Sora?

[JDTPumps]

A friend of mine keeps bugging me to find him a decent road bike (59/60cm) I
have looked on r.b.m. , eBay and some other sites. His budget is $500, which
rules out anything modern campy or sti beyond RSX. I have noticed a lot of
inexpensive new bikes (500-600) tha use Sora. I haven't ridden it myself. Any
opinions or recommendations?
Bill Taylor

[Sheldon Brown]

JDTPumps wrote:
> A friend of mine keeps bugging me to find him a decent road bike (59/60cm) I
> have looked on r.b.m. , eBay and some other sites. His budget is $500, which
> rules out anything modern campy or sti beyond RSX.

RSX has been extinct for several years.

> I have noticed a lot of
> inexpensive new bikes (500-600) tha use Sora. I haven't ridden it myself. Any
> opinions or recommendations?

Sora is the group that replaced RSX, works great, highly recommended.
Personally, I prefer the Sora brifters to the more expensive Shimano
ones, due to their better ergonomics. They work more like Campagnolo
than like the other Shimano stuff. The also have the unique featuer of
adjustable brake reach, but that won't likely matter to somebody who
rides a frame that large.

Sheldon "Good Stuff Cheap" Brown
+-------------------------------------------------------------+
| I'm only a beer teetotaller, not a champagne teetotaller. |
| --George Bernard Shaw |
+-------------------------------------------------------------+
Harris Cyclery, West Newton, Massachusetts
Phone 617-244-9772 FAX 617-244-1041
http://harriscyclery.com
Hard-to-find parts shipped Worldwide
http://captainbike.com http://sheldonbrown.com

[Qui si parla Campagnolo]

Capt Bike-<< Sora is the group that replaced RSX, works great, highly
recommended.
Personally, I prefer the Sora brifters to the more expensive Shimano
ones, due to their better ergonomics. They work more like Campagnolo
than like the other Shimano stuff. The also have the unique featuer of
adjustable brake reach, but that won't likely matter to somebody who
rides a frame that large. >><BR><BR>

BUT it should be mentioned that it is not possible to shift to smaller gears or
smaller rings, via the Sora thumb button, while the rider's hands are in the
handlebar drops, too far away...just for info-

Peter Chisholm
Vecchio's Bicicletteria
1833 Pearl St.
Boulder, CO, 80302
(303)440-3535
http://www.vecchios.com
"Ruote convenzionali costruite eccezionalmente bene"

[Paul Southworth]

In article >,
JDTPumps > wrote:
>A friend of mine keeps bugging me to find him a decent road bike (59/60cm) I
>have looked on r.b.m. , eBay and some other sites. His budget is $500, which
>rules out anything modern campy or sti beyond RSX.

In a $500 budget you could get a used Campy-equipped (Mirage or Veloce)
bike, such as a Bianchi Eros. Unfortunately there are not usually a lot
of them for sale, Shimano-equipped bikes being so much more common.

> I have noticed a lot of
>inexpensive new bikes (500-600) tha use Sora. I haven't ridden it myself. Any
>opinions or recommendations?

I have used it, it works fine, and as you see, there are not many
choices for parts on new bikes at that price point (except that
some will have substituted cheaper cranks or Tektro brakes or
off-brand hubs).

--Paul

[Marc Dionne]

In article >, Qui si parla
Campagnolo > wrote:

> Capt Bike-<< Sora is the group that replaced RSX, works great, highly
> recommended.
> Personally, I prefer the Sora brifters to the more expensive Shimano
> ones, due to their better ergonomics. They work more like Campagnolo
> than like the other Shimano stuff. The also have the unique featuer of
> adjustable brake reach, but that won't likely matter to somebody who
> rides a frame that large. >><BR><BR>
>
> BUT it should be mentioned that it is not possible to shift to smaller gears
> or
> smaller rings, via the Sora thumb button, while the rider's hands are in the
> handlebar drops, too far away...just for info-

In my experience, this is simply untrue. (I do have somewhat long
thumbs, but I'm no physiological freak.)

As a Sora owner, I concur with Sheldon's comment about ergonomics, and
would encourage the original poster to give it a try.

--
Marc Dionne, Ph.D. | | (650) 724-8064
Schneider lab, Microbiology and Immunology, Stanford University

[W K]

"Marc Dionne" > wrote in message
...
> In article >, Qui si parla
> Campagnolo > wrote:


> > BUT it should be mentioned that it is not possible to shift to smaller
gears
> > or
> > smaller rings, via the Sora thumb button, while the rider's hands are in
the
> > handlebar drops, too far away...just for info-
>
> In my experience, this is simply untrue. (I do have somewhat long
> thumbs, but I'm no physiological freak.)

I find it a little inconvenient, but can just about stretch up to them.
How much of your time is spend on the drops and wanting to change anyway?
I spend a lot of time on the hoods, and so does everyone I ever see out
training - from where they are very very convenient.

> As a Sora owner, I concur with Sheldon's comment about ergonomics, and
> would encourage the original poster to give it a try.

They might not be the best, but they work very well.

[B a r r y B u r k e J r .]

On 17 Jul 2003 03:17:02 GMT, (JDTPumps) wrote:

> I have noticed a lot of
>inexpensive new bikes (500-600) tha use Sora. I haven't ridden it myself. Any
>opinions or recommendations?
>Bill Taylor

I put 5000+ miles on a Sora equipped Trek 1000 before I moved up due
to the 1000 being too small.

The Sora group worked great for me. Sora is 8 speed, vs. the rest of
Shimano's 9 speed road groups. The shifters are a bit different,
with a button, rather than a paddle, for shifting in one direction.

I wouldn't worry at all about Sora, the quality of the wheels on the
bikes in that price range is worth more energy.

Barry

[Paul Southworth]

In article >,
Marc Dionne > wrote:
>In article >, Qui si parla
>Campagnolo > wrote:
>
>> Capt Bike-<< Sora is the group that replaced RSX, works great, highly
>> recommended.
>> Personally, I prefer the Sora brifters to the more expensive Shimano
>> ones, due to their better ergonomics. They work more like Campagnolo
>> than like the other Shimano stuff. The also have the unique featuer of
>> adjustable brake reach, but that won't likely matter to somebody who
>> rides a frame that large. >><BR><BR>
>>
>> BUT it should be mentioned that it is not possible to shift to smaller gears
>> or
>> smaller rings, via the Sora thumb button, while the rider's hands are in the
>> handlebar drops, too far away...just for info-
>
>In my experience, this is simply untrue. (I do have somewhat long
>thumbs, but I'm no physiological freak.)

I could shift Sora with the thumb, but it is a long reach compared to
shifting Campy with the thumb while in the drops. My fingers and toes
are long enough to have their own sideshow.