Oh no another campag shimano debate

Hi,

I am new to this road cycling game, been on MTBs for years though. However I am getting into triathlon and the MTB won't cut it anymore. For my first road bike I dont want to spend mega, i have set my budget at 400-600 bucks, I may not get into it. Anyway there are a number of entry level machiones around at this sort of price. Could you give m some advice on what I should go for, a name manufacturer against unheard of/untrendy brand, Shimano sora/tiagra vs Campag Xenon/mirage components etc.

 

The most important thing is to get a frame that fits you well; road bikes are far more sensitive to slight adjustments in frame size etc. than mountain bikes. I would expect all of the frames at this price-point to be of similarly good quality (Taiwanese machine-made aluminium frames.) For what it's worth, Giant generally gives you better bang for buck at this price level. That being said, nothing gives you better value than an end-of-model-year run out sale at bike stores, which should start to gear up in a couple of months as they try to sell off old stock. As you go around local bike stores, ask them what run-out stock they have.

Regarding groupsets I would not buy Shimano Sora -- it's 8-speed and as such, a lot of things will be incompatible with the other current Shimano parts line-ups. This would make any future upgrades very annoying!

My take on the Campy vs Shimano deal is a matter of ergonomics; pick the brand whose levers and shifting style you are most comfortable with. You will probably find at this price level that 99% of the offerings will have Shimano groupsets anyway.