Chainset advice

rjabeaumont said:

This may sound naive, but if i bought a shimano 105 chainset with my sora derailleur and no other 10-speed components, would my bike cease to work? If i have a 2300 triple chainset on now and look to replace this with a 105 triple, surely it would still work?!?

Yes, you can upgrade your current Shimano Triple crankset with a better one and maintain compatibility with your bike's drivetrain ... but, you may not see much improvement ...

You will probably have to step up to either Ultegra or Dura Ace chainrings to see improved shifting IF THAT IS WHAT YOU ARE TRYING TO ACHIEVE.

alfeng said:

Yes, you can upgrade your current Shimano Triple crankset with a better one and maintain compatibility with your bike's drivetrain ... but, you may not see much improvement ...

You will probably have to step up to either Ultegra or Dura Ace chainrings to see improved shifting IF THAT IS WHAT YOU ARE TRYING TO ACHIEVE.

Thanks for the reply, it is my intention. But i can only afford to do it gradually and i want to get the best i can at every step! I know it's not ideal, but needs must. :o

Shimano 2300 and Sora are at the bottom of the Shimano hierarchy. If those were the components that came stock on your bike I really, really, do not recommend that you upgrade. If you use that "gradually" upgrading strategy you will most likely end up spending a lot more money than you could have if you just saved up and bought a new bike. Can you tell us more about the bike you have?

If you really like road biking that much, it's a good idea to get ultegra on your next bike.

rjabeaumont said:

Thanks for the reply, it is my intention. But i can only afford to do it gradually and i want to get the best i can at every step! I know it's not ideal, but needs must. :o

I need to preface my upgrade suggestion by saying that I 'love' Shimano components ...

But, IMO, the best upgrade which most Shimano Road component users can make is to eschew the Shimano STI shifters & install a pair on 10-speed (non-QS ... where 'QS' is shorthand for Xenon-based) CAMPAGNOLO shifters ...

I've mated the 10-speed Campagnolo shifters to 8-speed & 9-speed Shimano cassettes while using Shimano rear derailleurs.

The only reason I have not mated a 10-speed Campagnolo shifter to a 10-speed Shimano cassette is because I don't have a 10-speed Shimano cassette!

The internals of non-QS Campagnolo shifters are essentially the same up-and-down the product line (almost all the components are interchangeable) if the shifter has the same external appearance to another ... so, a non-QS Veloce shifter is the functional equivalent to the high-zoot (and, lighter) Record shifter.

IMO, and others have declared otherwise, the Campagnolo shifters handle shifting under load better than Shimano shifters. I ride on mountain roads, and I can effortlessly shift to either a larger cog while going uphill OR onto the larger chainring without worrying about throwing the chain.

If you're a Flatlander, then the benefit of Campagnolo shifters may be nebulous.

The cost of the 'upgrade' is between $100(US) & $400+ ... used-or-new. You can probably sell your current shifters for at least $100 on eBay.

BTW. You can use almost any front derailleur with non-QS Campagnolo shifters ... the limitations are few.