Upgrading from 8 speeds to 10

danehamada

Hi everyone!

This is my first post, so I probably should have done a "new member intro" post first...

My name is Dane. After taking a rather lengthy absence from road biking, I returned to the sport in March 2014. I bought a Cannondale CAAD 8 2300. As you probably guessed, the bike has a Shimano 2300 groupset. When I bought the bike, my main concern was simply being able to re-enter the sport at an affordable price point, which is how I settled with the 8 speed setup. I'm riding about 60 miles per week and my speed and strength have significantly increased, but I really would like a lower gear for climbing. My 8 speed cassette is 12-25 and I'd like to go to 28. I believe I can go to a 12-28 on an 8 speed setup, but I'd much rather go to 28 on a 10 speed setup.

Now that I'm looking into it, I'm finding that going from 8 to 10 is VERY expensive given that you're purchasing most of the groupset, almost to the point where it would be cheaper to buy a new bike.

So, some questions. Is Shimano Tiagra going to be the cheapest 10 speed groupset for me? I know I can get it cheaper online, but I'd prefer to buy everything locally. For the 105 groupset, my local shop is saying the best that they can do (without labor) is $725. Is this reasonable? I know retail is closer to $1k. How much cheaper is the Tiagra groupset? I've been looking online but haven't found the entire Tiagra groupset online. My local shop is going to call me back this week with a quote on the Tiagra groupset price.

I don't think SRAM makes anything at this pricepoint. Am I correct?

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much!

-Dane

trailflow

As your bike is only 2 months old i would try the 12-28t 8 speed cassette first. its the cheapest and easiest option. It will make the hills much easier.

What do you think the Tiagra 10 speed group will do that your 2300 group doesnt ? The extra 2 cogs arnt really much of an 'upgrade'. The shifting will be smoother but it wont be $725 smoother.

If you want a performance gain then look at getting some lighter wheels , nicer tyres and more powerful brake calipers. The new ultegra 6800 brake calipers receive great reviews and are compatible with your brake levers.

If you do decide to upgrade your groupset make sure your wheels are 10 speed compatible.

nathancom

Yeah I would just get the wider cassette, it just means you will have some bigger jumps between gears but that won't make a huge difference.

As trailflow says tyres and wheels will make the biggest difference. Something like mavic Aksiums will be a decent improvement on the heavy stock wheels that come with the bike and you will immediately feel the difference spinning up the wheels.

napoleond

Try the cassette first, if you still feel the need for 10 speed, try SRAM Apex. It's really quite cheap. You can even get a 32 tooth cassette with that too.