BUYING A BIKE

 

Bicycle Component Sets

Manufacturers of bicycle components tend to produce different sets, each with a certain level of quality and name. The complete set of components includes the braking system and the shifting system.

The braking system is made up of the brake levers and the brakes themselves. The shifting system includes shift levers, front and rear derailleurs, the chain, the casette, and the crank. The hubs of the wheels can also be part of a component set.

I've subjectively organized the different component sets into three tiers - top, middle, and bottom. Each component set is grouped into a tier based on its quality and price level. Notice that none of Campagnolo's equipment falls into a "bottom tier" category - how could any Italian bicycle part be low-end?

Contemporary Component Sets

On more contemporary bicycles, the shifting systems are usually made by Shimano, SRAM, or Campagnolo. Shimano holds the most ground by far in terms of the quantity of bikes equipped with their parts, as Campagnolo doggedly hangs on to their higher-end niche in the market place. SRAM entered the game with full component sets only recently, but has come in with guns blazing.

ROAD

Shimano
Top Tier
  1. Dura-Ace
  2. Ultegra
Middle Tier
  1. 105
  2. Tiagra
Bottom Tier
  1. Sora
  2. 2300
  3. 2200
Sram
Top Tier
  1. Red
  2. Force
Middle Tier
  1. Rival
Bottom Tier
  1. Apex
Campagnolo
Top Tier
  1. Super Record
  2. Record
  3. Chorus
  4. Athena
Middle Tier
  1. Centaur
  2. Veloce
  3. Mirage
  4. Xenon

MOUNTAIN

Shimano
Top Tier
  1. XTR
  2. Deore XT
  3. Saint (downhill and heavy duty)
Middle Tier
  1. SLX
  2. Deore LX
  3. Deore
Bottom Tier
  1. Alivio
  2. Acera
  3. Altus
  4. Tourney
Sram
Top Tier
  1. XX
  2. X0
Middle Tier
  1. X9
  2. X7
  3. X5
Bottom Tier
  1. X4
  2. X3

Classic Component Sets

The most common manufacturers of components on older bikes were Shimano, Suntour, and Campagnolo. Suntour created some of the greatest innovations in shifting, but stopped producing component sets around 1994.

I've tried to organize the classic groupsets by their advertized quality and price at the time of their release. However, because there are large time gaps between when the different classic groupsets were released, older top-tier parts may be less desireable than newer middle-tier and even bottom-tier parts.

ROAD

Shimano
Top Tier
  1. Dura-Ace
  2. 600
  3. Santé
Middle Tier
  1. 105
  2. RX-100
  3. Exage 500EX
  4. Exage 400EX
Bottom Tier
  1. RSX
  2. Exage 300EX
Suntour
Top Tier
  1. Superb Pro
  2. Cyclone
  3. SL
Middle Tier
  1. GPX
  2. Radius
  3. Sprint
  4. Edge
  5. Blaze
  6. VX
Bottom Tier
  1. RT
  2. FT
  3. FTU
Campagnolo
COMING SOON

MOUNTAIN

Shimano
Top Tier
  1. XTR
  2. Deore XT
Middle Tier
  1. STX
  2. Deore DX
  3. Deore LX
  4. Deore
  5. 500GX
Bottom Tier
  1. 400GS
  2. 300GS
  3. 200GS
  4. Acera-X
  5. Altus
  6. Alivio
  7. Exage Trail
  8. Exage Country
  9. Exage
Suntour
Top Tier
  1. XC-PRO
  2. XC-COMP
  3. XC-9000
Middle Tier
  1. X1
  2. XC-LTD
  3. XCE
  4. XC Expert
Bottom Tier
  1. XCU
  2. Seven
  3. XCT
  4. XCM
  5. XC Sport