How hard is to replace the whole groupset?
How hard is to replace the whole groupset?
I was going to upgrade my bike (Decathlon Triban 100) and ordered the whole new groupset (Shimano SORA). It will be delivered soon, so my question is how hard is the replacing process? It is not a problem to pay in local bike service for the replacement but I'm also interested in trying by myself. I have a repairment kit and all the things, I like to make some maintenance of bike by mysleft but I didn't do so complex maintenance before.
It isn't that hard, But it might be a bit overwhelming if you haven't done something like it before. I would recommend setting aside a couple of evenings for the job and taking your time. Start by stripping everything down, the build your bike back up slowly with the new parts.
It might be easier to pay your LBS for the job, but if you do it yourself, you are going to be well equipped to handle most issues and do any maintenance that may arise in the future.
Also, you can always bring the bike in to your LBS for the final setup and adjustment.
Here are some things you might want to keep in mind/check:
- if you are replacing brake/shift levers, you will need to rewrap the bar tape. It might be possible to reuse the old tape, but it might get destroyed in the process. (In my opinion, just get new bar tape. It's not that expensive and directly impacts the (literal) feel of the bike
- different types of bottom brackets need different tools. Check that you have the correct one before taking everything apart.
Are you also getting new rear wheels? The 7 speed hub is probably not wide enough for anything other than 7 speed. You might need a new rear wheel.
Does the sora have a front derailleur? Are there suitable mounts for it on the frame? (As the triban does not have a front derailleur).
If you made sure everything is compatible, it can be done, even by beginners. Just calculate extra time for watching YouTube vids 8-)
I bought all the things exactly like in this post on Refdit. So, it should work without changing a wheel and also I ordered front derailleur of "B" (Band-Type) series that is suitable for mounting without special mount. I hope it will fit, otherwise it will be a huge waste of money (about a half of the new Triban 100 price).
Triban 100 is a nice bike for it's price and I had a lot of good time with it. But after my last trip to one of National Parks with small-scale mountains (about 1000-1500 meters above the sea) I realized that it is very hard to go up with 44/28 lowest gear. Maybe bying the whole new bike will be easier but I already named my Triban 100 and also I do not like to buy new thing and produce waste when I can upgrade existing one. With Sora I will have 34/34 and it should cover elevations up to 20% that is enough for the most of beautiful places around me.
Ok, sounds good then. A 34:34 will be a big upgrade over the current setup