Eudjinn

Hi everyone, been lurking for a while here.

Ive almost certainly decided on a cannondale caad 8 for my first road bike over a specialized allez. I initially was going to go with the sora groupset as my budget was about $1000. However, I keep having these thoughts that I will feel limited by the sora and will regret not dishing out the extra $$$ up front and going for 105 groupset to begin with.i am the type of person who, if hooked by a hobby, will quickly excel at it and feel limited by poor equipment.

I have never owned a road bike prior to this and have not ridden a bike consistently for probably 15 years.

Any thoughts and advice is welcome. Thanks!

gc3

if you can get a deal on the 105 upgrade, then I always recommend going for it. for example, spending $1250 instead of $1000. assuming the budget can handle it having a little less "plasticky" feeling and a slightly higher reliability factor makes riding more enjoyable, even for relative newbs...

...disclaimer, this is just opinion with no basis in science or engineering...

rangerdavid

IMHO, sora and 105 are both sorta entry level group sets. to start with, you don't really need Di2 or Sram Red. What if you decide you don't really like the sport? I mean, this isn't a "hobby" like model airplanes, this is a sport. It makes you sore, tired, and you suffer. It ain't easy. Plus, if you get sora or a 105 group set, you'll know the joy of upgrading later and the feeling sort of like you "earned" the better group set. Nothing wrong with starting with a more expensive group if you can afford one, and trust me, there is indeed a difference when you start climbing the ladder into the mid range and upper range set.

so get what you want, get the 105 if you want. if it turns out you don't like cycling, it'll be easy to sell. easier that a sora group.

good luck.

RollCNY

In my experience, whatever first bike you buy will be wrong. If you hate the sport, you wasted the money on a higher priced starter. If you love the sport, you will go through the "can I buy speed with upgrades" phase, and will either replace or throw parts at this first one. Spend as little as possible, as ultimately this is your rain bike.

SirHustlerEsq

I bought the cheapest bike I could find with 105 after riding a Sora and 105 bike back to back; I regret nothing. It's worth the extra money just to get the cables out of your face.

rpenmanparker 

105 is a no excuses group. Not so for Sora. No 105 is not the crème de la crème, but there is nothing you ask it to do that it can't. If you can afford it, I recommend moving up.

Leinster

Ride both. If the difference is $200 and you feel a $200 difference, pay the extra $200.


I'd go 105.

cyclezen

+1, 105 is quite fine
I think it's the best bang for the buck
and it's not ugly
sora's not bad either, but the most expensive part of the gruppo are the shifters and 105 is pretty bulletproof these days

nastystang

Having owned both I will say I hated Sora. It was cheap and the cable routing sucked. Steamed like it never was just a little out of adjustment. 105 5700 is nice stuff. Easy to adjust and needs very little attention. The Sora was 8 x 3(absolutely hate triples)never again. The 105 was a double. I would and probably will buy another bike with 105. If the price is right go for it. I don't drink the it's your first bike cool aid. Get the best bike you can afford, chances are you will like it and use it instead of the bike becoming a garage ornament.

jsigone

sora triggers get old after a while when you want to shift in the drops. This alone will make you wish for 105s or better. Also look at Sram Apex if available.

aramis

I'm all for it's the rider not the bike, but sora sucks.. especially if it still has those awful thumb shifter things. Usually a sora bike will also come with some awful wheels that won't stay in true and if it's 8 speed you are limited to cassette options later.

If you're buying new, just get a 105 bike and ride the wheels off of it. Tiagra is fine too. You can also just buy a used bike, I'd take a 90's tiagra bike over a brand new sora bike if that helps your decision.

Dunbar

I tried the latest Sora and came away unimpressed with the shift quality (Shimano has done away with the thumb shifters BTW.) I own both 5700 105 and 4600 Tiagra and if anything the Tiagra shifts a little better. But, and it's a big but, make sure the smaller Tiagra hoods work for your hands. I find them too small to use on my primary bike. I find the (larger) 105 hoods much more comfortable for longer rides.

cwcook3

I just bought a new Diamondback Podium 3 with 105 shifters and derailluers . I definitely think its worth finding a good deal on 105 for the paddle shifters, like a previous poster said. Also, I searched around for a few weeks test riding bikes until I stumbled on the best deal. I got the Diamondback for $765 plus tax.