Shimano Sora or Shimano Tiagra???

[Peanut_77]

Hi,
I am very new to the sport and am looking at a decent entry level bike however i am a little confused with all the specs especially gears etc.

I have spotted a decent bike Trek 2013 1.2 Compact H2 for £695 everything looks great on the bike however i have also seen the Trek 2013 1.5 Triple H2 for £845.

After matching the two up the only main difference is the Tiagra on the 1.5 and the Sora on the 1.2 so is there a big difference to justify £150?.

Cheers

 

[NotthatJasonKenny]

In my limited experience, yes.

You have to decide between a compact and a triple first, some say there isn't much difference with available gears and a compact is lighter but I would get the Tiagra triple over the sora compact.

 

[Deleted member 20519]

Tiagra. I don't really like the thumb shifters on my Triban, can't shift from the drops. Would prefer the Tiagra style shifters.

 

[vickster]

I think 2013 Sora loses the thumb buttons from other threads on here - did you look at the bikes - Tiagra should be lighter and smoother shifting. I have Tiagra, works well

 

[Doseone]

If you can afford it get the Tiagra, but don't sweat it if you can't. One of my bikes is a Scott which is about 12 years old and has got Sora on and it's always worked fine and has been trouble free.

 

[rusty bearing]

Sora always seems very notchy compared to the Tiagra. 105 is slightly better again but not so much in it. Go for Tiagra.....

 

[Peanut_77]

Thanks guys there seems to be a common trend with the Tiagra so will probably go down that route however will have to keep the receipt hidden from the other half!!!

 

[Primal Scream]

I have a Sora groupset with a triple on my Trib 5, seems fine to me and the gear change causes me no problem, then again my previous road blke had down tube shifters and Benelux gears

 

[Norm]

Indeed, I've got Sora shifters on my Secteur and have no problems at all. As PS said, some should try riding with non-indexed downtube shifters to figure out how good Sora is.

That said, of course, Tiagra is better if you can afford it, but I wouldn't worry about getting another bike with Sora in any way, shape or form.

 

[Nearly there]

I think 2013 sora is 9 speed now and has sti shifters where as tiagra is 10 speed now

 

[Bengarbage]

2013 sora is 9 speed; i would recommend it as my tarmac 13 model uses it. no thumb switch etc... however if you can stretch to 105 or ultigra then please do. i intend to upgrade when i can. new sora will see you through for a long time

 

[defy-one]

I have Sora on the Triban and 105 on the Defy - Both work just fine. Don't get too hung up on gears. You change gear & peddle :simplez

 

[jay clock]

i had a Sora bike for years and worked perfectly.

The more important question is that one is a compact and one is a triple. Have you a clear idea on the difference?

 

[Peanut_77]

Hi guys, thanks for the posts.

Jay Clock.. not a 100% sure about the difference between a double or triple however my guess is that its the crankset which would either double or triple the amount of gears i can have ie 9 speed sprocket on a double would give me 18 gears and a triple 27 gears for those really steep climbs!!

I am going to sound like a girl now but the main reason i liked the compact was it looked so much better than the triple at that price with red, black and white which gives me more variety on helmets and clothing etc

Cheers

 

[vickster]

I may be completely wrong but you don't get the full 18 or 27 gears as there is overlap, but I don't understand the numbers...

I do however completely get having a bike in a colour you like - you'll want to ride it more...I am a girl ...