I finally did it...

[bluebug32]

I finally bought a road bike! I found a good price on an entry level Iron Horse online, so I decided to give it a try. I'll still primarily ride my mountain bike, but I just wanted a bike to explore some back roads and train on. I'm going to throw some clipless pedals on it and would like to slowly upgrade the parts too. I have Sora shifters which I really hate, and am looking for some 105s at least. Does anyone have an extra set? I have to assemble the bike too when it comes, so this should be interesting!

[Morryjg]

:thumb:
Don't have any spare parts for you though. Be sure to post some pics when it's done!

[bluebug32]

I definitely will! I'm really excited to give road riding a try

[Reactor]

Congrats. :cool:

The bike should be partially assembled when it arrives. The only thing you normally have to do is put the stem/handlebars on the fork, put the wheels on and possibly adjust the derailluers. The park tools link I gave you has a good section on the derailluer adjustment, if you need it. If you run into any problems I'm sure there are plenty of helpers on RM.

[bluebug32]

what tools will I need?

[Pau11y]

what tools will I need?

A small Philips screw driver for the throw limit adjustments and a 5mm allen for the clamp/bolt and/or the cable anchor.

Oh, another thing...pay attention to how true the wheels are when you pull your bike out of the box. It may need a visit to a shop for a tensioning session.

[mtnbikej]

I finally bought a road bike! I found a good price on an entry level Iron Horse online, so I decided to give it a try. I'll still primarily ride my mountain bike, but I just wanted a bike to explore some back roads and train on. I'm going to throw some clipless pedals on it and would like to slowly upgrade the parts too. I have Sora shifters which I really hate, and am looking for some 105s at least. Does anyone have an extra set? I have to assemble the bike too when it comes, so this should be interesting!

You will find that you ride your road bike more than you think. I find that I ride mine as much as my mtn bike.

The will come about 95% assembled. You just need to install pedals, stem/bars and adjust brakes and derailluers. Bars should come already wrapped.

Enjoy.

mtnbikej

[mtnbikej]

Oh, another thing...pay attention to how true the wheels are when you pull your bike out of the box. It may need a visit to a shop for a tensioning session.


Agree....most low end wheels are not true or tensioned properly.

mtnbikej

[jacksonpt]

Congrats on the purchase... can't wait to hear your early impressions of it once you've been out once or twice.

[bluebug32]

Thanks. It's definitely entry level, but will give me a taste of what road biking is all about. I'll post pics. when it arrives. And if anyone has a chance to deal with Sunrise Cyclery (out of NYC, but with a huge online store), they're really great and very accomodating. They didn't have the original bike I ordered still in stock, so they upgraded me for free to another bike!

[G-Cracker]

Cool... you'll fall in love with road riding! I have. 95% of my riding is now on the road, while my mtb sees action about once a week. Sorry I don't have any parts to throw your way. Have fun!

[bluebug32]

It's cool. I think I'm going to hold off on swapping parts until I get a good fit on the bike and really see what I want to do. I was trying to avoid Sora parts, but the price was a big pull. But I can always upgrade!

[DBR X6 RIDER]

I :heart: my mtb, as I like to DH, freeride and even some XC. The best recovery tool that I have for any of that riding is my road bike. There's nothing like a smooth, low-impact ride to work all the kinks out that mtb-ing tends to create.

Good luck on the assemblage and keep the rubber-side down!:D

[chicodude]

every one disses on sora tons, but I have a used road bike I bought a year ago, with Sora (Or is it RSX, I don't remeber) And it has lasted 1500 miles of not kind riding, And I don't plan on replcing it unless it breaks. It's held up just fne

[DBR X6 RIDER]

every one disses on sora tons, but I have a used road bike I bought a year ago, with Sora (Or is it RSX, I don't remeber) And it has lasted 1500 miles of not kind riding, And I don't plan on replcing it unless it breaks. It's held up just fne
No dissin' from this corner.
IMHO, Sora is the perfect gruppo for entry-level riders. Because of the thumb-lever, it more-or-less forces the rider to shift while riding the hoods. The "spendier" gruppos all have the 2nd shifter within the brake lever, which would allow the rider to shift from the drops. Working at a shop, I notice people have a tendency to do nothing but ride the drops on test-rides.
Sora is also precise in its shifting. The only setback in comarison to 105, etc. is you can't upshift as many gears at a time as the others. With that being said, it's just another reason why it's the perfect entry-level gruppo. If a newer rider were to upshift 3-4 gears at one time, it's likely they wouldn't adjust to the faster cadence as well as a more experienced rider would.
It basically builds them up to a level where they'll be able to appreciate the finer points of the more expensive stuff. Besides, if you're not going to be racing, you don't need the high-end stuff. Save the money. If you want to start upgrading anything, start with the tires and work your way "in" (wheels, saddle/seatpost, stem/bars). After all, the tires are the only part of your bike that touch the road.

[bluebug32]

Thanks for sorting it out, DBR. I appreciate the advice.

[DRB]

Did you say you needed clipless pedals?

[bluebug32]

Did you say you needed clipless pedals?

yeah. i ordered a pair of shimanos.

[chicodude]

No dissin' from this corner.
IMHO, Sora is the perfect gruppo for entry-level riders. Because of the thumb-lever, it more-or-less forces the rider to shift while riding the hoods. The "spendier" gruppos all have the 2nd shifter within the brake lever, which would allow the rider to shift from the drops. Working at a shop, I notice people have a tendency to do nothing but ride the drops on test-rides.
Sora is also precise in its shifting. The only setback in comarison to 105, etc. is you can't upshift as many gears at a time as the others. With that being said, it's just another reason why it's the perfect entry-level gruppo. If a newer rider were to upshift 3-4 gears at one time, it's likely they wouldn't adjust to the faster cadence as well as a more experienced rider would.
It basically builds them up to a level where they'll be able to appreciate the finer points of the more expensive stuff. Besides, if you're not going to be racing, you don't need the high-end stuff. Save the money. If you want to start upgrading anything, start with the tires and work your way "in" (wheels, saddle/seatpost, stem/bars). After all, the tires are the only part of your bike that touch the road.


Hmmm.....I don't have thumb shifters, I can shift both ways from the drops, And I can drop 4 gears at once.....Huh....

[h22ekhatch]

Hmmm.....I don't have thumb shifters, I can shift both ways from the drops, And I can drop 4 gears at once.....Huh....

You also have RSX...they were the older 8spd 105's pretty much (if I remember right).

I used to have a 2001 Trek equipped with the RSX set. Pretty much the same as the current 105 group. I would consider them one step up from Sora, although older.

[chicodude]

You also have RSX...they were the older 8spd 105's pretty much (if I remember right).

I used to have a 2001 Trek equipped with the RSX set. Pretty much the same as the current 105 group. I would consider them one step up from Sora, although older.


Ah...ok....