Which Shimano groupset

[Wingnuts]

Hi,

I'm about to join our work cycle scheme and have been given £1000 to spend on a bike and equipment.
I have decided to go for a Bianchi c2c Nirome 7, but I have three choices of groupset, Shimano Sora (£810), Tiagra (£1050) or Campangnola (£1000).

Can anyone advise me which is the best option from the above, and why, or, as reconmended by a friend Shimano 105, if the 105 what price do you think it would come in at?

Or any advise you may think important.

Thanks in advance,

Wingnuts

 

[AndyRM]

Sora is Shimano's basic groupset, Tiagra is a step up, and then 105. With each, you'll get an incrementally improved performance in shifting (and cachet).

Assuming it's a Campag Veloce groupset as that's what was on mine and I never had any problems with it. As it's an Italian bike, it's really the only option!

 

[AndyRM]

Also, I'm not sure that you're allowed to breach the £1,000 limit on your voucher, so Tiagra would be out of budget.

Another tick in the Campag box!

 

[Kestevan]

It's a Bianchi so anything other than a Campag setup would just be wrong......

If yo do decide to break with tradition and go Shimano, personally I'd go with Tiagra, being 10spd it will allow an easy upgrade path with 105 and above compenents as required.

 

[Wingnuts]

Thanks guys,

I spoke with my lbc and he's fine with me making up the difference, happens all the time apparently. Is it worth trying to knock him down on price, or is it a no no on a cycle scheme, last thing I want to do is put their nose out of joint from the get go?

What do you think would be the price if it were the 105?

 

[4F]

It is against the law to fit Shitmano on a Bianchi.

 

[Kestevan]

I'd imagine you'd be looking at adding a couple of hundred quid to move to 105.

Personally I'm not sure it would be worth it. Tiagra is a very decent set of kit, 105 is maybe a bit smoother and lighter, but I suspect 90% of people wouldnt be able to detect a difference in a blind test. I doubt it's an option, but I'm a recent convert to SRAM gearing..... the change mechanism works differently and it suits me much better than anything Shimano can offer.

Doesn't matter anyway - it's a Bianchi. The law demands a Campag setup and a slightly dodgy shade of greeny blue
( I actually like Celeste - honest ). Anything else is verboten.

 

[TonyEnjoyD]

Campag even tho never used it. It's a legal requirement on a Bianchi, ask Coppercyclist

Gotta say, an extra £230 to go Tiagra seems a tad steep!
A full new Tiagra Groupset is only £80 more than a Sora and shouldn't take more than 2-hours for an experienced mechanic to fit.

 

[Cycleops]

As everyone says Campy on a Bianchi is a requirement, but that is just the purists talking! Shimano would a bit like spaghetti with suchi. Anyway I think there is an element of the 'Kings new clothes ' with better Shimano or other groupsets. As Kestevan says you probably wouldn't notice any difference in a blind test.

 

[joebingo]

Veloce is somewhere in between 105 and ultegra by most accounts, so I'd go for the campag.

But I just bought a bianchi with veloce on it, so I'm a touch impartial.

 

[Easytigers]

Agree with everyone above going for the campag option!

 

[Pedal Bob]

I have 2 road bikes- a cheapish Moser from Merlin with full 2013 Sora, which I like and a new (to me) Wilier Gran Turismo with full Campag Centaur which so far I'm not so keen on. Reasons for me are as follows-
Hood shape on Sora is better and more comfortable to grip, Campag seems really narrow with a strange profile
Shifting down on the drops is far easier I find with Sora, as the thumb shift on Campag requires you to contort your thumb back quite a way to reach it.
It is almost regarded as blasphemy to say anything against Campag with some cycling purists, especially when talking about Italian bikes, but for the time being, I think I am preferring the Shimano shifting method. I do hope to be converted though, as I spent quite a lot on the Wilier!

 

[derrick]

Campag every time, i had it on my Bianchi and i have it on the Cervelo.

 

[smokeysmoo]

Bianchi is just a brand name these days, (like most others are), so that frame will have been mass produced in the Far East, (possibly alongside other brands as well in the same factory), as opposed to hand forged by Giuseppe Italiano whilst wearing a full length leather apron in his workshop in Turin, so therefore the Campag argument is totally lost on me TBH.

I stick to Shimano as I know it, I like it and I've never had an issue with any of their groupsets either.

I did once fit a new Veloce groupset on a winter bike I built, but I hated it TBH. It felt agricultural in use, and the power torque bb is simply ridiculous in terms of tools required to remove it.

So FWIW I'd go for the Tiagra.

 

[AndyRM]

Bianchi is just a brand name these days, (like most others are), so that frame will have been mass produced in the Far East, (possibly alongside other brands as well in the same factory), as opposed to hand forged by Giuseppe Italiano whilst wearing a full length leather apron in his workshop in Turin, so therefore the Campag argument is totally lost on me TBH.

I stick to Shimano as I know it, I like it and I've never had an issue with any of their groupsets either.

I did once fit a new Veloce groupset on a winter bike I built, but I hated it TBH. It felt agricultural in use, and the power torque bb is simply ridiculous in terms of tools required to remove it.

So FWIW I'd go for the Tiagra.

Blasphemy.