Sora?

JDTPumps said:

A friend of mine keeps bugging me to find him a decent road bike (59/60cm) I have looked on r.b.m.
, eBay and some other sites. His budget is $500, which rules out anything modern campy or sti
beyond RSX.

RSX has been extinct for several years.

Quoted message said:

I have noticed a lot of inexpensive new bikes (500-600) tha use Sora. I haven't ridden it myself.
Any opinions or recommendations?

Sora is the group that replaced RSX, works great, highly recommended. Personally, I prefer the Sora
brifters to the more expensive Shimano ones, due to their better ergonomics. They work more like
Campagnolo than like the other Shimano stuff. The also have the unique featuer of adjustable brake
reach, but that won't likely matter to somebody who rides a frame that large.

Sheldon "Good Stuff Cheap" Brown +-------------------------------------------------------------+
| I'm only a beer teetotaller, not a champagne teetotaller. | --George Bernard Shaw |
+-------------------------------------------------------------+ Harris Cyclery, West Newton,
Massachusetts Phone 617-244-9772 FAX 617-244-1041 harriscyclery.comharriscyclery.comOpen ↗ Hard-to-find parts
shipped Worldwide captainbike.comcaptainbike.comOpen ↗ sheldonbrown.comsheldonbrown.comOpen ↗

Capt Bike-<< Sora is the group that replaced RSX, works great, highly recommended. Personally, I
prefer the Sora brifters to the more expensive Shimano ones, due to their better ergonomics. They
work more like Campagnolo than like the other Shimano stuff. The also have the unique featuer of
adjustable brake reach, but that won't likely matter to somebody who rides a frame that large.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

<BR><BR>

BUT it should be mentioned that it is not possible to shift to smaller gears or smaller rings,
via the Sora thumb button, while the rider's hands are in the handlebar drops, too far
away...just for info-

Peter Chisholm Vecchio's Bicicletteria 1833 Pearl St. Boulder, CO, 80302
(303)440-3535 vecchios.comvecchios.comOpen ↗ "Ruote convenzionali costruite eccezionalmente bene"

In article said:

A friend of mine keeps bugging me to find him a decent road bike (59/60cm) I have looked on r.b.m.
, eBay and some other sites. His budget is $500, which rules out anything modern campy or sti
beyond RSX.

In a $500 budget you could get a used Campy-equipped (Mirage or Veloce) bike, such as a Bianchi
Eros. Unfortunately there are not usually a lot of them for sale, Shimano-equipped bikes being so
much more common.

Quoted message said:

I have noticed a lot of inexpensive new bikes (500-600) tha use Sora. I haven't ridden it myself.
Any opinions or recommendations?

I have used it, it works fine, and as you see, there are not many choices for parts on new bikes at
that price point (except that some will have substituted cheaper cranks or Tektro brakes or
off-brand hubs).

--Paul

In article <[email hidden]>, Qui si parla Campagnolo

Quoted message said:

Capt Bike-<< Sora is the group that replaced RSX, works great, highly recommended. Personally, I
prefer the Sora brifters to the more expensive Shimano ones, due to their better ergonomics. They
work more like Campagnolo than like the other Shimano stuff. The also have the unique featuer of
adjustable brake reach, but that won't likely matter to somebody who rides a frame that large.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

<BR><BR>

BUT it should be mentioned that it is not possible to shift to smaller gears or smaller rings,
via the Sora thumb button, while the rider's hands are in the handlebar drops, too far
away...just for info-

In my experience, this is simply untrue. (I do have somewhat long thumbs, but I'm no
physiological freak.)

As a Sora owner, I concur with Sheldon's comment about ergonomics, and would encourage the original
poster to give it a try.

--
Marc Dionne, Ph.D. | [email hidden] | (650) 724-8064 Schneider lab, Microbiology and
Immunology, Stanford University

"Marc Dionne" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

In article <[email hidden]>, Qui si parla Campagnolo
<[email hidden]> wrote:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

BUT it should be mentioned that it is not possible to shift to smaller

gears

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

or smaller rings, via the Sora thumb button, while the rider's hands are in

the

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

handlebar drops, too far away...just for info-

In my experience, this is simply untrue. (I do have somewhat long thumbs, but I'm no
physiological freak.)

I find it a little inconvenient, but can just about stretch up to them. How much of your time is
spend on the drops and wanting to change anyway? I spend a lot of time on the hoods, and so does
everyone I ever see out training - from where they are very very convenient.

Quoted message said:

As a Sora owner, I concur with Sheldon's comment about ergonomics, and would encourage the
original poster to give it a try.

They might not be the best, but they work very well.

(JDTPumps) said:

I have noticed a lot of inexpensive new bikes (500-600) tha use Sora. I haven't ridden it myself.
Any opinions or recommendations? Bill Taylor

I put 5000+ miles on a Sora equipped Trek 1000 before I moved up due to the 1000 being too small.

The Sora group worked great for me. Sora is 8 speed, vs. the rest of Shimano's 9 speed road groups.
The shifters are a bit different, with a button, rather than a paddle, for shifting in one
direction.

I wouldn't worry at all about Sora, the quality of the wheels on the bikes in that price range is
worth more energy.

Barry

In article said:

In article <[email hidden]>, Qui si parla Campagnolo

Quoted message said:

Capt Bike-<< Sora is the group that replaced RSX, works great, highly recommended. Personally, I
prefer the Sora brifters to the more expensive Shimano ones, due to their better ergonomics. They
work more like Campagnolo than like the other Shimano stuff. The also have the unique featuer of
adjustable brake reach, but that won't likely matter to somebody who rides a frame that large.

Quoted message said:

><BR><BR>

BUT it should be mentioned that it is not possible to shift to smaller gears or smaller rings,
via the Sora thumb button, while the rider's hands are in the handlebar drops, too far
away...just for info-

In my experience, this is simply untrue. (I do have somewhat long thumbs, but I'm no
physiological freak.)

I could shift Sora with the thumb, but it is a long reach compared to shifting Campy with the thumb
while in the drops. My fingers and toes are long enough to have their own sideshow.