why do bike not have one make i.e. all shimano?

ianbar

is this literally a cost saving ploy from the bike makers? scanning the spec of my caad8 tiagra i realised my chainring/set is fsa rather than a tiagra, i then had a little search and found you can get tiagra ones. i suppose i have just answered my own question but its a bit odd really.

keef66

Some do fit an entire groupset, but most try to save a bit of money somewhere. FSA chainsets are a common cost-saving swap, as are unbranded hubs and brake calipers.

I got Shimano everything on my bike cos I chose each and every component. Prolly paid a bit more than an off-the -shelf bike, but I'm not being annoyed by any slightly inferior / mismatched components or hankering to upgrade anything.

smidsy

FSA kit is good stuff, obviously depends which model/range but Tiagra is only 2/5ths up the Shimano scale so not a high spec item.

Not saying its rubbish just pointing out that even Shimano themselves have 3 higher specs (excluding DI2).

ianbar

i wasn't really saying the parts would be worse but assume they are cheaper really, now i have started to look more at bike tech i am noticing these things lol so i assume most people would not replace parts to match or even get higher spec?

Gizmodo

ianbar wrote:

i wasn't really saying the parts would be worse but assume they are cheaper really, now i have started to look more at bike tech i am noticing these things lol so i assume most people would not replace parts to match or even get higher spec?

If you are happy with how they work then replace them when they wear out. If you are not happy with the parts then save up and upgrade a bit at a time when you can afford to. Still not happy, upgrade the whole bike.

There's nothing wrong with FSA stuff, yes it's cheaper, but you probably won't notice the difference. Yes it's common place, my bike has Ultegra except the front derailleur is 105 as are the brake calipers.

crankycrank

It's incredibly hard to standout in the bike market with most mfrs. only making or designing the frame itself. To compete in a certain price range some will try to offer something exceptional and skimp on other parts. Say one offers a full Ultegra set in the same price category as others offering 105 so the Ultegra may come with lower grade wheels or handlebars/stem, etc. or may give you Ultegra with an FSA crankset. It gets complicated but yes, it's for cost savings usually.

ianbar

hmm its interesting, might have to scourer the sales and adds to see if anything looks good value. I'm a bit anal about having things the same so now i have finally twigged it will irritate me there are different lol but i certainly am not unhappy with how it works and won't spend money for sake of it! on a slightly different note, i saw an old post about someones bike and he had lots of posts telling him to upgrade his brakes, mine are definitely tiagra but what would be the real benefit of say going for 105?

Gizmodo

If you read bike magazines, when they review brakes they talk about how well they transfer the stopping power from your hands to the wheels. Do they snatch and lock up the wheel, do they not stop you well enough or do they modulate well. Changing to good quality brake pads will probably make the biggest difference.

The main difference between parts is weight, when racing or doing long distances most people want to reduce the weight of their bike.

ianbar

well the reducing the weight is something i would like to do to help get faster especially on the climbs as i am a bit of a tall lump so not my natural habitat! i have got some aksium wheels to replace my standard wheels.