pnsathyan

Hi all,

Need some advise. I have a 2016 synapse sora 9 speed with rim. The shifting is not happening properly and am wondering if i have to change the derailleur is it worthwhile to change the groupset.
With the whole current situation buying a new bike is probably out of question as bikes are not available. Has anybody gone from sora 9 speed to 105 ? or are there other options on SRAM or campy which would be better off than a 105.

Not to looking to spend more than 400$.

Any advice would be helpful.

Thanks in advance

Iride01 

3x or 2x front?

2x shouldn't be much of a problem. Just change shifters and rear DR along with figuring out if you can put a 11 speed cassette and freehub on that wheel. You don't necessarily have to change out the crankset. 9 speed crankset and rings will work. At most you might, I say again, might see some slower or poor shifting in the front. Possibly your front DR won't have the same pull as the 11 speed shifters you get. However you can just change the rear shifter and that will be even less expensive. Might look and feel odd.

If front shifting does become and issue, you can change crankset and front DR at some point later. Of course it depends on how often you use the front DR and how critical it's shifting is for your riding.

3x started disappearing on 11 speed bikes, partly because of the choice of gearing on the rear made them not as needed, but I wonder if it was also that 3x didn't work as well on some combinations of frame design and geometries.

Tiagra 10 speed isn't a bad group either. So you can be even less expensive going to it. However Shimano 105 5800 or better is a very nice shifting group. Pair with Shimano freehub and it's very silent when coasting. At least mine is!

Tacoenthusiast

You need to figure out why the shifting is bad, your derailleur is not likely to be the cause

Google how to index your derailleur, check if your chain and or cassette us worn out

Just buying a new derailleur isn't a cure all

pnsathyan

I have 2x front. Thanks for the quick reply. I dont use the front shifting much.

since I am anyway investing in upgrading was considering to go to the 5800 . Will take a look at if i could just get away with only upgrading the rear.

pnsathyan

thanks a lot for the quick reply. I do plan on replacing the cassette while replacing the DR as it is showing some wear. thats why i was debating on upgrading to a 5800.

Iride01 

Yeah, that is a very good point that I missed. I was too focused on just the upgrade part.

Despite the negatives some people like to cast on the lesser groupsets, there is no reason to suffer with poor shifting. It's not the groupset fault, it's just that they've not been adjusted and maintained over the years. Even with my 105 5800, I have to adjust it several times a year to keep it shifting exceptionally smooth and perfectly.

cb400bill

My 2006 Synapse came from Cannondale equipped a combination of 3x9 Tiagra and 105. It worked quite well but eventually wore out at around 25000 miles. I replaced it all with 2x11 speed 105 and love it. Quicker shifting, better stopping, and I find the levers to be more comfortable.

Dr_UNIX

If the bike came with 9-speed Sora, then I'd bet you don't have an 11-speed capable rear wheel. So the you're either in the world of 5800/R7000 105 in a "10 of 11" setup. OR, just go with a Tiagra 4700 shifters, a 105 5800/R7000 or Tiagra FD, and a 105 5800/R7000 or Tiagra 4700 RD (depending on budget); plus 10-speed chain and cassette.

Note the "11 speed" 105 and Ultregra RD's are "10 speed" RD's when used with the Tiagra 4700 10-speed shifters. I use a rear ST-4700 shifter and RD-6800 Ulegra RD on my CX bikes.

Nachoman

Daughter has a five or year old Synapse with a mix of Tiagra components also. But from the get-go, we never could get the tektro brakes working properly. Finally after having a buddy of mine, who used to be a team mechanic for a few tour de france teams, take a look at it, we both gave up and upgraded the brakes to 105. Now it's smooth as silk. Except for the FSA crankset. But don't get me started on that.