Shimano Claris --> 105: What do I need to do?
- Thread starter ridingaround
- Start date
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Soltydog
Legendary Member
- Location
- near Hornsea
By the time you have bought the groupset & new wheels, you might have been better getting a new bike N+1 & all that. Some bargains to be had at the mo like http://www.merlincycles.com/felt-f75-road-bike-2014-71825.html only 10 speed but 105 drivetrain 
PaulSecteur
No longer a Specialized fanboy
- Location
- Walsall, West Mids.
To be honest, I wouldn't bother with the change right now, I would wait till the spring so you will have the good weather with your new groupset while the Clairis chewed its way through winter.
ridingaround
Member
Thanks for all the feedback guys. I think if I do go through with it I'll look at also getting an 11 speed wheelset around $200, as opposed to rebuilding the hub.
I looked at the higher spec versions of my bike on the website (link) and it seems the same wheelset can go up to 10-speed. Namely, the "Allez Elite" has the same Axis Classic wheelset that I have, but is instead mated with the 10 speed Tiagra groupset. The next level up where they go to the 11-speed 105 is when they switch to the Axis 1.0 wheelset.
I've put about 250 miles on the bike and honestly the Claris groupset has in fact been perfectly fine. The STI levers are comfortable, shifts fine, and the gearing has never really left me wanting more, at this stage in my riding. In terms of justifying the purchase, I guess I'm just getting that upgrade itch. Prior to road cycling, I had 2 fixed gear track bikes I rode for the past few years. One of those I built from the frame up, and that was a painful yet fun experience; it also gave me a greater appreciation for bike components and tech in general. I know this sounds stupid but I liked that feeling of being "at one" with that bike I put together, knowing every component that went into it. Part of me wants to suffer through that again with a relatively low consequence road bike in case I make any mistakes. I also figured I could sell the Claris groupset to offset the upgrade cost a bit.
I bought my bike on sale for $600 so my thought process was upgrading to 105 for ~$400, selling the Claris for ~$200 (overly ambitious?) and now a wheelset for ~$200 so that would put me somewhere around $1100 with new tires? Granted, there are other component upgrades I'm ignoring like the fork, but in general I haven't seen any 105 equipped bikes around that price at any of my LBS'. Seeing that Felt makes me pretty sure I could find one somewhere on the internet though. I did really like the geometry and feel of my current bike too though, so I guess that's where I'm a bit conflicted. Shaving a bit of weight, adding a few gears, and riding on new wheels for $600 somehow sounds better than going through the hassle of selling my current bike and spending $1200 - $1800 all at once for a new one. Though it does seem to make more sense on paper, all things considered.
Well thanks for all the input again guys, I think staying with the Claris through winter is a good idea. In the meantime, I'll keep an eye out for deals on group/wheelsets & possibly a whole new bike. If/when I do upgrade the drivetrain/wheels, I'll post weight figures and pics for future reference for those who are curious.
I looked at the higher spec versions of my bike on the website (link) and it seems the same wheelset can go up to 10-speed. Namely, the "Allez Elite" has the same Axis Classic wheelset that I have, but is instead mated with the 10 speed Tiagra groupset. The next level up where they go to the 11-speed 105 is when they switch to the Axis 1.0 wheelset.
I've put about 250 miles on the bike and honestly the Claris groupset has in fact been perfectly fine. The STI levers are comfortable, shifts fine, and the gearing has never really left me wanting more, at this stage in my riding. In terms of justifying the purchase, I guess I'm just getting that upgrade itch. Prior to road cycling, I had 2 fixed gear track bikes I rode for the past few years. One of those I built from the frame up, and that was a painful yet fun experience; it also gave me a greater appreciation for bike components and tech in general. I know this sounds stupid but I liked that feeling of being "at one" with that bike I put together, knowing every component that went into it. Part of me wants to suffer through that again with a relatively low consequence road bike in case I make any mistakes. I also figured I could sell the Claris groupset to offset the upgrade cost a bit.
I bought my bike on sale for $600 so my thought process was upgrading to 105 for ~$400, selling the Claris for ~$200 (overly ambitious?) and now a wheelset for ~$200 so that would put me somewhere around $1100 with new tires? Granted, there are other component upgrades I'm ignoring like the fork, but in general I haven't seen any 105 equipped bikes around that price at any of my LBS'. Seeing that Felt makes me pretty sure I could find one somewhere on the internet though. I did really like the geometry and feel of my current bike too though, so I guess that's where I'm a bit conflicted. Shaving a bit of weight, adding a few gears, and riding on new wheels for $600 somehow sounds better than going through the hassle of selling my current bike and spending $1200 - $1800 all at once for a new one. Though it does seem to make more sense on paper, all things considered.
Well thanks for all the input again guys, I think staying with the Claris through winter is a good idea. In the meantime, I'll keep an eye out for deals on group/wheelsets & possibly a whole new bike. If/when I do upgrade the drivetrain/wheels, I'll post weight figures and pics for future reference for those who are curious.
Nigelnaturist
Guru
- Location
- Pontefract
The best reason for upgrading the number of gears is better cadence control.
