Upgrading a group set

[Nearly there]

My bike has 9 speed tiagra group set but im thinking of stepping up to either 105 or ultragera but i dont have hundreds of pounds at my disposal so how do you upgrade bit by bit which bits do you get first? and can you add bits and mix in with the tiagra?or do you need to collect the full set before putting on ya bike,any links would be handy too.

 

[Rob3rt]

Generally (but not always) you can use the brakes, chainset and mechs. But when you change the cassette you will also have to change the shifters.

 

[Nearly there]

Generally (but not always) you can use the brakes, chainset and mechs. But when you change the cassette you will also have to change the shifters.

I've noticed some bikes come with mixed components so I could put on a 50/34 crankset front derailer rear derailer brake calipers before 10 speed shifters and cassette?

 

[Rob3rt]

Generally yes.

You would need to already have a shifter that caters to the number of chainrings on the new chainset though, i.e. compact/double or triple.

 

[accountantpete]

You can more or less mix anything within the same speed group - ie 9spd Ultegra will fit 9 speed Tiagra.

However I find that the differences are pretty minimal - shifting gets a bit nicer but the weight losses don't do that much TBH

Upgrading up a speed is a bit more complicated but worthwhile IMHO.

As Rob says -you will need new Shifters and a new Cassette and possibly a 10 speed chain -- the rest of the 9 spd kit should work.

 

[Nearly there]

So is it really worth upgrading 9 speed tiagra to 10 speed ultragera? my current set up is 50/34 12-27 and works fine

 

[Rob3rt]

I would consider SRAM Force.

 

[Hacienda71]

You won't go any faster changing from 9 to 10 speed if the max and minimum gear ratios are the same. You may find you run through the gears slightly smoother, but only slightly. My 9 speed bike is slightly slower up hills than my ten speed bike because the ten speed weighs less but that is down to the wheels, frame and other bits rather than how many gears are on the rear cassette. On the flat the speed is virtually identical. The main thing I like about my Sram 10 speed groupset is that the cables are all hidden rather than just the brake as is the case on my 9 speed Tiagra bike, but that is just me being a ponce.

 

[Nearly there]

I think ill just upgrade as parts wear out cheers

 

[Rob3rt]

The benefit of more speeds is not really noticeable as far as the extremes go, it is more noticeable in the closer spacing of the cassette meaning you can maintain an optimum cadence more effectively. None essential, none revolutionary, but nice.

 

[Nearly there]

I do find shifting on my 12-26 cassette smoother than the 12-27

 

[Moodyman]

I think ill just upgrade as parts wear out cheers

Good idea. So long as your gears are set up right there is very minimal performance difference that a mere mortal can tell.