Anybody any opinions on Shimano Sora ???

BUACHAILL

Just wondering if anybody is using this set up and if so how you are finding it ??

Cheers

beans

I do on my commuter, it's never let me down in normal operation (so far). I have broken two mechs over the past 5 years, but they've been cheap to replace.

While functionally grand, I'm sure you can find sexier/hardier/more expensive derailleurs which will be crisper, smoother, lighter etc.

penexpers

Sora is generally seen as being nearly bottom of the line. I've never used it but the thumb shifters would probably annoy the hell out of me.

blorg

I had it on a Trek 1000 a few years ago. Found it very reliable and shifted well. It's the second-from bottom road group (used to be bottom, before 2200) but like all Shimano stuff it is well put together. I now have 105 9sp, Ultegra 10sp and Ultegra SL 10sp.

Chips Lovell

There was some discussion about Sora here before.

I've never used it myself, but hear varying opinions. Some find it fine, others find it goes out of tune very easily.

I think the general rule of thumb is the more you ride and the harder you ride, the more value you will find in a higher end groupset.

zzzzzzzz

Funny this should pop up here now. This is what came on my trek 1.2 as standard. I can't really say I know much better, seeing as I only took up cycling in January but I'm thinking about upgrading.

I dropped the bike in to Joe Daly's after a while to get the cables tightened or whatever becuase it was slipping in big gears which I understand is normal.

Anyway, it was grand for a bit but now it's slipping again. Also, now it seems to be a bit slow to react once i change gear. It doesn't shift for a few seconds and then eventually jumps up.

Maybe it just wasn't adjusted correctly by Joe Daly (his son was on Holidays, i think he usually looks after the service) but it seems like it's a bit too tempermental.

What kind of money should I look at spending on a groupset? Or should I just stick with the Sora? Anyone reccommend anything else not too dear?

penexpers

If you want to upgrade your groupset, I wouldn't look at anything under 105. A full 10 speed 105 groupset is around 400-450 euro.

Chips Lovell

aidan.offbeat wrote: »

What kind of money should I look at spending on a groupset? Or should I just stick with the Sora? Anyone reccommend anything else not too dear?

Depends on what you can afford really. As penexpers said, I'd start looking at 105 or if you want to try Campag, Veloce. If you've more pennies than that to spare, you could buy a nicer one and take it with you if and when you decide to upgrade your frame. Then again, both Campag and Shimano are updating their top end stuff this year, so if you did go more expensive, you wouldn't have the latest and greatest for long. If that didn't bother you, its a good time to buy as dealers get rid of their old stock.

beans

Also, Campag parts are all groupset-interchangable - I don't think this is the case Shimano, but I'm open to correction

blorg

beans wrote: »

Also, Campag parts are all groupset-interchangable - I don't think this is the case Shimano, but I'm open to correction

The current Shimano 10-speed stuff (105, Ultegra/SL, Dura-Ace) is all interchangeable. New Dura-Ace 7900 is _not_ however compatible or interchangeable with current Dura-Ace 7800 (or Ultegra/105 for that matter.)

zzzzzzzz

Cheers for the advice.

I reckon i'll flute around with the Sora, see if i can get it a bit better. I'm sure it's grand and just needs a bit of a tweak...

Might upgrade in a few months.

BUACHAILL

would i be right in saying that the Sora is not rubbish ?? i realise not high end by any means but good enough as a starter ??

cheers

beans

It'll work alright. Like I said, it ain't the prettiest, lightest, hardiest mechanism out there, but there hasn't been a day of commuting in 5 years where I've thrown my bike to the ground with cries of 'Damn you Soooooooraaaaaaa'

I'm guessing it requires as much or more fine-tuning than other mechs, but even this is fairly routine. I have a 2200 front-derailleur on the same bike, now that is rubbish (or else I just can't get it to stay in tune)

BUACHAILL

can i ask you Beans what Pedalling system you have on your bike ?

beans

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/ProductDetail.aspx?Cat=cycle&ProdID=5360022277&N=Time%20Atac%20Alium%20Pedals

I use the above Time pedals on my commuter (Specialized Sirrus). Easy to use, SPD type cleats needed, I would recommend for a get-around but maybe not necessarily for longer spins? I find some hot-spots can occur, but this may be the shoes/pedalling style/many other stuffs.

BUACHAILL

Yeah nice looking pedals

i am unsure of what i need, i put out a thread on it yesterday
i am doing mainly long spins, bought myself an average bike hence with sora setup but need a good pedal system and dont know what is best for me

beans

I'm in a similar situation actually - I need to select pedals for a new road-bike with long-distance comfort in mind. Lots of conflicting reviews so far, hard to find one pedal system that gets universal acclaim.

I'll probably stick with the Atac for now

BUACHAILL

yeah same story

everybody has mixed opinions, none grabbing bull by horns so to speak
i suppose its just personal preference

blorg

I would get SPDs for your situation. Beans' Time pedals would be fine either, SPD is just more common. Most important thing is that the shoes are walkable, which is handy for commuting etc. Double-sided is a plus if you are clipping in/out at traffic lights etc.

BUACHAILL

i wont really need to be walking in them and to be honest where i am there is little or no lights to be worried about, double sided is a good option though

Harpz

My two cents on sora,

I have it on my entry level racer. Its fine its cheap its not the best but its functional. The weight doesnt bother me at all as im carrying 10 kilo in excess flesh.
So far i have had no problems. The tuning of the gears is the most important thing. I've heard some nasty crunching of gears on my (few) cycles with guys who have much higher end gears whereas my sora gears are (so far) changing sweetly and cleanly.

To conclude I think sora are good.
That said as soon as I have the money im getting a nicer bike.

Bicyclegadabout

Harpz wrote: »

My two cents on sora,

I have it on my entry level racer. Its fine its cheap its not the best but its functional. The weight doesnt bother me at all as im carrying 10 kilo in excess flesh.
So far i have had no problems. The tuning of the gears is the most important thing. I've heard some nasty crunching of gears on my (few) cycles with guys who have much higher end gears whereas my sora gears are (so far) changing sweetly and cleanly.

To conclude I think sora are good.
That said as soon as I have the money im getting a nicer bike.

Gotta second this.

psycholist

cheap , not much of an upgrade
fairly crap to be honest