a better overall bike. The difference from selling your current bike and buying a new, higher model bike may be less than trying to upgrade your current bike with new parts.

badkarma

I agree with the previous posts, I say sell off your current bike (if the return is worth selling), and find yourself something 105 equipped. You'll notice a huge difference between a 105 equipped bike and sora.

donrhummy

Right, but what if those "upgrades" are done when purchasing a new bike? The reason I ask is that all the pre-equipped bikes with tiagra/105 are out of my price range, but I found some nice Lemond's that are in my range and might still be with the upgrades (depending on how that changes the price)

donrhummy

any thoughts?

iamtim

If the bike store will do it when you buy your bike and it won't raise the price of the bike significantly, I say go for it. My experience after having done several piecemeal (i.e. not all at one time) upgrades to Tiagra from Sora/2200 is that Tiagra is a good, solid group.

If you are a tinkerer and willing to do the upgrades yourself after the bike purchase, I would also say go for it. This is what I have done -- as soon as I can nail down Tiagra brifters at a fairly decent price, my Trek 1000 will be all Tiagra.

If you are not a tinkerer and want your LBS to do the upgrades after the bike purchase, I would recommend holding out for 105. It won't save you all that much money after installation fees to go Tiagra that way.

TrekDen

Which Lemond's are you looking at? I'm guessing the Etape to be one since it is Sora/Tiagra mix.

donrhummy

Yep and the Nevada City as well (an '04).

A02

Ask the shop! Most shops will gladly swap parts for you - but how much you get for the Sora/Tiagra and how much they'll charge you for the 105 stuff is really up to them. You could also ask if they have the stuff to put last years 9-speed 105 group on there too... it might save you a little from getting the new 10-speed stuff.

TrekDen

Now that your looking at Tourmalets, which are Ultegra/105 grouppos, I guess this question is void. This is a definate upgrade, and a worthy one at that.

snowyfox

Ok, this is a similar question but is upgrading from 9sp to 10sp also worth just getting a better model bike or buying the individual parts, reason for asking, was looking at Trek 1500 and it has 105/ULTEGRA 9sp group on it and thought about upgrading later on...

alanbikehouston

I'd sure like to know what that "huge" difference is. I have 80's bikes with five, six, or seven cogs and downtube shifters. A road bike with Sora shifters. Another with 105 STI shifters (the only "hard to shift" bike I've ever owned). And, every one of my bikes goes at the same speed: my speed.

The goofiest idea that is ever posted in the Forums is the notion that changing shifters will "make a huge difference".

The only way to make a "huge" difference in how a road bike performs is to get a new rider. However, better wheels and better tires can make a small difference in performance. A change in shifters? Ranks close to new bar tape for "improving" a bike's performance.

ajst2duk

I find the biggest boost I get when uopgrading groupsets is to my ego. I'm sure that when I'm on the bike, I go faster, because my ego is constantly telling me that as I've got a better/shiner groupset, I must be faster. It's all in the head.

rufvelo

You need a significant upgrade to get any benefit worth the money - even the satisfaction of just looking at the components. Something like Sora to Ultegra. In other words I wouldn't spend one dollar to go from Sora to Tiagra, rather spend every moment thinking about such an upgrade - riding.

Biking satisfaction for the most part comes from lots of riding, not shiny & pricey stuff, except maybe for the very upper end of the recreational and competitive segment.

iamtim

I'll agree with that. I'm perfectly happy with my Tiagra components because in my head they are monumental improvements over the Sora/2203/"no-name" components I swapped out.

Plus, they look tons better in my opinion. 8^)

iamtim

If you consider Shimano 2200 to Shimano Tiagra significant, I'll agree with that. If not, I disagree.


I have to disagree there, as well. On the Sora hubs, for instance, the logo is a sticker. On the Tiagra hubs, they aren't. To me, that makes a huge difference. And the 2203 FD looks like garbage compared to the Tiagra offering.

I'll give you that it's a total "eye of the beholder" thing, but even the Tiagra brake calipers look better than the Soras to me.

*shrug*

djtrackie

I'd only move to Tiagra if the thumb down shifter button bothers you. I personally hated that.

banerjek

A couple mph tops, but it's a comfort and enjoyment thing. I rode an old steel Raleigh with downtube shifters for over 20 years.

4 years ago, I got my first bike with STI and I'm never turning back. STI allows you to shift more often which allows much tighter gear ratios. You can shift while standing, turning, or braking. You can choose the best gear and maintain optimum cadence all the time.

I don't like Sora at all, but the Tiagra, 105, and Ultegra shifters I have on my bikes are really nice. Differences I've noticed include how far you have to move the levers to trigger a shift, speed of shift, comfort when riding on the hoods (especially when standing for long periods of time), and I know there are slight weight differences.

105 is a probably the best value for the money, but if you can afford it, I think Ultegra is worth having if you ride enough. I've ridden DA before and think the differences are too marginal for the recreational rider or budget racer to be worth it.

maximum01

I'm in the process of slowly upgrading my Sora equipped touring bike to 105.

My suggestion is to go the ebay route and upgarde slowly. I've currently ordered a 105 rear mech which is compatible with existing Sora set-up. After that I'll probably do the following at my leisure:

1. 105 front mech
2. Tiagra or 105 shifters
3. 105 triple crank and BB
4. 105 9 speed cassette
5. 105 hubs

Why? Because for one thing I enjoy upgarding my bike and secondly I think the bike is nice enough to deserve the upgraded drive chain. Smoother shifting, up/down shifting from drops and lighter weight are all measurable benefits.

rufvelo

I did give you an example - Sora to Ultegra...nothing less. Stickers, non-stickers etc make no difference at all and they shouldn't except maybe for competition.

Which is why I get as good a ride from my 15 year Suntour down-tube shifter equipped bike as my newer Ultegra loaded bike. Main difference in my riding pleasure comes from my own performance and that in turn comes from lots of mileage, weight control(mainly my own ) and the lack of road rage I have to encounter on that ride.

Even in competition the biggest benefit for pro teams comes from standardization of components for mechaincs to get the jobs done super quick. Anyone who can win with Dura Ace could probably have one that race with 105 too.