Hi guys,
I got my first roadbike for christmas and have been riding hard ever since, my bike came with the shimano sora gear system, and i cannot reach the thumb shifter on either hand when in the drops. Clearly it is slow and ineffiecient to keep moving one hand all the way round the bar to change gears in this way. SO basically i was just wondering if you had any ideas as to how i could change this, maybe with some sort of modification?
cheers everyone

I'm afraid, with the Sora shifters, you're pretty much stuck

You could switch to bar end shifters... or upgrade to 9 speed Tiagra or 105.

I guess you're out of luck. I have Sora shifters and can reach the thumb levers but my fingers are pretty long. Maybe you could tie a tensioned string between the shifter and the grop and pull down on the string with your thumb when you want to upshift

Get some Tiagra brifters and call it a day.

hmm,
so how expensive or difficult would it be to upgrade to tiagra shifters? also, would they be comparible with the rest of the kit, ie, would it be an expensive upgrade process? (i am an impoverished student in my final year)!!
cheers

Grow out your fingernails.

Just kidding, I'm in the same boat.

I saw Vino shift while in the drops during one of the later stages of the '05 Tour. He was in second place on the stage with about a kilometer to go. The guy in first was turned around watching him. Vino shifted when the guy looked away.

I believe your Sora drivetrain has an 8 spd rear cogset. You will need to do more than get Tiagra brifters. You'll need to add a new 9 spd cogset to the list. The rest of your drivetrain should work with the 9spd upgrade.

DT levers. Or Campy.

You'd need a 9 speed cassette too.

I saw 105 9spd shifters on sale at Performance 130-ish and you could use any 9 spd cogset (aka cassette) from Tiagra up to D/A . I'd get the cheapest cogset with the same range as your current - probably 12-25.

thanks everyone,
Just to confirm, i shouldnt need a new chain or cabling if i decide to upgrade the cogset and the brifters then?
thanks for all your help guys

You could run the 8spd set-up just install the new levers and set cable tension when in small cog and shifter in proper gear position. Your stop screw on the RD will keep you from shifting into the spokes.

That's one of the problems with Sora, that the thumb button is pretty small. Versus Campy that has a bigger shifter button so it can be reached...

if you go to nine speed you will need a new chain.

you could watch ebay for shimano 105 or 600 brifters. they go quite cheaply. do not get 8 speed dura ace brifters as the rear is only compatible with its corresponding rear derailleur.

tlupfer is correct. Add a new chain to the list.

I rode with Sora for years, and don't think this is as big an issue as you make it out to be. I now ride a 105 ten-speed, and fundamentally my shifts are no quicker than they were before. Here's why: When you are in the drops in Sora, the only shift you can't make is upward, toward higher gears. You can downshift from the drops in Sora. In fact, with higher end shifting systems you often have to make two shifts instead of one: one to shift, and another to trim after the shift.

For the upshift in Sora when in the drops, keep your non-shifting hand in the drops, and quickly move the other hand to the hoods to make the thumb-shift, and then put it back in the drops again. Don't change your body position. The whole movement should be seamless and quick, and shouldn't affect your aerodynamics at all. Perhaps in criterium racing this could be an issue, but it shouldn't be in normal club or recreational riding. Bar-end shifters wouldn't be any quicker, and also can't be shifted easily from the normal drops position.

Also, to me it's not worth it to upgrade from Sora to Tiagra. You aren't going to gain enough to make the upgrade worthwhile. Sora is just as durable, and when it's time to do a lot better than Sora, it will be time to do a lot better with the overall bike: wheels, cranks, etc. Going from eight speeds to nine is also too minor an improvement to make it worth it to change all of the components that would have to be changed in order to do that.

Maybe I'm missing a joke or something and I'm no Sora-hater, but for some reason, I don't think Vino's bike had any Sora on it...

I used to ride with Sora, and as far as I know it's the only groupset that has such a poorly positioned shifting mechanism.

unless you're part chimp it is impossible to reach the thumb button in the drops with sora no matter how you position the levers...well, maybe if you mount them on the top tube...

Having recently upgraded a Sora/Tiagra setup to all Tiagra, yes, you'll need to change a lot more than just the brifters; it's a whole 8 to 9 speed upgrade which will require a new cassette, and maybe a new chain, derailleurs, and even chainrings or cranks depending on what you currently have.

You could also check out this thread which talks about some "generic" Shimano 8-speed brifters that should be a drop-in replacement for your Sora brifters, but has the Tiagra/105/Ultegra-like paddles for shifting. That might be a good -- and cheaper (especially if you are otherwise happy with your 8 speed setup) -- option for you.

*buzz* Wrong answer! But thanks for playing, and we'll be sure to get you a copy of the home game.

I was able to reach my Sora thumb buttons from the drops with no problems. A slight twist of the wrist perhaps, but I did it all the time. It greatly depends on the length of your hands and not the amount of chimp DNA you possess. Big guys have big hands, big hands can reach the Sora thumb buttons.

Somehow the word "ERGO" seems to have gone out the window.

If you're not up for wrist contortions and must shift from the drops, get some Tiagra's or 105 cheap.

I've seen (but am too lazy to find them) threads where someone built some sort of wire hook into the thumb shifter that extended the reach so they could shift from the drops. Try some searching, either in the road bikes or commuting forums.

Sheesh, how hard can it be to slide your hand off for a second to bang out an upshift? Kids these days... Did you know downtube shifters were actually raced on back in the day?