Shimano 600 vs Sora

bebop86 said:

Hi! (First Post)
I have an older Specialized Allez bicycle. I was told by a bicycle shop owner here in San Francisco that it was one of the first years that the Allez was offered with an aluminum frame. It's very light when compared with some of the steel bikes I've ridden before. I love the bicycle and have put about 1,500 miles on it without ever really needing to adjust anything. I'm unsure as to how much the previous owner rode it, though.

Anyways... the bike is getting old nevertheless and I think I'm going to give it to my little brother so he can enjoy the fun of road cycling.

My question is kinda simple and complicated all at once I'm realizing.

How will the newer Shimano Sora parts compare with my older Shimano 600 series? I hear the older Shimano 600s are comparable with Ultegra components, but I don't know if that's true or not. In either case, I'm on a budget... somewhere in the $500-600 range. I was thinking of the Tommaso Capri:
tommasobikes.commodels capri.htmOpen ↗
It's a beautiful bike, and rare enough that it might turn a few heads. I was just hoping the Sora components would hold out for a few years until I could fully upgrade it to a 105/Tiara mix.

What you do you guys think? Will an 8-Speed Sora climb the San Franciscan hills as well as my Shimano 600 set?

Gear ratios and the number of teeth on cogs hasn't really changed all that much since they were first concieved. Besides, there's a bit of choice when it comes to cassettes ratios. Unless your 600's are completely knackered, I'd leave everything alone and replace the cassette, chain and chainrings. The newer parts won't have any problems with compatability.

Truth be told, I want a new bicycle for once. I'm just kinda wondering how the Shimano Sora will stack up against my beloved 600s

Check out shimano's website - I recall they have a description of their different groups and the type of riding they're designed for.

I too have the 600 and have no complaints, despite their age. From memory, Sora is lower down on the pecking order. Probably not too much difference between the two. You might expect 600 to be a little smoother and sora not to last so well if you are piling the miles on

bebop86 said:

Truth be told, I want a new bicycle for once. I'm just kinda wondering how the Shimano Sora will stack up against my beloved 600s

Sora is 8 bottom of the barrel. 600 was one notch below DA. Doesn't take a genius to figure this one out.FWIW, there is nothng rare about a generic made in tiawan Tommaso,especially with bottom of the barrel sora on it. You are throwing money way by thinking bottom of the barel bike and then upgrading to tiagra/105 mix. Do it right and buy a 105 bike or just blow your clams on beer and carpet.

bebop86 said:

Hi! (First Post)
I have an older Specialized Allez bicycle. I was told by a bicycle shop owner here in San Francisco that it was one of the first years that the Allez was offered with an aluminum frame. It's very light when compared with some of the steel bikes I've ridden before. I love the bicycle and have put about 1,500 miles on it without ever really needing to adjust anything. I'm unsure as to how much the previous owner rode it, though.

Anyways... the bike is getting old nevertheless and I think I'm going to give it to my little brother so he can enjoy the fun of road cycling.

My question is kinda simple and complicated all at once I'm realizing.

How will the newer Shimano Sora parts compare with my older Shimano 600 series? I hear the older Shimano 600s are comparable with Ultegra components, but I don't know if that's true or not. In either case, I'm on a budget... somewhere in the $500-600 range. I was thinking of the Tommaso Capri:
http://www.tommasobikes.com/models_capri.htm
It's a beautiful bike, and rare enough that it might turn a few heads. I was just hoping the Sora components would hold out for a few years until I could fully upgrade it to a 105/Tiara mix.

What you do you guys think? Will an 8-Speed Sora climb the San Franciscan hills as well as my Shimano 600 set?

Agree with boudreaux. Save another couple hundred bucks and buy a 105-equipped bike from the start. Why buy Sora if you already plan to throw it away? You'll save a lot of money just buying the 105 components the first time.