New to cycling

[bArNsY]

With Siimano, the order goes:

1. Dura-Ace (Best)
2. Ultegra
3. 105
4. Tiagra
5. Sora

For a great all-rounder that is durable and long lasting I would recommend 105, Ultegra if you have the extra $$ and DA if you want the best.

I have had FSA and Shimano, both are reputable brands and will do the job whichever you choose.

[DBourne]

Definitely recommend Chain Reaction. Fantastic service, and great delivery (especially if you opt for express).

Do you mean Road bike Shimano, or Mountain Bike?

I know road bike gear well, but wouldn't have a bloody clue with MTB

If you mean MTB groupsets, Wikipedia says this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shimano...bike_groupsets

[blueoval]

Originally Posted by Mr.NiceGuy

What brand is better for a crankset FSA or Shimano, and what order does Shimano products go in from best to worst?

I have a mixture of both FSA Gossamer and Shimano Ultegra on my bike and they both work well. I have had no major issues. Like Barnsy says, you can't go wrong with either brands.

If you want to be a brand snob, go for Campagnolo. :P

MTB groupsets have different model names compared to the road going versions.

Just remember, that a lot of the 105 models of today were actually Dura Ace/Ultegra models of a few years ago. A lot of the new technology gets renamed and passed down as the entry level spec stuff as years go by.

[gossy]

I'm a Shimano man, so I say Shimano, never ever had any problems with them, and I ride avg. 300km a week for the last ten years.

MTB pecking order, from basic to Pro:

SIS
Tourney
Altus
Acera
Alivio
Deore
SLX
Deore XT
Zee
Saint
Deore XTR

and for Road:

Tiagra
105
Ultegra
Ultegra Di2
Dura-Ace
Dura-Ace Di2

I'm pretty sure thats the order, don't quote me though.

I have XT on my MTB and the difference between XT and XTR is price and weight, they perform exactly the same and w.ank factor as well.

I have Ultegra on my Roadie and I am more than happy with it. I tried DA Di2 and yes, it is fantastic, and the shifts are outstanding, but not needed for someone like me, again, w.ank factor comes into it, which plays a big part in cycling.

[Uncle Niceguy]

hmm yeah l reckon a mix of XT and Zee or Saint would be just right for my application, l don't need nor want the w.ank factor or any carbon fibre for the matter it ain't worth the cost for me, thanks for the advice.

[Uncle Niceguy]

So would you guys into mtb's go a riser bar or a flat bar, state your reason and opinion oh l'm talking about handlebars.

[gossy]

What bike do you have Mr NiceGuy?

Bike fit is important, we really need more info to ascertain what you need and go from there.

Have you heard of Taylor Cycles? Their address is : 5 Moordale St, Chapel Hill QLD 4069

Jay Taylor does professional bike fits. I have not used him myself, but he is highly recommended around SE QLD.

[Uncle Niceguy]

Originally Posted by gossy

What bike do you have Mr NiceGuy?

Bike fit is important, we really need more info to ascertain what you need and go from there.

Have you heard of Taylor Cycles? Their address is : 5 Moordale St, Chapel Hill QLD 4069

Jay Taylor does professional bike fits. I have not used him myself, but he is highly recommended around SE QLD.

l just have a reid X229 (basic mtb) that barely meets my needs driveline wise but is a great fit for my frame l'm just wanting to improve a lot of the bike, as l can't afford to just go and buy a bike already kitted out.

[furiousgibbon]

Originally Posted by gossy

MTB pecking order, from basic to Pro:

SIS
Tourney
Altus
Acera
Alivio
Deore
SLX
Deore XT
Zee
Saint
Deore XTR

this is basically correct but the Zee and Saint lines are for downhill, they're much stronger but heavier than the equivalent ranges in Deore, which is for XC riding.

I would put Zee on par with SLX, and Saint on par with XT for their respective purposes. I ride XC but I swapped my long cage XT rear derailleur out for a short cage Saint RD with Shadow+, it's heavier but much stronger. I think the shift quality is almost on part with XT but you can tell it's a meatier unit. I wanted the short cage and the shadow+ silence, you can now get that in the XT range.

[gossy]

Have you checked bike exchange? Plenty of cheap and good options there as well.

Here is an example: http://www.bikeexchange.com.au/a/29e...-ltd/102568437 Originally worth $1600.00 new.

Depending on what sort of terrain you will be riding, I feel that the Reid will need upgrading in all areas, primarily the fork, brakes and wheels, as well as the driveline you have already mentioned.

[Uncle Niceguy]

Originally Posted by gossy

Have you checked bike exchange? Plenty of cheap and good options there as well.

Here is an example: http://www.bikeexchange.com.au/a/29e...-ltd/102568437 Originally worth $1600.00 new.

Depending on what sort of terrain you will be riding, I feel that the Reid will need upgrading in all areas, primarily the fork, brakes and wheels, as well as the driveline you have already mentioned.

Your not wrong gossy, l mainly do cross country and light gravel tracks witch gets everything real dusty quick smart witch is something that the current driveline intensely dislikes hence the upgrades l will be making l'm gonna have to save/wait for some forks to come into my price bracket but most other things l can do myself especially small things like handlebars, brakes and such although still learning l will definitely have a pro fit the more complex items.

[prydey]

one thing i learned early on, is its much cheaper to buy a bike with the good bits already on, than to buy a cheaper bike and upgrade all the bits.

[gossy]

Indeed prydey.

Price up any Giant bike for instance, component by component, and it will work out to 2 to 3 times cheaper to buy the complete bike, like trying to put a new car together by buying parts over the counter will cost you hundreds of thousands of dollars to build a basic Falcon.

Unfortunately, it sounds like MrNiceGuy is in no position to buy a new bike, so I highly recommend scouring eBay,the bike forums and bikeexchange to buy quality second hand parts.
Bike guys are like car guys, they always want to improve or upgrade parts, and will sell perfectly good components at a fraction of the cost of new.

Just a thought.

[bArNsY]

Finally got a pic of my new wheelset.
Roval Rapide CLX 40 -
Like riding on clouds!

http://www.specialized.com/us/en/ftb...-rapide-clx-40

[blueoval]

Sexual. Im liking the look of the Roval Brand. Good to see something different other than a pair of Zipp 404's on every bike around.

[ANGEL#3]

after 3 weeks i got the call from my bike shop saying my bike is ready to be picked up. warranty work replaced front forks paint was coming off.

[Uncle Niceguy]

In a small conundrum at the moment as l would've like to have a saint/zee rear derailleur but that then means a single speed chain set witch l don't want l'd like a double chain set so its now looking like l will go for Deore XT unless l find a single chain set with at least 40T. It also looks like it'll be more beneficial to get a pair of wheels that are made to suit disk brakes, instead of just getting a hub and new spokes etc...although making this purchase is extremely tempting:

http://www.bikeexchange.com.au/a/cra...ross/102326500

[furiousgibbon]

do you want Zee/Saint because they're stronger, or for the short cage? There shouldn't be any reason why you can't use a double chain ring up front with a short cage, but you'll be limited to max 32T on the big ring.

If you want a 40T ring up front you probably need a long cage RD. There's nothing weak about XT, I stacked mine on the trails more times than I can even remember and it's still in perfect shape.

[Uncle Niceguy]

wanted saint/zee for the strength more than anything, plus they do look wicked as but l'm really used to going along all day long using my big ring and l feel that going smaller l'll lose speed whilst riding nice and fast.

[furiousgibbon]

If you're not doing rocky descents and dropping the bike a lot, I don't know if the extra strength is going to be of any benefit. I bought the Saint RD cause I liked the look of the short cage (I went single 32T up front), and I wanted the Shadow+ clutch. If I was gonna buy today (most of my riding is fast XC) I'd get a medium cage XT with Shadow+. The short cage is pretty stretched even with the 32T.

On the 11t sprocket I can get around 36km/h which is plenty for me on the trails. I have a road bike for going fast on tarmac so I don't need longer gearing. If your bike is used on road or very fast trails then you'll need something bigger up front and that will need a medium or long cage RD.

[Uncle Niceguy]

yeah my bike would be lucky to hit 35-40km/h anywhere anytime but that SRAM Rival is extremely tempting to go with along with a med-long cage shimano XT and 10 speed cassette to go a bit faster than currently as my riding is 50/50 dirt and road with rear cassettes is 11t as small as they go? or do some go into the single digits?

[furiousgibbon]

SRAM does some high end 11 speed cassettes with a 10t, but you'll pay over $300 for the privilege.

[Uncle Niceguy]

Originally Posted by furiousgibbon

SRAM does some high end 11 speed cassettes with a 10t, but you'll pay over $300 for the privilege.

Stuff that what a rip...

[The G6ET Spot]

Have a look at Wiggle, they have the new Shimano 5800 series 105 groupsets on sale at the moment.

http://www.wiggle.com.au/shimano-105-5800-groupset/

[Captain Stubing]

Originally Posted by The G6ET Spot

Have a look at Wiggle, they have the new Shimano 5800 series 105 groupsets on sale at the moment.

http://www.wiggle.com.au/shimano-105-5800-groupset/

I've been happy spinning my Tiagra gears around, trying to pull up on my Tiagra brakes... Now you've got me looking, and I can upgrade to an Ultegra groupset for $735 at CRC!

Now I'm looking for a reason not to spend the money... I'm supposed to be finishing my Sierra!

[Uncle Niceguy]

Originally Posted by swanny

I've been happy spinning my Tiagra gears around, trying to pull up on my Tiagra brakes... Now you've got me looking, and I can upgrade to an Ultegra groupset for $735 at CRC!

Now I'm looking for a reason not to spend the money... I'm supposed to be finishing my Sierra!

thats a great deal for ultegra l'd go that over finishing the sierra.

Another Question is SRAM X9 comparable to shimano XT?

[DBourne]

That's pretty cheap. But, being 11spd, you'd need to make sure your wheels can accommodate.

[GUTLES]

Got into Road Cycling about a year ago, have barely been on my Mountain Bike since!

Started on a cheap 2011 Reid Aquila then upgraded after 6 months to a 2009 GT GTR Series 1.

The more I ride, the less Asthma I get - have suffered with it since I was 7.

Have joined the AFF Club on Strava!

This is my Bike:

[prydey]

nice one mate. now you need to learn how to ride with clipless pedals and you'll never look back.

[GUTLES]

Originally Posted by prydey

nice one mate. now you need to learn how to ride with clipless pedals and you'll never look back.

For sure, my wife & kids have some for me for Fathers Day, can't wait!

I took that photo when I first got the Bike, I've since added a Garmin Edge 510 & some better lights - its dark at the moment when I'm on it.

Also have a set of Kreitler Rollers, great for balance!