Gear sets....will I notice a diffrerence?

[roubaixtuesday]

There's bugger all difference to a beginner.

I've Sora, 105, ultegra on three different bikes. All good.

 

[fair weather cyclist]

bollox. or if so that is not down to just Sora vs 105 that is probably down to the rest of the bike or lack of maintenance

The OP wants to know if to a beginner there is much difference between sora VS tiagra VS 105 VS ultegra.

And, to a beginner, there isn't any difference.

When you stop being a beginner, then you start noticing the difference immediately. May be a tiny one from say ultegra VS 105 but it's not tiny between 105 and sora.

If you're saying you don't notice any difference and for you sora is just as good as 105, then I'm sorry to break it to you but you're still a beginner. Cycle more and when you grow up you'll start to pick up on these differences. Good luck

 

[RoadRider400]

You will probably not realise how much of a difference there is until you move from a low range to a mid or high range groupset. If you are new to road biking then going for a cheaper one to begin with will be okay.

 

[nickyboy]

The problem with groupsets is you buy a bike and it comes with a certain groupset and you feel obliged to keep buying replacement bits of the same groupset.

I am as guilty as anyone on this. One bike has Ultegra and I feel obliged to replace the cassette with another Ultegra instead of a 105 which would be perfectly acceptable at half the price

However I did give up on a bike that came with Campagnolo Centaur after several very expensive years of replacing bits and converted it over to 105

 

[roubaixtuesday]

When you stop being a beginner, then you start noticing the difference immediately.

Intriguing.

How will I know when I'm no longer a beginner?

Is this end to cycling infancy reflected in hundreds of thousands of miles covered, decades passed, or something else?

[In all seriousness, I have Sora on a bike. It changes gear perfectly every time I ask it to. How much of a difference does an extra couple of gears and a couple of hundred grams really make to a non-racer? Near zilch. For everyday users, top end groupsets are mainly about bling, not performance. Nowt wrong with that - I have a very nice bike with Ultegra - but an absolute irrelevance to a beginner]

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

Oof, running two road bikes with Shimano 600 (Tricolour Ultegra) and 7400 Dura Ace. Both have been fantastic. Only had the groupsets over 30 years, terrible value.

I have some of the more basic Shimano stuff which has also lasted over 30 years, so groupsets such as DA offer no longevity advantage. I will agree they were very nicely made and light in weight, but all said and done they still just tramsmit power in exactly the same way as the low end stuff. Also, if you want to look at it financially, you have tied up a big chunk of cash for 30 years and were therefore unable to use that money for anything else over that entire period. Someone buying a much cheaper groupset would l have a fair bit of cash left over which they could put to some other use..

 

[Ming the Merciless]

The best you can do. If you get the chance. Is to get a test ride on bikes with the different group sets to see what you think. As others have said I wouldn’t get hung up on it as a deciding factor between bikes. Check gear range and see how the bikes actually feel when you ride them.

 

[Grant Fondo]

Never had Sora or Dura Ace, just the ones in between. Always thought 105 was the price v performance pick.

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

The best you can do. If you get the chance. Is to get a test ride on bikes with the different group sets to see what you think. As others have said I wouldn’t get hung up on it as a deciding factor between bikes. Check gear range and see how the bikes actually feel when you ride them.

The only time I'm bothered about my gears is when I find I haven't got a low enough one left in reserve to get up a gradient somewhere without busting a gut. On a Touring/MTB triple set up this hardly ever happens in reality,

 

[Lovacott]

So would I really, as a beginner, notice any difference between a bike equipped with a Sora set as opposed to a bike equipped with a 105 set? Or between a Tiagra or Ultegra or 105 vs Ultegra etc.....

Would I notice a smoother or faster/slicker gear change or not?
Should I not get hung up on this or should I aim for a particular set up as a minimum requirement and why?

I get just as slick a change from the bottom of the range Tourney on my mountain bike as I get from the 105 on my road bike.

If gears are set up correctly (takes a bit of practice), you can get any gear set to behave like new. Conversely, if they are not set up correctly, prepare for lots of crunchy noises.

There is a big difference in price between the gear sets though with some costing three to five times more per component than the one next down the scale.

Anecdotally, I get greater longevity from the more expensive gear set on my Hybrid (Altus) than I get on the MTB (Tourney).

That said, I reserve the MTB for bad weather so the gears have to put up with more so maybe that's not a fair comparison?

So, in answer to your question, I really don't have a clue?

 

[Sittingduck]

As mentioned 105 was always the decent benchmark but as technology and shifting capacity has trickled down I think Tiagra is more than enough. Agree the bit about Sora to 105 being 1000 times better is Bollox per upthread. Maybe the Sora was badly indexed, who knows. Only really big noticable leap is from conventional to electronic imho. As regards alternative shifter brands, you know the old saying and I happen to agree with it after owning all 3 for thousands of miles…
Campag looks pretty, SRAM is light, Shimano works!

 

[Lovacott]

As mentioned 105 was always the decent benchmark but as technology and shifting capacity has trickled down I think Tiagra is more than enough. Agree the bit about Sora to 105 being 1000 times better is Bollox per upthread. Maybe the Sora was badly indexed, who knows. Only really big noticable leap is from conventional to electronic imho. As regards alternative shifter brands, you know the old saying and I happen to agree with it after owning all 3 for thousands of miles…
Campag looks pretty, SRAM is light, Shimano works!

Gears simply move the chain from one place to another and that is the basic requirement for even the very cheapest set on the planet.

If the cheapest set can move a chain up and down a gear, what does the most expensive set do over and above that?

Does it make you a cup of tea and a slice of toast?

 

[Sittingduck]

No but presumably you are aware that there are differences in the number of gears certain shifters can handle? Perhaps some find more choice desirable but who knows. Now I’m off to make myself a nice cup of tea will skip the toast…

 

[mjr]

No but presumably you are aware that there are differences in the number of gears certain shifters can handle? Perhaps some find more choice desirable but who knows. Now I’m off to make myself a nice cup of tea will skip the toast…

Only the clicky shifters for the mechanically incompetent, isn't it?

I'm pretty sure my friction shifters will do 5 to 11 if you set the limits right. Not sure about more than 11 because I've not looked up the spec, but who wants a wheel that dished anyway?

 

[DRM]

I have one bike with 9 speed Sora, one with Tiagra 4600 and one with the latest Tiagra 4700, The Sora groupset changes gear smoothly, but compared to Tiagra 4600 is a little clunky, Tiagra 4700 is very smooth, noticeably so over the previous version, but non of them are bad to use.