Component Reliability - Road Bikes

[JimmyCarter]

So after a few years of not owning a bike I'm getting back into it on the road side.

Primarily for health/training, looking into doing some centuries, but no racing in the foreseeable future. Probably putting about 75-100 miles a week on the bike in good weather. My general question is how limited will I be by component selection?

I know relatively little about road components so trying to decide if going with Sora/Tiagra stuff is going to cause me issues later in terms of either falling apart (maybe) or general lack of upgradability (likely). For these reasons my LBS guy is trying to push me towards SRAM Apex but that's jumping up the cost of the bikes i'm looking at by a decent amount.

I'm not the biggest gear whore, and I can deal with the occassional missed shift, I just don't want component failure to keep me off the bike.

[AKPogue]

Put up your size or look around for a used bike that hasn't been raced. You will get way more value out of your money than buying a new bike. Very few people actually put too many miles on a bike to wear out anything.

[JimmyCarter]

Put up your size or look around for a used bike that hasn't been raced. You will get way more value out of your money than buying a new bike. Very few people actually put too many miles on a bike to wear out anything.

Bike size is about 54cm (as far as most of the major brands go).

I've been considering used bikes, but there's one caveat: it needs to be a somewhat "professional" purchase - I get a partial reimbursement from my company for certain health/fitness purchases, which means I need a CC receipt from a reputable dealer. The reimbursement amount is significant enough that I'd prefer to use it if possible.

[slave2gravity]

When I first got into road cycling I bought a $600 Ironhorse road bike (they make them, seriously). It had Shimano Sora with a Tiagra rear derailleur. It didn't take me more than a couple months to resent them as component group, and the bike in general for making me feel like I was being held back. Ultimately I got rid of the bike and bought a carbon road bike with Ultegra, though these days I prefer to slum around on Campy. :-)

Specific to the components, they required more adjusting than the higher end stuff (in my experience), are more difficult to get to feeling good, wear out quicker and can get flustered in quick-shifting situations. I would definitely recommend looking at Apex or Shimano 105. The other benefit of up-spec components is they're typically sold on up-spec frames. That was my other complaint about the Ironhorse.

Specialized's Allez with 105 is a solid road bike, although perhaps more than you're looking to spend (around $1,000). I also like Cannondale CAADs for budget bikes.

[bean]

You want Apex or 105.

[XtrPickels]

i'll echo bean.
Campy is good to, but not in terms of value.

[JoeStrummer]

Skip Sora and Tiagra. Seriously. I'm sure someone has ridden around the world with it but it's not a good investment.

Buy a Cannondale Alloy Synapse with 105 gruppo and be done with it. Skip Apex.

Campy Athena destroys ShimSram components at the same "level" but they don't have a true "entry" gruppo and no mass-produced bikes have Campy OEM, anyway.

[Hugh Conway]

never found a Sora/Tiagra/lowerend drivetrain/brakes kept me off the bike or held me back. Shitty wheels did. No bike product is a good investment - the entire thing is based on planned obsolescence.

Yes, you can find good deals used. There are also plenty of shitty deals, and it's a pita sorting through them. And if you aren't doing the wrenching yourself you'll spend close to the difference in $$ at a LBS

[huckbucket]

never found a Sora/Tiagra/lowerend drivetrain/brakes kept me off the bike or held me back. Shitty wheels did. No bike product is a good investment - the entire thing is based on planned obsolescence.

Yes, you can find good deals used. There are also plenty of shitty deals, and it's a pita sorting through them. And if you aren't doing the wrenching yourself you'll spend close to the difference in $$ at a LBS

Ding dong ... we have a winner. Buy 105 and invest a couple of hundred into Mavic Open Pro, 32 spoke, bomb-proof wheels. Built correctly, these wheels should never need truing and should last forever.

[marshalolson]

realistically (assuming you have a firm ceiling to what you can spend) you would be better buying the bike with lower end parts and investing the money saved into a good higher end (like $400) wheelset rather than a marginal upgrade in shifters.

it would legitimatly take you a decade or two to realize the difference between apex and tiagra at 75-100 miles a week, in terms of cash in vs. cash out. shifters and derailleurs don't jsut wear out every year or two.

the 2 most important things on a road bike are 1. the frame (and how it is fit), and 2. the wheels.

[JimmyCarter]

Thanks all. Price isn't set in stone - I started out looking in the $600-700 range and was thinking of a scott speedster S50 or cannondale synapse.

At the LBS I was looking at the Specialized Secteur Elite/Elite Apex, but that's closer to $1400. Nice bikes, just not sure if the price increase is justified given there's not much improvement to the frame/wheels, mostly just to the components. Which leads to this thread.

[InspectorGadget]

If it helps, Saturday April 30th is the Friends & Family sale at REI. I have a coupon that will save you 15% on a bicycle.

There are restrictions, but the rest of the sale looks like this:
25% off purchases of $200 or more
20% off purchases up to $199
15% off bicycles, hard-shell boats, stand-up paddle boards, GPS enabled products or personal locator beacons

REI has the alloy Synapse with 105 components.

Let me know if you would like a coupon.

[Hicks]

Skip Sora and Tiagra. Seriously. I'm sure someone has ridden around the world with it but it's not a good investment.

Buy a Cannondale Alloy Synapse with 105 gruppo and be done with it. Skip Apex.

x2

The 105 is the group with solid performance and no headaches down the road.

[Garth Bimble]

If you're in the Denver area I've got a 2006 Giant OCR1 Medium frame with 105. I'm asking $500. I don't take credit cards but I can write you a receipt...

[JimmyCarter]

If it helps, Saturday April 30th is the Friends & Family sale at REI. I have a coupon that will save you 15% on a bicycle.
REI has the alloy Synapse with 105 components.

Let me know if you would like a coupon.

That would have worked out great but I won't be around to use it this weekend (I wanted to test ride before I buy). Thanks for the offer though

If you're in the Denver area I've got a 2006 Giant OCR1 Medium frame with 105. I'm asking $500. I don't take credit cards but I
can write you a receipt...

Boston, but thanks

[InspectorGadget]

That would have worked out great but I won't be around to use it this weekend (I wanted to test ride before I buy). Thanks for the offer though

This assumes you are interested in the Synapse . . .

You can use the code online and have the bike shipped to the store for free. Go test ride a Synapse when you can, if you like the bike you will have preserved your discount by buying online Saturday. If you don't like the bike, you can return it.

Just trying to help.

[creaky fossil]

When I first got into road cycling I bought a $600 Ironhorse road bike (they make them, seriously). It had Shimano Sora with a Tiagra rear derailleur. It didn't take me more than a couple months to resent them as component group, and the bike in general for making me feel like I was being held back.

It was just a feeling. Feelings pass.

A component group won't hold you back.

However... if you hang around roadies long enough, and have ANY insecurities whatever, be advised they will detect your insecurities and play on them 24/7/365. The Roadie Psych-Out is a tradition in the leg-shaving, lycra-sporting sector. Also, roadies spend absurd amounts of time worrying about component spec and parts weights, imagining that the only thing keeping them at Cat 4 and preventing their domination of Cat 1 is the lack of enough carbon or titanium parts.

Don't let them tell you such crap. Training miles on a well-fitting bike will take you further than the most blingy 16-lb road rocket.

[slave2gravity]

It was just a feeling. Feelings pass.

A component group won't hold you back.

However... if you hang around roadies long enough, and have ANY insecurities whatever, be advised they will detect your insecurities and play on them 24/7/365. The Roadie Psych-Out is a tradition in the leg-shaving, lycra-sporting sector. Also, roadies spend absurd amounts of time worrying about component spec and parts weights, imagining that the only thing keeping them at Cat 4 and preventing their domination of Cat 1 is the lack of enough carbon or titanium parts.

Don't let them tell you such crap. Training miles on a well-fitting bike will take you further than the most blingy 16-lb road rocket.

What if you have the same training miles on a blingy 16lb well-fitting bike? Then you'd be faster, right?

I should've been more clear when I said I felt like the components were holding me back - certainly not in the typical riding around sense. The weight, etc. did not make me slower at all. But Sora / Tiagra were a serious buzz kill when you needed to respond to a sudden attack, or found yourself over geared on a big climb or spinning out on a fast descent. Missed shifts and what not ruin your flow, and for me, really really frustrating. They were also holding me back in the sense that I was always having to adjust them.

I agree with Marhsal that best bang for performance buck is a good set of wheels, but my original input was specific to the question of difference in components.

Your point about roadies is pretty dead on, too, and I'm one of them...

[Hugh Conway]

What if you have the same training miles on a blingy 16lb well-fitting bike? Then you'd be faster, right?

the well fitting part - yes
the blingy part - no

If you are spinning out... change the gearing.

[deft_funk]

I wouldn't worry too much about the lower end shimano stuff for recreational/fitness riding and an occasional century. It should be fine for that.

If you think some peppy group rides where you want to jump up and sprint around are something you might end up doing, the 105/Apex level stuff would probably be a noticeable and nice upgrade to have. Personally I'd go with the Apex, I've found the sram shifters to be more durable than shimano (and they're rebuildable in the event something happens) but either one is solid choice.

As for wheels, upgrading will make the bike lighter and feel more playful but as long as the stock ones aren't causing problems I wouldn't see a big need to upgrade. I've had some great luck with cheap and bomber (heavy) wheels that run problem free for a long time.