is it worth upgrading from claris 8 speed to sora 9 speed?

[damianr]

Hi,

2nd post here! I look forward to bombarding everyone with stupid questions!

A few weeks ago I picked up a new Sora groupset I was going to stick on a cheap road bike I had, long story short I sold the old bike and picked up a new Specialized Allez C2 2014 with a claris groupset.

I've only been cycling a few months so I was wondering if its worth sticking the sora groupset on the Allez, is there a difference that I would be likely to notice? Or shall I stick the sora groupset back on eBay?

Claris is 50/34 chainring and 8 speed 11-30 cassette

Sora is 52/36 and 9 speed 11-30.

Cheers

Damian

 

[windym]

I doubt if you would notice any difference, Claris to Sora is not a huge jump up the cycle food chain. 105 or Ultegra then you would notice smoother shifting, power transfer and some weight saving also you would be going from compact to standard. But if you'r bored and itching to play then go for it and have some fun, I would get another frame and build that up.

Andy

 

[MrWill]

Hi, I did 2300 then Sora then 105.

Sora seemed to be a bit better than 2300 and 105 is way better.

I hear often that Tiagra is pretty much the same as 105. So maybe go for that.

 

[jack smith]

Claris is sh*t i think youd notice better shifting on the sora, sell the claris

 

[DCLane]

I commute on a bike with Shimano 2300 (old Claris) and it's fine. My main bike uses 105.

The 105 system is better but do I think I'd make the effort swapping from 8 to 9 speed? No.

 

[windym]

It's an entry level bike if you spend too much on it you will just loose money, look for and older carbon frame from ebay and build that up.


Andy

 

[RebornBumbler]

I'd say it depends whether the Claris or Sora are the later 'STI integrated' design (no thumb button) - if no difference then I wouldn't bother changing.

Neither are sh*t.

 

[Moodyman]

Ride your bike Bruv and enjoy. Life's too short to be worrying about badges. Claris to Sora ain't worth the hassle even if you have the tools and know how to swap over. You could be enjoying a lovely summer ride in that time.

 

[Roadrider48]

I had Sora on my Roubaix from new, changed it to 105 and there was marginal difference.
I have Ultegra on my TT bike and the IMHO it s###s all over 105. The shifting on the Ultegra is butter smooth.
I am going to buy a Dura ace 9000 groupset for the Roubaix, as the frame deserves it. Apart from the obvious price difference I am still stuck between mechanical and Di2.
I will have it sorted out by the weekend though.

 

[Road_Runner]

In my opinion 9 speed is becoming obsolete and 8 speed is practically obsolete. If you look for brand new 8 and 9 speeds parts, you'll find that you can't get a whole groupset of them any more. So if you upgrade your bike to a 9 speed and end up doing something nasty, will you be able to get spare parts? If you can't obtain spare parts, what are you going to do?

How do you feel with your 8 speed? Do you feel that the extra gear will take up the missing gear ratio?

If you're happy with your 8 speed, i would sell the Sora groupset and ride your bike until the wheels fall off. By the time your groupset is worn down and need replacing you'll have a better understanding about what you want.
If you're not happy with your 8 speed, i would consider selling the Sora groupset and jumping up to a Tiagra groupset because it's the lowest spec that is a 10 speed. It appears that 10 speed groupsets are now the norm. 11 Speeds are for those who require that bit of extra performance and/or has more money than sense.


Depending on much you ride the wheels off it, if you upgrade, you could keep your current Claris groupset. Then when you come to upgrade the frame, you could take your upgraded groupset with you. Install the Claris groupset back on this bike and sell it as the stock bike you bought it as. Obviously if you wear down the upgraded groupset too much, or the groupset on the new frame is better then this obviously has no advantages.