adelii

I have been Mountain biking for a couple of years now and ended up builing my own Mountain bike after buying an entry level bike. Dont wanna make the same mistake so i need to know what should i look for in my first road bike. A buddy of mine told me to get a bike with at least shimano 105 components. Is this true? He was telling me how tiagra sora components are just not it. So i looked at some trek bikes and noticed that the 1500 is at about 1,200 bucks. Is this the range i would have to look at for 105 components on all Bikes?

-VELOCITY-

Yeah to get 105 you'll have to be in that budget. However I have a Trek 1000 with the Sora/Tiagra combination and I haven't had any problems in the almost 2 years I've had it. Just my own personal experience.

adelii

Can anyone explain the superiority of the 105 to say the sora, tiagra combo? I just dont want to do the same thing i did with my mountain bike. World of change in comparing my two mountain bikes.

-VELOCITY-

I rode a Giant with Ultegra components and honestly I didn't really notice much of a difference between my components and his. Don't see what all the hub bub is all about.

adelii

I saw the new trek 1000, looks very nice and felt great, the 1500 was about 500 dollars more, thats alot to think about really.

spiderbike

I have owned a trek 1000 for 2yrs and think that it was a excellent beg. road bike. Usually it is the LBS that will tell the components are crap so they can get more money from you but you get a lot of value for the price. This will give you the opportunity to find out whether you'll like road biking enough to want the more expensive bikes. I'm now looking to upgrade for next year as I enjoy doing century races.

The difference between the Trek 1000 and 1500 is not worth the price difference for a beg. in my opinion..

adelii

Im pretty sure that i will enjoy road biking, I have a lot of friends that ride and i get left out all the road bike trips they take, they own mountain bikes too. I went a couple of times with my mountain but just couldnt really keep up all the time. I just want to get out of that beg. bike mode and go right into a bike that i will love for 3 to 4 years. you know what i mean?

johnny99

Sora is 8 speed; Ultegra and 105 are 10 speed. That's a pretty significant difference right there, especially if you plan on doing a lot of group rides. Better bikes also generally come with noticably better wheels and forks, which are worth as much as the drivetrain differences.

While individual component differences may be small, they do add up. Many Ultegra bikes weigh 5 pounds less than your typical Sora bike.

johnny99

This is actually a good idea. Buy an entry level bike and ride it for a few years. As you gain experience, you should know what you really want as well as have the strength and skill to take advantage of it. Most of the differences between different high end bikes is personal preference.

yater

Your buddies know what they're talking about. It's like a mountian bike with alivio components compared to XT (I'd compare xt to 105). There are better components, but you can have a sweet bike with 105 stuff. Take your friend along when you look at bikes...he won't steer you wrong.

gurana

I think that some people just don't like the way Sora stuff works. It's a little different from the rest of the Shimano road group. While I'm sure that they're not made with the same level of craftmanship or quality of materials as the higher groups(hence the lower cost), but I've not really heard many people complain that they break down or anything. So I'd say give it a try, see if you like the way it shifts.

adelii

I think i know myself to much, i will have to get at least 105 stuff, because i owned a entry level mountain bike and it didnt last me 6 months before i wanted better stuff. I guess im going to have to do a lot of research on different bikes to see what bike would be a good fit with at least 105 comps. $1,200 would be the range correct? Are there 105 build kits anywhere? I know that pricepoint had a nice LX build kit for mountain bike(which i bought by the way). I got a good deal, my total build of mountain bike came to around 900 bucks. Would this be a more cost effective way or no?

badkarma

Unless you're really good at scouring the internet for good deals, it is typically much more cost effective to buy a complete bike.

Sora seems to function completely differently than the rest of the shimano line, so I would recommend staying away from that, but Tiagra and up will be just fine. Don't take the recommendation of, you need 105 or better, as meaning you can have 105, but you really should have ultegra or DA. Honestly, if you were to buy a bike with 105, you'd be really happy with it and wouldn't notice any problems with its functionality. I think I just came across a thread where someone got an '05 Lemond with 105/ultegra for $899 on closeout. I've heard nothing buy good things about the Trek1500, for $1200 it's a pretty good deal.

I'm not sure if you mentioned your weight anywhere, but if you're over 200 lbs., you might have to swap out the stock wheels on whatever bike you buy for something stronger.

mike9903

Take a look at the LeMond Reno, it is essentially the same bike as the Trek 1200 but it is a $150 cheaper!

adelii

Well im currently at 195 from 267 lbs about 1 year and a half ago, I have a goal of getting to 175, 180, but im currently on a creatine, protein weight training program for a month or so more than i start my cut again. So i dont think i need stronger wheels, because i will eventually get down to my prefered weight. A quation i have though is how do measurments work on road bikes, i am a medium in mountain which equates to anywhere from 16.5 to 18 inches. What is that in cm?

Also i am looking at 105 because of the cost effectiveness and 10 speed, plus the shifting is different am i correct?

If i find a deal like that lemond i will jump all over it. I really dont care if the bike is 3 years old, i just want it to be brand new. I bought a 2004 mountain frame at the end of 2005 so i dont mind that.

adelii

this is a nice looking frame i wouldnt mind having though its a little over my budget

https://classifieds.mtbr.com/cgi-bin/...uery=retrieval

Kenal0

1099 gets you 105 and decent components the rest of the way around.

https://www.flyte1.com/soar/janette/store/SRS3_bike.asp

Kenal0

badkarma

Go to www.wrenchscience.com and use the Fit Calculator on there, and it will recommend a frame size for you. Seeing how this is your first roadie, I would highly suggest test riding some bikes and getting a feel for different geometries. On road bikes, the measurements are taken in cm, and USUALLY they're the length from the center of the BB to the top of the seat clamp (that's not always the case).

badkarma

105 shifts the same as ultegra and DA (meaning you press the same levers to up/down shift). Current '06 105 is 10sp., but if you bought an older bike that's 105, it'll be 9sp.

shakeNbake

i got my bike $539 out the door, Tiagra/Sora components. I've commute with it for two months now, absolutely no problem.

And I ride it hard too, I'm 240 lbs.

I've ridden my friend's bike with ultegra 10 speed, while it's a little smoother, I can't say there is alot of difference in performance.

Just my $0.02

adelii

went to wrench science and they say my frame should be 51cm center to top, so that would be a size small correct?
handlebar width 46cm
overall reach 69.4
saddle height 67.25

Those flyte bikes do look nice, chepest ive seen thats for sure

adelii

105 10 speed group set for 600 dollars, crank, brakes, shifters, cassette, chain,BB, FD, RD.

Shipping included and parts are new in box.

Good deal?

Phantoj

Alivo = Sora
Deore = Tiagra
LX = 105
XT = Ultegra
XTR = Dura Ace

only problem is that the road stuff is always more $$$, don't know why.

But for "universal" parts like bottom bracket or chain, the above seems to hold true.

If you like your LX stuff, then you should probably spring for the 105.

Of course, don't go into debt for it. Get the best you can afford.

adelii

Lx = 105 then i beleive its the best deal for the parts because its just basically the same stuff but a little heavier, i beleive that they are probably more durable if anything. My buddy has been using 105 stuff since he started, dont know when he has started, but i know he has changed his frame at least 6 times and kept the same 105 components.

Lucky07

The Sora group is fine for casual riders. It's supposedly not built to withstand years of heavy mileage. I have it on my touring bike and it's fine. Tiagra is a step up and it should withstand heavier use. The 105 group is built to last. If I were buying right now, I'd go for the 10 speed 105 group. It should last you for years and unless you turn into a winning Crit racer overnight, you won't have the desire to upgrade immediately.