105 grouper upgrade

[sagefly]

Some advice please.

I've been told that my Sora shifts have worn out, leading to random shifting on the rear.

I really like my bike and was thinking of upgrading to a 105 drive train.

My question is what will I need?

Cassette
Shifters
Chain
Rear mech

Anything else I'd need to put into the equation?

Many thanks in advance.

 

[DCLane]

If it's 11-speed 105 make sure your wheels can take an 11-speed cassette.

 

[vickster]

Might as well change the front mech too? Cheap enough and usually comes in the set

 

[Bonefish Blues]

Something fishy about this thread.

 

[Cycleops]

What speed are you currently running? Rear hub will need changing if going from 9 to 11 speed.
If you're buying the set it will run you close to £400 plus rear hub and rebuild so you might consider selling the bike and buying one with 105 on it

 

[I like Skol]

Who said the shifters were worn out and why? Could just need a set of new cables and these should always be the 1st port of call when trying to fix any indexing issues.
If it is play in the rear mech then these can still be bought in 9spd so no problem there.

If it is the brake/shifters that are worn then an upgrade at this point might be good timing if you want to do it anyway, but for a lot less money & trouble you can still get the 9spd shifters brand new - www.sjscycles.co.uk/gear-shifters/shimano-sora-st3400-9-speed-double-triple-road-sti-levers

Also consider the current Tiagra 10spd stuff to keep costs down. I am running it on my commuter and it's early days having only done 1,500 miles but I can't fault it and have had 9spd Tiagra before and found that to be just as good as my 105 and Ultegra bikes at shifting nicely. I think Tiagra is about as good as it needs to get, anything else is just weight savings and finish.

 

[Racing roadkill]

https://www.merlincycles.com/shimano-105-r7000-groupset-118524.html

This is a bargain at the moment. Just make sure you’re freehub / wheel will take an 11 speed set up. I’d use this as an excuse to upgrade if it were me, this groupset is particularly good bang for the buck as well.

 

[cyberknight]

Might as well change the front mech too? Cheap enough and usually comes in the set

probably have too anyway , i dunno about 11 sped but i have had issues using an 8 speed FD with a 10 speed groupo without chain rub as the 10 speed is narrower if that makes sense.

 

[Ajax Bay]

I've been told that my Sora shifts have worn out, leading to random shifting on the rear.
I really like my bike and was thinking of upgrading to a 105 drive train.

As @I like Skol asks: "Who said the shifters were worn out and why?" I'd be surprised. Assume 9sp Sora. Why would 'worn out' STIs lead to 'random shifting'? Common failure mode for STIs is not shifting at all.
What sort of bike is it? A pair of second hand 9sp STIs will not be (bay) expensive (eg £40) or just replace the right hand STI (£14ish). Would allow you to ride your loved one while you sort out the parts you need to upgrade.

 

[the_mikey]

I recently upgraded a 2010 9 speed tiagra equipped bike with a more recent 10 speed tiagra groupset:

Pair of brake/shifters (shimano tiagra 10 speed)
Rear derailleur so I could comfortably use at least a 11-28T (might even get away with a 30T?)
New front derailleur to fit the existing 'braze on' style fixture.
New chain (I'm using KMC 10-93 with quick link (no messing around with pins)
Front chainset , shimano 34-50 compact chainset for 10 speed chains.
Hollowtech2 bottom bracket cups (not entirely necessary but if I was stripping down the bike I may as well replace the BB cups at the same time)
Brake and gear cables (I used Jagwire road pro cable kit which includes all the ferrules and crimps needed to complete the job) the new shifters are designed to have the brake cables hidden under the bar tape so I bought cables designed for that use.

New tiagra brake calipers as the old brake caliper have a different pull ratio to the new ones, which means pulling the brake lever results in poor braking using the old calipers.

 

[si_c]

As said before phantom shifting is not likely a shifter problem, usually cables or indexing needs redoing. It can also be a bent hanger or derailleur cage, or the wheel not properly secured in the dropouts.

The shifter is more likely to fail by not shifting at all, so I'd query how the diagnosis was made and the reasons for it.

 

[Ajax Bay]

I really . . . was thinking of upgrading to a 105 drive train [and need a reason why].

FTFY
Having the urge to 'upgrade' is a relatively normal feeling.
PS: PM me regarding the 9 speed bits you replace in case I could subsidise the 105 purchases.

 

[GlenBen]

Is thos one of these threads where you just want us to say itll be too much effort and money to change and you should just get a new bike altogether?

If so, i wouldnt recommend changing anything due to compatability issues and the inclement weather patterns that might interfere with the downshift if you change to 105. A new bike would be a much better option.

Otherwise, id say new cables, clean and adjust from scratch, ive ran shifters for literally decades that have never worn out.

Or if you just want to upgrade, id et the whole groupset in one go like racing roadkill posted on merlin cycles. As others have said though, check your wheels.

 

[Dogtrousers]

It's a CC truth that anything more than X (where X is what the poster uses themselves) is a stupid vanity purchase for fools and wannabes only. X is the choice of the sensible rider.

However in my case X=105

105 shifters have been scientifically measured* to be a bazillion times nicer than Sora.

*By me.

 

[I like Skol]

It's a CC truth that anything more than X (where X is what the poster uses themselves) is a stupid vanity purchase for fools and wannabes only. X is the choice of the sensible rider.

How so?
I have Ultegra hydraulic and Tiagra cable disc brake set-up. I also previously had 105 hydraulic which I didn't like/rate. The Ultegra brakes are far better, but the Tiagra with Spyres is more than plenty even for vigourous commuting and leisure rides. Shifting is much of a muchness in that they both work perfectly.

So, while Ultegra is nice, I will obviously say that anything more than Tiagra is a luxury rather than a technical improvement or necessity.