18 speed Shimano Deore or 27

popsicle

I'm hoping someone can offer good advice, I have just bought a road bike with flat bars, it was sold as having 27 gears but has only 18. Normally should a bike like this have only 18 as I have now been told and that 27 gears are only for off roading?
I'm new to the world of real cycling and paid a lot so that I could have a good bike with the possiblility of going distance comfortably and riding hills or bigger.
I don't want to push the bike shop into replacing something that would be detrimental to the type of bike I have (Corratec Shape Pro). But I have already used all the gears in what I thought was a small ride loaclly.
I should really appreciate some advice.
Cheers :?

alfablue

If it has 18 gears, is that with double chainset (two rings at the front, where the pedal fixes) or a triple chainset?

If the shop told you 27 gears is only for off roading, they are lying to you. Mtb's have 27 gears, i.e. triple chain ring and a 9 speed cassette at the back.

Modern road bikes generally come with 9, 10 or even 11 speed cassettes, so with a double chainring at the front this gives 18, 20 or 22 gears, however some come with a triple chainset, more suitable for touring or for riding in hilly areas if you are not so fit. I have a road bike with 27 gears and one with 20. All perfectly normal.

If they have sold you one with a 6 speed cassette then they have not only lied to you, but probably sold you an old model. If they have sold you one with a 9 speed cassette and a double chain ring then you do not have as wide a range of gearing as you might want.

Whether the bike is good or bad, or the gears as you want or need, I despise the bike shop for either their ignorance or their dishonesty!

popsicle

Hey, thanks for the quick reply!
My bike has two cogs at the front attached to the pedal and 9 at the back. The gear changers on the handle bar, left hand side have spacers to show three but it only moves twice so in my reasoning the bike has the capacity for the three cogs equalling 27 speed.
The bike although is a hybridy type (road with flat bars) the Corratec website puts it under the title of trekking which as you say would mean 27 gears would be good. As you say as it is it probably does not have as wide a range of gears as I want.
I've spoken with trading standards to check where I stand on this and just wanted an outsiders opinion, as you can probably tell I am very much a novice with the terminology.
Thanks!

alfablue

The 2010 Shape Pro is sold as a fitness bike (I think this means a fast-ish flat barred road bike). It has a 50/34 chainset (which is known as a compact double).

The bike you have been sold is, therefore, presumably as per the correct specification, however you may not have been sold the bike that best meets your needs.

If you are a reasonable cyclist, can get up most hills, don't want to do loaded touring, then this may be fine. If you struggle on hills and/or want to carry loads and/or long day or multi-day rides then perhaps a bike with a triple chainset would be better.

If you can manage fine with the gearing, no problem. If it is unsuitable, well I think they have mis-sold the bike to you.

John.T

Every listing I can find for the 2009 model has 27 gears. The pictures however show a double chain ring set up. Query this with the shop you bought it from. Deore is not made in double so if the rest of the kit is Deore then fitting a triple chain ring crankset should be no problem.

Buckled_Rims

What does it say on the receipt?

Strangely, I checked the Corratec website and they don't mention how many gears. So I googled your bike and found this strangish description at:

http://www.damianharriscycles.co.uk/pro ... s-Trekking

It says "27 Speed Shimano Deore" but the picture clearly shows a double ie 18 speed. I checked a few other sites and there's no real mention of drive train description. I just wonder if the bikes are set up individually by each LBS for their customers own specification?

As to whether 27 is better then 18 speeds...me personally I hate triple chainsets, I just don't like the feeling of my legs spinning furiously in the granny gear. But then again, I am leaning more towards single gears and getting off the bike to push

popsicle

Thanks for all your replys!
Probably way too much technical stuff for me to get my head around
Tis strange how all the websites have made such an error and I have to say I dislike being sold something that does not meet the discription.
On that matter I was disappointed to have to pay an extra 50 quid for pedals when I had been back into the shop and had phoned them to check the pedal type as I wished to buy bike shoes (again because of being new to this I had triple checked). I was told the bike would come with Shimano SPD cleats, however the bike arrived with nothing and so I had to pay.
As to needing 27 gears I don't know now. I am very fit and have only ever had three on my bike... :?

tyax

A member of my family was recently sold a Corratec Shape Pro by a "certain" bike shop chain. I won't name them, but they sell a lot of Raleighs, and have a word that rhymes with "wife" in the name... The bike was sold as being the best thing since sliced loaves, but in the cold light of day, said family member realised it was overpriced, not particularly high spec, very little info was available about it online, and crucially, no demo was offered. For these reasons the order was cancelled later that day, and said shop will get no more business from my family... FWIW it seemed like a nice, light bike, but just not worth the asking price (c. £900) unless there is something seriously missing from the scant spec available from the Corratec website.

Anyhoo, my Focus hybrid (cost £240 earlier this year) has a full Deore groupset on it, and has a triple chainring. I'm not the most fit, or least fit, and I'd say I use the smallest chainring about 5% of the time. It doesn't strike me as particularly necessary. It'll depend on the gearing at the back I guess, but if it's anything like mine (MTB cassette, not road bike) you just won't need the small chainring.

alfablue

This bike cost £900??? :shock: SH!T!

IMHO that bike/spec should be nearer £650!

Did you buy from Cyclelife Popsicle?

If you paid nearly £900 for something you are not happy with then send it back!

tyax

My thoughts were that it was worth around the £500 mark tops, when compared to hybrid/flat bar roadies like the Spesh Vita, hence my slightly unsubtle advice to aforementioned family member...

alfablue

tyax wrote:

My thoughts were that it was worth around the £500 mark tops, when compared to hybrids like the Spesh Vita, hence my slightly unsubtle advice to aforementioned family member...

Yes, I think I was trying to be too generous, to the bike shop!