Upgrading to Sora. What do I need?

SCR Pedro

Hi there,

I have a 2007 Claud Butler San Remo. It is 7 speed and is equiped with Sora shifters a 14-28 cassette and 53/39 Chainset. The rear derailleur is a RD-A050. But I want to change it to Sora.

Now, I've been comparing my bike to the 2005 model which has a Sora rear derailleur and also has a 7 speed 14-28 cassette. The front derailleur is different, as is the chainset. It is 50-42 I believe.

My question is this: Can I fit a Sora rear derailleur and hope that it works? If not, what else do I need to do to make it work? I would have thought that I don't need to change my chainset, no?

Cheers
Pedro

andy_wrx

You simply want to change the rear mech ?
- simple answer is yes, you can just fit a Sora rear mech without changing everything else.

If you get one of last year's model 3300 8-speed mechs, it'll work perfectly with a 7-sp system as 7-sp and 8sp both use the same chain.
But one of this years 9-sp 3400 model mechs, or a 9sp Tiagra mech would work fine too.

My question really though is - why ?
If your mech is damaged or worn-out, yes feel free to replace with Sora.
If you're doing it as an upgrade and expecting it to completely revitalise your gear-changing, it might disappoint you.

SCR Pedro

Cool. Thanks mate.

The 3300 models are pretty cheap, so I might give it a shot.

My question really though is - why ?

Good question. Well, not only do I want the mechanical experience, I thikn the Sora is a lot nicer looking (lame, I know.), and while I'm not expecting a huge improvement in shifting, I would hope that it would be slightly better than the absolute bottom of the line RD-A050.

Well, that and it gives me something to do. If I weren't always messing around with my bikes, I'd just be a nuisance to everyone!

Cheers
Pedro

acorn_user

Shimano rear mechs (recent ones at least), have the same cable pull. I am running a 9 speed LX rear mech with 7 speed with no problems. So... if you want nice looks, you could buy a Tiagra mech, which is all metal and quite swish.

SCR Pedro

Thanks mate.

Tiagra is cool, I have it on my Giant. But the Sora is cheaper, and I already have Sora shifters. But I am not sure what length cage I need. For a 53/39 chainset and 14-28 cassette, a short cage should be fine, shouldn't it?


Cheers
Pedro