Apex or Tiagra

[Iain p]

Evening all,

I am seriously looking at buying a ribble. Now the question is do i go for the apex or tiagra groupset?

I am leaning towards the apex but i would like some reviews on the double tap , and what it is like to use.

Cheers Iain

 

[Howard]

You'll get used to it. I guess the more interesting thing about Apex is the crazy gear ratios available from the double chainring and wide ratio cassette. If this is something you need, it would easily swing it Apex's way. I also have a suspicion that Apex is cut above Tiagra in terms of quality. But just a suspicion.

 

[eldudino]

Apex all the way, it's pitched around the 105 mark but is lighter and faster according to Cycling Plus. I'd go with Apex every time. Double taps don't take that long to sus out and I prefer the positive braking you get from a single pivot lever.

 

[Garz]

You'll get used to it. I guess the more interesting thing about Apex is the crazy gear ratios available from the double chainring and wide ratio cassette. If this is something you need, it would easily swing it Apex's way. I also have a suspicion that Apex is cut above Tiagra in terms of quality. But just a suspicion.

+1

I think it leans towards fact than suspicion though Howard.

 

[Iain p]

Cheers for replys . Now all i need to do is get my hand in my pocket.
Not easy for a yorkshire man .

 

[Judderz]

What are double taps?? Never had a single dealing with SRAM components in my life....

 

[Howard]

What are double taps?? Never had a single dealing with SRAM components in my life....

It's a reference to how you shift using SRAM STIs. There's a single shift leaver on the STI, and you push it half way to initiate an upshift, and push it the full way to initiate a downshift. I think

 

[Deleted member 1258]

What are double taps?? Never had a single dealing with SRAM components in my life....

First click on the leaver upshifts, if you nudge the leaver a second time as soon as you hear the first click it clicks again and downshifts. I've got sram rival on my Kilmeston and its very good.

 

[User482]

You need to decide if the SRAM gear shifting system is something you like - it seems to be a bit "marmite"

I also hear the reports that SRAM chainsets aren't as well made as Shimano, but that may not be true at Tiagra level.

 

[cyberknight]

I am in a similar dilemma..

Looking at apex it sounds great on paper as you can have a dinner plate gear for climbing and a lot of reviews compare them to be close to 105 for quality .
However i am concerned about servicing /repair as i am not sure that the LBS will be used to working on sram so do i plump for shimano which is fairly commonplace and might be easier to get parts for?

 

[eldudino]

My LBS has no problem servicing Sram, I don't think that should be a concern at all really. Any LBS worth their salt will know what to do. Ask Scoosh for parts availability - he managed to brake a paddle and got it replaced pretty quickly. FYI, Shimano don't provide spares for their shifters!

 

[Trickydicky]

I am in a similar dilemma..

Looking at apex it sounds great on paper as you can have a dinner plate gear for climbing and a lot of reviews compare them to be close to 105 for quality .
However i am concerned about servicing /repair as i am not sure that the LBS will be used to working on sram so do i plump for shimano which is fairly commonplace and might be easier to get parts for?

Shim and SRAM are interchangeable and have the same indexing. so parts are easy to come by.

 

[cyberknight]

Cheers !

I was not sure and i am still deciding what to buy , do i go for a bike that will be a bit cheaper but still a lot better than what i have or push the boat out.

Money is a factor as i have to justify to SWMBO that spending another £150 on a bike to gain 1 more sprocket on the cassette is worth it .

I have a choice of a 9 speed sora or 10 speed apex , i do not race and i hardly use the drops .The bikes are otherwise pretty much identical with the same frame ,geometry ,wheels etc.
It is hard for me to listen to my heart that says "get the more expensive bike " when my head says " the cheaper bike" has all i will realistically need " and i can have a bit for locks etc as well.

 

[Trickydicky]

Cheers !

I was not sure and i am still deciding what to buy , do i go for a bike that will be a bit cheaper but still a lot better than what i have or push the boat out.

Money is a factor as i have to justify to SWMBO that spending another £150 on a bike to gain 1 more sprocket on the cassette is worth it .

I have a choice of a 9 speed sora or 10 speed apex , i do not race and i hardly use the drops .The bikes are otherwise pretty much identical with the same frame ,geometry ,wheels etc.
It is hard for me to listen to my heart that says "get the more expensive bike " when my head says " the cheaper bike" has all i will realistically need " and i can have a bit for locks etc as well.

but then surly the q's goes back why do u need 9 and not 8 like the 2300?
Also from my understanding groupset will all because 10 speed before the bikes life is over. So therefore it will start being difficult to get parts for sora 9 speed.

 

[GrasB]

Shim and SRAM are interchangeable and have the same indexing. so parts are easy to come by.

SRAM shifters & mechs aren't interchangeable*. So while the consumables: brake pads, chains, cassettes, etc are interchangeable you need to run SRAM or Shimano when it comes to the mechanics.

* I know this isn't quite true but let's not complicate things.