Sora vs Tiagra

I bought a Tiagra-equipped bike over 4 years ago. I discounted Sora after reading too many disparaging comments about the shifting button. The 105 version of the same bike was over £200 more and, having tried 105 and Tiagra, there wasn't anything in it (and I didn't need the extra gear).

Having since bought a bike with 105 groupset I'd say the shifting is crisper but not necessarily better. I've been out for a 2 hour ride on the 'old' bike (I'd guess it has clocked about 10,000 miles by now) and the smooth, silky shifting was as effective as it was when the bike was new.

One option is to buy the Sora bike. If you find the shifters piss you off then get hold of a pair of Tiagra 9 speed (4500 series) shifters. There are some still around though technically it has been superseded by the incompatible 10 speed version.

However, it's far more important that you buy a bike that fulfils these two criteria:
1) it fits you properly
2) you really like it
so I think you already know which one you should buy

i've got sora on my current bike. I bought it 2 years ago, like you, not knowing whether I would get into road cycling.

Although the cost of shimano 105 may seem a lot to you, it is *definitely* worth spending the money on it. I wouldn't bother with either tiagra or sora. They're quite clunky.

Worst case scenario is you can put the whole bike on ebay if you're really not into it. But 99.9% of people will get bitten by the bug and you'll be looking to upgrade later!

...unless you buy last years models which will have 9 speed tiagra.

DO NOT go for Sora.

Tiagra is 10 speed now, which means as well as the better style of shifters, you are buying compatibility with all the higher rungs of the Shimano range and can upgrade piece by piece over time.

Buy Sora and you'll be stuck with it unless you upgrade the entire groupset at once (£££).

The sti shifter position can be a pain on the sora / 2300 set up.

Although, if like me, when you get your first road bike its less of an issue ad you are generally on the hoods. As you progress and improve then you use the drops more and more so unless you have amazingly long thumbs the upshift means moving your hand (not ideal when going downhill fast ).

I would always say get the best frame you can for your money. However if you want to spend once and have a bike for a while without spending on new bike or upgrades then I would save a bit longer and opt for the tiagra shifters.

Don't forget to have a test ride if possible too.

Hope it works out for you.

Personally I really dislike the way the STI shifters work on Sora. I'd say go Tiagra. There's more of a jump in quality between Sora - Tiagra than Tiagra - 105.

I've stuck thousands of miles onto a Tiagra equipped bike, and it's been very reliable.

But its his first road bike. Stick to the sora and save yourself some cash, you never know, you might not like being a roadie.

If you do and have an Allez, you can save some cash and jump straight past Tiagra and go for 105 or above

Hi,

In my opinion I would spend the extra on the tiagra, I had the same dilemma and went fit the sora, which I am already looking at changing after 6 months! If I could go back I would have gone for tiagra from the off.

Mark

To be totally honest, there isn't a big leap from Sora to Tiagra, apart from the one noticeable difference being the STi shifters.

Get a frame thats comfortable for you, components can be changed as and when needed, the frame is the most important thing