Advice please on choosing Xenon or Sora

moorehen

I'm about to press the button and order a Bianchi Via Nirone BUT can't make up my mind on whether to go for the Campag Xenon or the Shimano Sora version. The Campag is £70 more expensive but that's not an issue, I'm happy to pay the extra IF it's worth it.

I've ridden both albeit round a car park at my local Evans store and they both felt ok, if anything the Sora seemed to change up and down more smoothly than the Xenon.

I'd like to ugrade parts as I get back into road riding so from what I've read thus far the Xenon would be the one to go for in terms of upgradability.

In terms of riding I'll be using the bike for weekend fun/training and when I've got my fitness back I'll be looking to get back into a bit of competitive riding (nothing to serious though).

If any of you guys have a view on this I'd really appreciate your opions to help me make the right choice.

Mog Uk

I'm not going to get into the Campag vs Shimano debate, it's been done to death on here..

What I will say though is my daily commute/Winter club bike is running Sora and after 2000miles in all weathers it is still running perfect ( I do clean and lube the bike every week )

stueyc

ive had 2 via nirones..one xenon and one sora
xenon shifters feel a little flimsy to me
..however sora seem to feel a little more mechanical and not as smooth to shift,i generally have to keep tinkering with sora to keep shifting smoothly

id go with the campag,upgrade the shifters at later date,xenon rear mech works a lot nicer than the sora

Gav2000

I have Xenon on my road bike and it is fine. I like the hidden cables of the brakes/shifters and have no problems with any breaks or adjustment problems. I chose the Xenon over a Simano system on looks only and haven't regretted it. I did read last week that the Xenon and Mirage ranges are being phased out though (in C+ I believe) so this may be the last year they are available.

Gavin.

moorehen

Thanks for the replies, still not sure which way to go but am leaning towards the campg at the moment.

biondino

If you're buying a bike in the Xenon/Sora range then an extra £70 is going to make a big difference to the eventual price, like 20%+? Not sure the Campag is worth it - could you not get Tiagra or even 105 components for that price? Or is it a full groupset only kind of deal?

acorn_user

Sora is somewhat prettier. But Xenon is basically interchangeable with any other Campagnolo groupset, so would be easy to upgrade.. e.g. all 10 speed. Sora is either 8 or 9 speed. Only Tiagra is still 9 speed. If you were thinking of Tiagra, I would just buy it now because Bianchi pays less for it than we do...

redddraggon

IMO both groups are fine, but neither shifter is any good (IMO), Flimsy Xenon or just plain crap Sora.

Personally I'd go with the Campag, just because I like Campag more. Are you sure you definitely want a Bianchi? I'm you could get a better specced bike in that price range Tiagra or Mirage perhaps.

stueyc

course he wants a bIanchi!

what you think he should get?...freaky overload of carbon?or dreary winter ribble???

moorehen

stueyc wrote:

course he wants a bIanchi!

what you think he should get?...freaky overload of carbon?or dreary winter ribble???

I'm afraid I've alwys been a sucker for Italian models!!

Looks like the Xenon then and upgrade the shifters at a later date.

redddraggon

stueyc wrote:

course he wants a bIanchi!

what you think he should get?...freaky overload of carbon?or dreary winter ribble???

Is there any need to get personal? I'm only making the point in that you are paying over the odds for a Celeste paint job, at that price point IMO it's not worth worth it.

Oh and if we are talking about dreary Ribble winter bikes, I'd rather have one of them with far better wheels and groupset than a more expensive but far lower specced girly green coloured overpriced Bianchi. You seem to have weekly problems with your Bianchi so I don't know why you recommend them so much.

Oh and BTW Lance Armstrong probably dabbled in PEDs.

stueyc

your always quick to have a little pop at various threads on here red....and i on a couple of occasions have recieved less than friendly replies from you to some of my posts

take it like a man....enjoy your ribble and carbon

moorehen

redddraggon wrote:

stueyc wrote:

course he wants a bIanchi!

what you think he should get?...freaky overload of carbon?or dreary winter ribble???

Is there any need to get personal? I'm only making the point in that you are paying over the odds for a Celeste paint job, at that price point IMO it's not worth worth it.

Oh and if we are talking about dreary Ribble winter bikes, I'd rather have one of them with far better wheels and groupset than a more expensive but far lower specced girly green coloured overpriced Bianchi. You seem to have weekly problems with your Bianchi so I don't know why you recommend them so much.

Oh and BTW Lance Armstrong probably dabbled in PEDs.

The deal I'm getting is £599 plus 10% back in accessories so in real terms it's going to cost me £539.10 which seems good value to me.

Oh and btw I'm going for the black version not the Celeste - bit to bright for me!!

stueyc

great value....
and everytime you look at the bike you'll know you made the right decision...they look gorgeous moorehen

redddraggon

moorehen wrote:

The deal I'm getting is £599 plus 10% back in accessories so in real terms it's going to cost me £539.10 which seems good value to me.

Oh and btw I'm going for the black version not the Celeste - bit to bright for me!!

Bianchis are fine bikes, I nearly had one myself once, I wasn't attacking your choice, I was thinking about the alternatives for the money - £600 or even £540 is a lot of cash for Sora/Xenon.

Stuey on the other hand thinks Celeste makes the bike go faster.

moorehen

Thanks for your opinions guys, brought a smile to my face on a rather business as usual Monday afternoon!!

I have to say stueyc that how a bike looks is really important to me. When I open the garage door and the wind in blowing, the rain is coming down a bike is going to have to beg me to ride it and the nirone is just the sort of bike that I know will do that.

redddraggon also has a valid point - my best mate went to his local bike shop and had a bike built with Tiagra all round for £480 but it just doesn't do anything for me, I wish it did I really do but what can you do.

Stewie Griffin

Xenon is being discontinued, which might make it cheaper I guess, but it just says to me dont touch.

http://www.bikeradar.com/road/news/arti ... more-17089

fast as fupp

go for the xenon-its an easier upgrade path and its a capital offence to put fishing tackle on an italian frame

the only upgrade for sora is the bin

:evil:

nickwill

Stewie Griffin wrote:

Xenon is being discontinued, which might make it cheaper I guess, but it just says to me dont touch.

http://www.bikeradar.com/road/news/arti ... more-17089

Sadly, as a Campag fan, I would agree with the above post.It never seems to be a good idea to go with something which is going to be obsolete shortly.
If you are going for Campag, I would only go for Centaur and above for that reason, and that will cost a lot more. In those circumstances I would go for Tiagra, and I say that with gritted teeth!

redddraggon

Nickwill wrote:

IIf you are going for Campag, I would only go for Centaur and above for that reason, and that will cost a lot more. In those circumstances I would go for Tiagra, and I say that with gritted teeth!

Current Centaur will be just as obsolete as Xenon with it all being redesigned. I'd see no reason not to go for Xenon, there'll be plenty of 10speed spares around for years to come.

Hopefully there'll be cheap 10s Chorus/Record levers on the market now that they're going 11s.

fast as fupp

theres a big difference between discontinued and obsolete

nickwill

redddraggon wrote:

Nickwill wrote:

IIf you are going for Campag, I would only go for Centaur and above for that reason, and that will cost a lot more. In those circumstances I would go for Tiagra, and I say that with gritted teeth!

Current Centaur will be just as obsolete as Xenon with it all being redesigned. I'd see no reason not to go for Xenon, there'll be plenty of 10speed spares around for years to come.

Hopefully there'll be cheap 10s Chorus/Record levers on the market now that they're going 11s.

Veloce and Centaur are still going to be 10 speed. At the moment it's only Chorus, Record and Super Record that are going to 11 speed. I am awaiting some bargains in 10 speed Chorus so that I can replace my disappointing Centaur levers and have decent trim on my front mech.

redddraggon

Nickwill wrote:

Veloce and Centaur are still going to be 10 speed.

That's why I see no reason in not getting Xenon - there'll be plenty of compatible bits in the system for years to come.

Mark Alexander

I'v used Sora and didn't like it. I've had Xenon for 4 years and love it. Only just replaced the components last week

PhilofCas

another vote for Xenon