Advice needed on buying a new drive set



G

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Guest
I am still a relative newcomer to cycling and am not very "clued-up" on the huge variety of components a racing-bike can accompany. I am a 6'4" 21 year old male, 15'10lbs. My very first bike was a Peugeot Prologue which was purchased for £350. Over the past year i have upgraded various components of it and now have a Giant TCR Team Once frame with Bontrager Select wheels and very standard drive set (original set supplied with peugeot). As you can imagine, i am wanting to upgrade my drive-set to a better standard. Through reading books/mags and internet chat rooms, i have found out that Shimano 105 are a good set and have been advised to look at that as an option. I have roughly £350-£400 spare and would like to get as good drive-set as possible.

I would be very grateful if anyone could supply me with ANY information regarding chain/gear/brake components as i may contemplate building a composite drive-set with applicable components.

When i do say ANY information, i really do mean ANY information. I need to get up to spec on the various components and would very much appreciate any information anyone could suply me with.

Thanks very Much

Mark Melbourne
 
Mark, you might want to take a look at a Campagnolo groupset as well. Although the price is a bit higher than the Shimano groups, I personally have had much better experience using a Campag goupo.

At the moment I have a mix Campag Mirage and Veloce groupo on my bike. It is smooth and has that "assuring" feel when changing your gears. You can go and have a look here: http://www.campagnolo.com/
 
Cheers Matey.
I will have a look at that site definately.
You wouldnt be able to direct me to some info on bike components and parts could you please, cos im sick of going to my local bike shop wanting to upgrade my bike and ending up saying "go on, this is the money i have, ill let you decide whats best".
I want to know what each component is and have some insight into what is good and what is not.

Cheers fella.

Mark
 
Hi there,

IMO, you are already on the right track if you are considering Shimano 105. Why go for low end Campy (Mirage) if you can go for 105 which some say is 90% D/A performance at half the cost? Of course, personal opinions may vary, so you should also take a look at the Campy groupsets...like Centaur, Chorus, etc.

I've been using Shimano 105 since December 2000, and it has worked very well for me. No annoying noises, no clicking levers (even after crashing), and my shifting has never f*(ked up. Still, the derailleurs are adjusted ocassionally.

If you want really detailed reviews of the groupsets, just check out www.roadbikereview.com, you'll find a lot of reviews for the Shimano and Campy groupsets, except for Sora and Tiagra.

BTW, what group are you running on your current bike?