Groupsets, noticable difference?

[Alun]

I feel the same way. I have 53/39 on my Cannondale and find it overgeared and the jump between the rings too big. It is why I don't want to switch to compact to get the lower gears that I am looking for. I am going to put a triple on instead and might go for 50/39/30 rings.

Can you do that with your existing shifters, could get expensive

 

[Alun]

I hired a Kuota road bike in Majorca, it had Ultegra on as opposed to the 105 that I'm used to. It was a noticeably slicker, but you pays your money... etc

 

[Idoru]

Thanks for all the input guys, in the end I saved myself the £300 for other toys and bought the Defy Composite 2, rather than the Composite 1.

See attached shoddy camera phone picture.

 

[Nigelnaturist]

You don't need any speed as I have been discovering after riding gears for a few days.
Seriously though, what I dislike about all the modern groupsets is this insistence of having a massive jump between outer and inner chain rings. I have a new Ultegra on my geared bike and it is a 53 / 39, how I long for a
52 /42 or 52 / 40, even with a 12 x 25 on the back I was finding it difficult to select a comfortable gear. My old
52 / 42 / 32 triple was much friendlier and only ever used the granny in Cornwall.

I have a triple, I have just changed the 42th to 40th as I tend to spin on the 42x15 or 17 but i dont like the jump from 17 to 19 so by putting the 40th on I am using a higher gear on the back keeping much the same gear" i.e. 42x17 is close to the now 40x16, so its now a 52-40-30 and 13-14-15-16-17-19-21-23-25, the overall range is the same but its just a little easier to spin without a big jump from 17-19, I cant afford the higher groupsets but i found the change from 8sp to 9sp quite an eye opener in just what one extra gear can do.

 

[simon.r]

I have Sora on one bike and Ultegra on another. The Ultegra is noticeably slicker and smoother. I hadn't ridden the Sora equipped bike for a few weeks until last week and I'd forgotten how clunky and agricultural feeling it is. Sora's perfectly adequate, but it ain't as nice as Ultegra.

 

[Nigelnaturist]

I have been looking at higher group sets, still out of my price though I have seen some deals on some Ultegra front triples, and from what I have read, these give a front 22th range the Tiagra/105 front triples only 20th range.
I have just replace the Alivo RD I had with my older Sora (7/8sp) on to my 9sp set up and a 13-28th from 13-25th ( I replaced the 16 with a 28th, not sure If I am staying like this yet) I found more chain noise on the 13-28 set up than the 13-25. So I am tempted to get either a Tiagra or 105 RD

Edit
I dropped the 16th and put a 28th in rather than replace the 16th with a 28th

 

[totallyfixed]

I have been looking at higher group sets, still out of my price though I have seen some deals on some Ultegra front triples, and from what I have read, these give a front 22th range the Tiagra/105 front triples only 20th range.
I have just replace the Alivo RD I had with my older Sora (7/8sp) on to my 9sp set up and a 13-28th from 13-25th ( I replaced the 16 with a 28th, not sure If I am staying like this yet) I found more chain noise on the 13-28 set up than the 13-25. So I am tempted to get either a Tiagra or 105 RD

I fear you are over complicating things, one chainring, one sprocket, job done .

 

[Nigelnaturist]

I fear you are over complicating things, one chainring, one sprocket, job done .

Bog off , nothing much to mess with on one of those so that = no fun getting things to work. I like getting kit to work that maybe shouldn't, however I do like my bike to run well (unlike its owner)