Tiagra vs Mirage

yannigr

My budget does not extend to a 105 or Veloce groupset and I have to choose between these two.

It is for a fratello which is mainly going to commute and my be do the odd audax.

I am after a reliable solution that is easy to maintain and relatively cheap to run!

Any ideas?

redddraggon

Do you already have the wheels/hubs?

If it was a straight choice it would be Mirage. But it depends what kit you have already, like wheels. If you already have Shimano hubbed wheels - I'd go for Tiagra etc.

yannigr

I am buying the bike new and already built up by condor so I don't have to worry about compatibility!

redddraggon

yannigr wrote:

I am buying the bike new and already built up by condor so I don't have to worry about compatibility!

Mirage all the way then.

italiaandyf

Hi
I bought a bike from condor last september, and my budget also didn't stretch to 105/veloce - the advice given by the guy in the shop was that while I get 10 speed with mirage vs. 9 with tiagra, but the wheels were better with the shimano spec, ie fulcrum racing 7's. This didn't mean much to me at the time - but if I was buying again I think I'd go campag, with mirage (or save a bit more and get veloce) and ask if I could have the fulcrum wheels - since these are made by campag, and can accept both shimano and campag freewheel bodies.

MegaCycle

quite why anyone would want Campys when they could get a proper grouppo is beyond me..

;-)

redddraggon

MegaCycle wrote:

quite why anyone would want Campys when they could get a proper grouppo is beyond me..

;-)

Campy? I can accept Campag or Campa, but it's not Campy.

Campagnolo all the way.

MegaCycle

Just messin' wit ya, reddragon.

I find it amusing the way we all love to be fiercely loyal to our chosen manufactruer.

yannigr

Why do you rate Campagnolo as a superior option? (I have never used it before)

Smokin Joe

yannigr wrote:

Why do you rate Campagnolo as a superior option? (I have never used it before)

If you have to ask, you wouldn't understand

MegaCycle

It's a bit like asking someone why Macs are better than PCs (or vice versa)

Two tribes.

jpembroke

Mirage is better than Tiagra though, isn't it? Even staunch Shimanistas have to concede that.

redddraggon

MegaCycle wrote:

Just messin' wit ya, reddragon.

I find it amusing the way we all love to be fiercely loyal to our chosen manufactruer.

I've got one bike of each, so I wouldn't say I've got a chosen manufacturer.

It's just that I don't like the "Campy" Americanisation.

yannigr

MegaCycle wrote:

It's a bit like asking someone why Macs are better than PCs (or vice versa)

Two tribes.

Yes but one can give reasons for going one way or the other (good design and user friendly against more universal, cheaper but unnecessary blue screen feature!)

jpembroke

This one could run and run

Mirage is still better than tiagra though.


:twisted:

thetrotter

yannigr wrote:

I am after a reliable solution that is easy to maintain and relatively cheap to run!

In which case don't buy Tiagra unless you want to spend most of your time stripping them down. Built down to a price with poor seals and and I wouldn't recommend them for commuting or - frankly - any form of regular use. Don't know about the campag alternative but you can get the 105 level factory built shimano wheels very cheaply and what about mavic askiums?

jpembroke

He's talking about groupsets, not wheels.

thetrotter

jpembroke wrote:

He's talking about groupsets, not wheels.

:oops: Memo to self, read post more carefully next time. On the other hand if anyone is thinking of using tiagra hubs ........ :idea:

The The

redddraggon wrote:

MegaCycle wrote:

It's just that I don't like the "Campy" Americanisation.

I don't think Campa, or even Campag, is any better than Campy.

And really, who cares?

top_bhoy

I care - Campy sounds ....well...err...camp :twisted:

Campag all the way

The The

Top_Bhoy wrote:

I care - Campy sounds ....well...err...camp :twisted:

Campag all the way

I prefer to say Campagnolo in full. In much the same way everyone says Shimano and not, for example, Shim or Shima or Shimmy.

Wooliferkins

The man from SRAM said it for me,
"Shimano is the Lexus of the bike industry; Campagnolo is Ferrari. So says a BusinessWeek feature on SRAM"
Strange thing is he thinks that makes SRAM Porche! That's a Gerald Ratner special in my book.

jpembroke

thetrotter wrote:

jpembroke wrote:

He's talking about groupsets, not wheels.

:oops: Memo to self, read post more carefully next time. On the other hand if anyone is thinking of using tiagra hubs ........ :idea:

I'm with you there. Tiagra hubs are bl**dy awful.

Positron

Okay - one point nobody has brought up - do you really need 10 on the back for commuting? (Have Shimano [2*7] and Campag [2*10], and SRAM[3*8] on MTB, oh and Sturmey-Archer [3] on folder)

p.

acorn_user

Ok, it's been one way traffic so far! The bad thing about Mirage is the finish. It's a flat black. It will deffo scuff on the chainset.

But for me, Campagnolo brakes feel much better, so I would probably go for Mirage too. But don't let 9/10 speed swing you. 9 is fine, and the chains are cheaper and hardier.

DavidBelcher

yannigr wrote:

My budget does not extend to a 105 or Veloce groupset and I have to choose between these two.

It is for a fratello which is mainly going to commute and my be do the odd audax.

I am after a reliable solution that is easy to maintain and relatively cheap to run!

Any ideas?

I'd go for Mirage - I run an older 9-speed version (with the "proper" brake levers - see below!) on my race bike and have no complaints; despite being a budget groupset the gear change is very smooth. For a while, Mirage Ergopower levers used plastic brake levers, which I wasn't keen on the idea of, but they changed back to alloy not so long back.

David

PHcp

Both work fine, the shape of the hoods is a major difference, try both and see which you prefer.

Ste_S

yannigr wrote:

My budget does not extend to a 105 or Veloce groupset and I have to choose between these two.

It is for a fratello which is mainly going to commute and my be do the odd audax.

I am after a reliable solution that is easy to maintain and relatively cheap to run!

Any ideas?

Tiagra then. Cassettes and chains are cheaper.

Wooliferkins

Buy cheap, buy twice or in my experience buy shimano buy twice as often. I went first to fixies and then to Campag as I was changing Shimano chains and cassettes every 1000 miles. The hood shape is a good call as is hidden and non hidden cables.

Ste_S

Funnily enough, i've found Shimano 8spd cassettes and chains last a lot longer than 1000 miles