# C2C Sora or Tiagra



## sjhiker (May 14, 2010)

Background: I'm a longtime mountain biker and am looking for something to replace my old hybrid for long road rides on the weekends. I've nailed down my choices (from 6) to the Bianchi C2C, I'm not looking to break the bank and pretty much found that the C2C is the best fit (with the stem flipped to give me the proper reach).

So I took a long test ride (5mi) today on a Bianchi C2C 2300, and one thing that I noticed was that when stretched out (hands on the rubber shifter covers), the thumb shifter always seemed to get in the way. My natural grip would be to wrap my thumb around the cover, but with the thumb shifter I had to rest my thumb on the shifter.

I asked the LBS guy if the Sora would be any different than the 2300, and he told me it's the same thumb shifter design. I would have to upgrade to the Tiagra shifters with a Sora component group if all I wanted was the upgraded shifters. He mentioned that the shifters are typically the most expensive component to upgrade. So here is my question:

While i had zero intention of spending more than the entry level bike, the Bianchi C2C Tiagra is a few hundred more, is it worth it to wait a few months to save up for the C2C Tiagra?


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## lucer0 (Apr 13, 2007)

Tiagra is functionally the same as the higher groups - clunkier, heavier, but essentially the same mechanism. Sora kinda blows.


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## ph0enix (Aug 12, 2009)

I say go with Sora, put a couple thousand miles on the bike. If you feel the need to upgrade at that point, go with 105. No point in "upgrading" to Tiagra, IMO.

The rubber shifter covers are called "the hoods".

J.


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## sjhiker (May 14, 2010)

So then why not just start with Tiagra? Or is there a huge difference between Tiagra and 105?


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## Salsa_Lover (Jul 6, 2008)

Get 105 from the beginning if you can afford it.

105 is good, Sora and Tiagra are cheap


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## sjhiker (May 14, 2010)

I understand that there are functional differences between Sora and Tiagra (the thumb shifters), but could you provide some insight into why you think the 105 is better than the Tiagra?


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## ph0enix (Aug 12, 2009)

105 is a higher end groupset It's a proven system that has been around for a long time and has improved over the years. My understanding is that it uses less plastic parts than Tiagra or Sora and functionally it's as good as Ultegra or Dura Ace - just heavier. Also, take a look at this:
http://www.bikecyclingreviews.com/105_or_Tiagra.html


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## sjhiker (May 14, 2010)

Yeah, I read that just before your post. Most people said that both Tiagra/105 felt the same but that 105 was a 10speed set while the Sora/Tiagra component set was 9 speed.


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## rjgarcia (Apr 10, 2010)

I went through this just over a month ago and ended up with the 105. I was able to find a 2009 which saved me a couple hundred bucks over the current model, so that helped me make the jump from the Tiagra.

I know it is a tough choice as this is my first road bike as well, but if you think you will be doing a lot of riding or sticking with it for a while, then it is much easier to spend a little more now to upgrade than it is later.

-Robert


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