I didn't see it in the stickies so here goes.
Sora, Tiagra, 105 and so on, are the differences in price noticeable compared to the benefit of the increase of......goodness?
What is the point of diminishing returns dollar wise? Is Sora bad? Does it have to do with the shifters? Hows about the the derailleurs and cassettes? Chains?

I'm just getting back into cycling so please be gentile with my ignorence.

Thanks as always,
Ray

A lot of people will say that 105 is the sweet spot.

dura-ace, bitter pill.

ultegra, lemon.

105, peach.

tiagra, lettuce.

sora, brussel sprout.

Sora: Don't do it.
Tiagra: It is cheap and does the job.
105: Good performance, decent price.
Dura Ace: Expensive, lightest. Go for it if you have the funding.

The Sora shifters are plasticky and use little thumb buttons instead of nice metal levers to shift.

I would suggest staying away from Sora if possible. Tiagra and 105 are noticably better and nicer to use. Go for those components or higher.

What about other manufacturers ... Rival? ... Chorus?

Sram apex is par with 105 it gets better from there.

Get 105, put some ultegra jockey wheels in the rear mech, go ride.

Properly adjusted Sora works better then poorly adjusted Dura Ace and vice versa.

Sora is very good. It works. I know a woman who rides road races, cyclocros races, trains etc. on a Sora equipped bike - no problems. It's a several years old bike now, 8 or 9 cogs at the back wheel, 3 up front. Works.


I ride 105 equipped bike, because I was told it is the sweet spot, AND because I found it discount price at the same cost as Sora group was. Otherwise I was planning on going for Sora. Experienced bike mechanic said it's more than good enough for me (a recreational rider).

I have a lot of good experience with Acera MTB groupset. Many people also say for Acera it is not good, go for Alivio, or Deore at least, but this stuff works - winter, summer, snow, raind, SALT - it works. Shifts, brakes work, what more could I ask for?

More expensive groupos LOOK nicer and FEEL like a better quality, but when nicely set up it all works and I don't notice much difference.

The 2013 Sora group actually ditches the thumb trigger and goes for the shift paddles like the rest of the Shimano line. It's still 9 speed, though, while Tiagra/105/Ultegra are 10.

Serious question- Do you notice a difference in shifting going from the stock 105 pulleys to Ultegra? I'm about to replace my bike's chain and do a little bit of a drivetrain overhaul on my 105 5700 bike to eliminate some noises and mediocre shifting, I know the pulleys don't need to be replaced because they only have ~3,500 miles on them, but if there is a real improvement it's something to consider.