Sora vs. Tiagra

(Viatl Info) said:

Greetings,

I am only interested in getting a decent workout, do you guys
think Tiagra components offer advantages over Sora? I do not
think 8- and 9-speed are that different. I am new to this and
do not want to spend much, but if Tiagra does give better
performance (what is performance anyway? :-), I do not mind
paying more.

For example, between the Giant OCR 3 and OCR 2... What is the
big deal?

Thanks.

-MK

Hi, there are numerous differences, between the two, but seeing as the
norm is becoming 10 speed, 8 speed will be much more limiting. With
the 9 speed Tiagra, you will have many more options for upgrades and
regular maintenance. A good example is chains, there are more varities
of 9 speed chain, in more price ranges. Cassettes in 9 are available
in many price ranges from, I believe Hg-50 all the way to Dura-Ace,
there are also other brands that will work with 9-speed. It is mainly
that your options are greater.

One other consideration is that the shifters are different, the
Tiagras are the same style as all Shimano 9 speed, while the Sora
brifters are the only model configured that way, by Shimano.

As far as performance goes,that may be subjective. There are two
options 9 will allow, a wider gear range or a tighter one. Both have
their advantages.

Go with the Tiagra, if you become serious about biking, you will be
glad you did.

Life is Good!
Jeff

Jeff Starr said:

Hi, there are numerous differences, between the two, but seeing as the
norm is becoming 10 speed, 8 speed will be much more limiting. With
the 9 speed Tiagra, you will have many more options for upgrades and
regular maintenance. A good example is chains, there are more varities
of 9 speed chain, in more price ranges. Cassettes in 9 are available
in many price ranges from, I believe Hg-50 all the way to Dura-Ace,
there are also other brands that will work with 9-speed. It is mainly
that your options are greater.

One other consideration is that the shifters are different, the
Tiagras are the same style as all Shimano 9 speed, while the Sora
brifters are the only model configured that way, by Shimano.

As far as performance goes,that may be subjective. There are two
options 9 will allow, a wider gear range or a tighter one. Both have
their advantages.

Go with the Tiagra, if you become serious about biking, you will be
glad you did.

Life is Good!
Jeff

I agree, Tiagra is mostly better because of the upgrade path. To upgrade a bike with Sora components can be cost prohibitive. If you only looking for a workout and nothing more, Sora will be fine. Using a triple chainring will give you plenty of gears to choose from. However, if you ever decide to start racing you'll be better off with Tiagra or higher. The upgrade path is easier and the shifters make's a big difference in racing.

Dan.

Thanks.

I may not want to upgrade. Not a big fan of over-engineering.

However, if Sora is on the way out, and availability could be an issue,
I would avoid it.

BanditManDan <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Jeff Starr said:

Hi, there are numerous differences, between the two, but seeing as the
norm is becoming 10 speed, 8 speed will be much more limiting. With
the 9 speed Tiagra, you will have many more options for upgrades and
regular maintenance. A good example is chains, there are more varities
of 9 speed chain, in more price ranges. Cassettes in 9 are available
in many price ranges from, I believe Hg-50 all the way to Dura-Ace,
there are also other brands that will work with 9-speed. It is mainly
that your options are greater.

One other consideration is that the shifters are different, the
Tiagras are the same style as all Shimano 9 speed, while the Sora
brifters are the only model configured that way, by Shimano.

As far as performance goes,that may be subjective. There are two
options 9 will allow, a wider gear range or a tighter one. Both have
their advantages.

Go with the Tiagra, if you become serious about biking, you will be
glad you did.

Life is Good!
Jeff

I agree, Tiagra is mostly better because of the upgrade path. To
upgrade a bike with Sora components can be cost prohibitive. If you
only looking for a workout and nothing more, Sora will be fine. Using
a triple chainring will give you plenty of gears to choose from.
However, if you ever decide to start racing you'll be better off with
Tiagra or higher. The upgrade path is easier and the shifters make's a
big difference in racing.

Dan.

(Viatl Info) said:

Thanks.

I may not want to upgrade. Not a big fan of over-engineering.

However, if Sora is on the way out, and availability could be an issue,
I would avoid it.

My understanding is get the best you can afford on the initial purchase,
b/c in the long run you spend more trying to upgrade - IOW it's not really
worth it to upgrade.

You can get past some of this if you take your time and ride several bikes
and make sure you know the options, and fit you want. Some ppl probably buy
too soon and then realize a month later they should have gotten something
else.

Check out the bar shifters on those two and see if one is noticeably
smoother or whatever. The better shifters may be more durable, shift more
postively for your taste.

-B

Quoted message said:

BanditManDan <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Jeff Starr said:

Hi, there are numerous differences, between the two, but seeing as the
norm is becoming 10 speed, 8 speed will be much more limiting. With
the 9 speed Tiagra, you will have many more options for upgrades and
regular maintenance. A good example is chains, there are more varities
of 9 speed chain, in more price ranges. Cassettes in 9 are available
in many price ranges from, I believe Hg-50 all the way to Dura-Ace,
there are also other brands that will work with 9-speed. It is mainly
that your options are greater.

One other consideration is that the shifters are different, the
Tiagras are the same style as all Shimano 9 speed, while the Sora
brifters are the only model configured that way, by Shimano.

As far as performance goes,that may be subjective. There are two
options 9 will allow, a wider gear range or a tighter one. Both have
their advantages.

Go with the Tiagra, if you become serious about biking, you will be
glad you did.

Life is Good!
Jeff

I agree, Tiagra is mostly better because of the upgrade path. To
upgrade a bike with Sora components can be cost prohibitive. If you
only looking for a workout and nothing more, Sora will be fine. Using
a triple chainring will give you plenty of gears to choose from.
However, if you ever decide to start racing you'll be better off with
Tiagra or higher. The upgrade path is easier and the shifters make's a
big difference in racing.

Dan.

Context lost to top-posting. Sigh.

Viatl Info said:

Thanks.

I may not want to upgrade. Not a big fan of over-engineering.

However, if Sora is on the way out, and availability could be an issue,
I would avoid it.

For not much more money, you could also do 105, which will
supposedly last longer than Tiagra. Replace your chains on time, and
you should get more miles out of 105 components than out of Tiagra.

The next step up is Ultegra, which is looking to be the sweet spot
now that Dura $pend is the new top-of-the-line.

--
Chris BeHanna
Software Engineer (Remove "allspammersmustdie" before responding.)
[email hidden]
I was raised by a pack of wild corn dogs.

Chris BeHanna said:

For not much more money, you could also do 105, which will
supposedly last longer than Tiagra. Replace your chains on time, and
you should get more miles out of 105 components than out of Tiagra.

Why is this, what do you base these claims on? What will fail on
Tiagra, that will keep going on 105?

Quoted message said:

The next step up is Ultegra, which is looking to be the sweet spot
now that Dura $pend is the new top-of-the-line.

I'm no expert on Shimano, but hasn't Dura-Ace been Shimano's
"top-of-the-line" for many years?

We have an OP who isn't sure he wants to step up from 8-speed Sora to
9-sspeed Tiagra. Depending upon his frame size requirement, if he
happens to be on one of the extremes, he may find a closeout bike that
would make 105 worth considering. Otherwise, benefits like lighter
weight and better finish, won't be of much interest.

To the OP, I would say that, even though upgrading seems like
something you would not do, that may change. Three years ago, I was
content on a then 25 year old bike. Then I found that I loved riding.
I got a mostly Tiagra equiped LeMond. I choose the LeMond because of
its steel frame, with the components being secondary to choice of
frame
Afterabout 1200 miles,and although unnecessary, I upgraded the
components to mostly Dura-Ace 9-speed triple.
I replaced the bars and seatpost with Easton carbon fiber. I had a
set of wheels hand built by Peter at Vecchio's. I wanted the best
bike, that I could afford, that was built up of parts of my own
choosing. I did the work myself, which taught me a lot and made the
bike even more my own. . I should mention, that besides Dura-Ace being
the lightest,most refined, it also has the best warranty.

Life is Good!
Jeff

Life is Good!
Jeff

Chris BeHanna said:

For not much more money, you could also do 105, which will
supposedly last longer than Tiagra. Replace your chains on time, and
you should get more miles out of 105 components than out of Tiagra.

Why is this, what do you base these claims on? What will fail on
Tiagra, that will keep going on 105?

Quoted message said:

The next step up is Ultegra, which is looking to be the sweet spot
now that Dura $pend is the new top-of-the-line.

I'm no expert on Shimano, but hasn't Dura-Ace been Shimano's
"top-of-the-line" for many years?

We have an OP who isn't sure he wants to step up from 8-speed Sora to
9-sspeed Tiagra. Depending upon his frame size requirement, if he
happens to be on one of the extremes, he may find a closeout bike that
would make 105 worth considering. Otherwise, benefits like lighter
weight and better finish, won't be of much interest.

To the OP, I would say that, even though upgrading seems like
something you would not do, that may change. Three years ago, I was
content on a then 25 year old bike. Then I found that I loved riding.
I got a mostly Tiagra equiped LeMond. I choose the LeMond because of
its steel frame, with the components being secondary to choice of
frame
Afterabout 1200 miles,and although unnecessary, I upgraded the
components to mostly Dura-Ace 9-speed triple.
I replaced the bars and seatpost with Easton carbon fiber. I had a
set of wheels hand built by Peter at Vecchio's. I wanted the best
bike, that I could afford, that was built up of parts of my own
choosing. I did the work myself, which taught me a lot and made the
bike even more my own. . I should mention, that besides Dura-Ace being
the lightest,most refined, it also has the best warranty.

Life is Good!
Jeff

Life is Good!
Jeff

[email hidden] (Viatl Info) wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Thanks.

I may not want to upgrade. Not a big fan of over-engineering.

It's not so much a matter of over-engineering as it is one of cost of
replacement parts vs cost of component groups sold as part of a new
bike.

The most expensive replacement part - the shifters - are also the part
(along with the rear derailleur) that's reputed to wear out faster in
the Sora line than in the higher models. (My personal experience bears
this out, as does other anecdotal evidence, but I doubt there's a
statistical source for this.)

You can pay $120-140 for replacement Sora shifters. 105 shifters are
only $40-60 more. 105s are a direct replacement for Tiagra, but not
for Sora.

Even assuming you are handy enough to replace your own shifters, when
the time comes to replace the Soras you'll be faced with paying a lot
for a new set of low-end-shifters when, had you started with Tiagra,
you could now pay a little bit more for much better ones -- and if
you're paying for the labor, it's even more painful, because the
installation costs are the same either way. Plus, you're doing it
sooner because the Sora shifters wore out sooner.

There's nothing wrong with Sora for an entry level bike, but I
wouldn't recommend it for anyone who plans to keep a bike a long time
and/or ride a lot of miles. You can save money and get a better bike
in the long run by moving up the line on your initial purchase.
Personally, I think 105 represents the "sweet spot" -- maximum
price/performance ratio -- in Shimano's line. A good 105 bike, which
can often be fount for $900 or so, can be a bike with no real
weaknesses and no noticeable compromises.

Quoted message said:

However, if Sora is on the way out, and availability could be an issue,
I would avoid it.

I don't think parts availability, per se, is really an issue. You can
find parts for almost any bike, and replacement for mainstream Shimano
components will remain available for decades. But they won't
necessarily be cheap.

RichC

Jeff Starr said:

Chris BeHanna said:

For not much more money, you could also do 105, which will
supposedly last longer than Tiagra. Replace your chains on time, and
you should get more miles out of 105 components than out of Tiagra.

Why is this, what do you base these claims on? What will fail on
Tiagra, that will keep going on 105?

Brifters, according to my LBS.

--
Chris BeHanna
Software Engineer (Remove "allspammersmustdie" before responding.)
[email hidden]
I was raised by a pack of wild corn dogs.

Viatl Info said:

I am only interested in getting a decent workout, do you guys
think Tiagra components offer advantages over Sora? I do not

Aside from the obvious 8 vs. 9 issue, you might want to give the
shifters a try, in case you clearly prefer one model over another.

Sheldon had some nice things to say about Sora. Here's some reading for
you:

<http://groups.google.ca/groups?th=258e268eb204a862>
<http://groups.google.ca/groups?th=2c280d90b19d7e54>
<http://groups.google.ca/groups?selm=rcousine-056F3A.01520502082003%40morgoth.sfu.ca>

Quoted message said:

do not want to spend much, but if Tiagra does give better
performance (what is performance anyway? :-), I do not mind

Good luck figuring that out.

Wisdom dictates that as you move to a higher group, components will be
lighter and/or last longer and/or be easier to adjust and/or require
less fiddling over time and/or just plain work better. Unfortunately, I
have yet to see an objective comparison between Shimano's various
groups, aside from the usual "my bike is all Ultegra cuz Tiagra sucks"
rants. And Shimano's marketspeak doesn't help one bit on that matter.
(You'd think they would at least *try* to justify spending more money
on, say, Ultegra.)

--
Frederic Briere <*> [email hidden]

=> <[email hidden]> IS NO MORE: <http://www.abacomsucks.com> <=