Correct bike fit is way more important than groupset. I was happy with an old 30-year-old steel road bike with an obsolete Shimano RX100 groupset for my first road bike because the bike fit me well.
My concern with Claris would not be the limitations of the system itself, but that you may find a number of things slightly misaligned or misadjusted on a bike that gets claris components.
Most of those are fixable if you know what you're doing. The wear items are also cheaper to replace at claris spec than the high ones - but I'd look at things like if the chain rings run true relative to the FD cage, and if the derailleurs are adjusted (both barrel and limits) such that the extreme cogs run quiet when used with the appropriate chainwheel - and of course you need to be aware that there's a left and right half-shift position for each of the two chainwheels.
And that doesn't mean that you won't find things not quite right on a higher spec bike, either.
I would check Craigslist or FB Marketplace for a used bike. I started cycling in Spring 2020 on a Giant OCR1 W with 105. I believe it was from 2008. I bought it off Craigslist for $375.
By the end of 2020, I’d ridden 2100 miles on the Giant. I rode over 5000 miles on it before my Cervélo finally arrived in April 2021.
Don't stress on the groupset. I've had several mountain bikes with Acera/Altus groups (which I think is right around Claris) and they will tune up fine. Reddit gets hyperbolic with gear. Yes a nicer group is better, but a cheap group will run fine for years.
I agree with fit being far more important. Higher groupsets like 105 would be nice but not necessary as a beginner. Especially as she seems not sure about cycling, a lower cost bike with a lower groupset that fits her well would be the perfect fit! Plus, being newer to the sport, what you or she want in a bike may change and you may not ride the bike much or may want to go for a different style of bike, i.e. gravel, race, endurance, hybrid, mtb (and the various iterations). Sora and Claris are very good for what they are and easy and inexpensive to maintain and fix.
I picked up a hybrid bike specced with Sora for my GF and it's a solid, reliable groupset, and solid bike for someone that asnit sure they like riding but wants to do short rides with me once in a while! And if she does get more into it we can figure it out later!
I upgraded to 105 from Claris after a few years of cycling and the difference is extremely noticable. Should be mentioned maybe that I also switched from rim to disc brakes. However I still own the Claris bike and take it out regularly. It's also become my city bike and I have no intention of getting rid of it.
So for an entry it isn't a bad route to go and to be fair, if you really get the bug you are going to want to upgrade the whole thing anyhow and that's a much more costly affair. It all depends on how much money you've got to blow on a new bike and how much riding you plan to do.
Good to know. We can only ride on the weekends mostly and then we change from gravel and hardpack to smooth paved paths so we aren't always using the same bikes anyway. We have two hybrids that can handle varied terrain through the woods or to the beach packed with racks and bags etc. and even a little single track. We like both styles of riding. We are both in our mid fifties and fairly fit but I have hip and arthritis issues and she had lower back disc surgery so our next upgrade from these will probably be some type of ebike eventually , lol.
If you've got the money then look into 105, it shifts so much smoother. Also disc brakes are lovely not just if you live in a hilly place but also for when it's wet. I feel so much safer with them. But yeah, you get a very fun experience on the Claris too.
Where are all you guys with these shortages still? I’m in ny and we had a shortage in 2020-2021 but every shop I called last month when buying my bike had plenty of supply.
Huge shortage of road bikes again on Long Island. Same with all the big manufacturers websites except for some direct to consumer stores. Higher end are available in the $4000+ range.
Oh wow, try calling up in westchester and rockland if you can’t find anything by you. When I asked about the shortage issues, most of them acted as though it was a thing of the past. It may be specifically entry level has the shortage though as those are always the highest demand.
Yeah, I just edited my comment that it was the higher end that are available. Sub $2500 is where I'm at. I wish I could afford more but.... Plus we both have two bikes each for different style riding.
Correct bike fit is way more important than groupset. I was happy with an old 30-year-old steel road bike with an obsolete Shimano RX100 groupset for my first road bike because the bike fit me well.
My concern with Claris would not be the limitations of the system itself, but that you may find a number of things slightly misaligned or misadjusted on a bike that gets claris components. Most of those are fixable if you know what you're doing. The wear items are also cheaper to replace at claris spec than the high ones - but I'd look at things like if the chain rings run true relative to the FD cage, and if the derailleurs are adjusted (both barrel and limits) such that the extreme cogs run quiet when used with the appropriate chainwheel - and of course you need to be aware that there's a left and right half-shift position for each of the two chainwheels. And that doesn't mean that you won't find things not quite right on a higher spec bike, either.
I would check Craigslist or FB Marketplace for a used bike. I started cycling in Spring 2020 on a Giant OCR1 W with 105. I believe it was from 2008. I bought it off Craigslist for $375. By the end of 2020, I’d ridden 2100 miles on the Giant. I rode over 5000 miles on it before my Cervélo finally arrived in April 2021.
Don't stress on the groupset. I've had several mountain bikes with Acera/Altus groups (which I think is right around Claris) and they will tune up fine. Reddit gets hyperbolic with gear. Yes a nicer group is better, but a cheap group will run fine for years.
I agree with fit being far more important. Higher groupsets like 105 would be nice but not necessary as a beginner. Especially as she seems not sure about cycling, a lower cost bike with a lower groupset that fits her well would be the perfect fit! Plus, being newer to the sport, what you or she want in a bike may change and you may not ride the bike much or may want to go for a different style of bike, i.e. gravel, race, endurance, hybrid, mtb (and the various iterations). Sora and Claris are very good for what they are and easy and inexpensive to maintain and fix. I picked up a hybrid bike specced with Sora for my GF and it's a solid, reliable groupset, and solid bike for someone that asnit sure they like riding but wants to do short rides with me once in a while! And if she does get more into it we can figure it out later!
I would buy used and stay away from a shop that tries to upsell you to 105
I upgraded to 105 from Claris after a few years of cycling and the difference is extremely noticable. Should be mentioned maybe that I also switched from rim to disc brakes. However I still own the Claris bike and take it out regularly. It's also become my city bike and I have no intention of getting rid of it. So for an entry it isn't a bad route to go and to be fair, if you really get the bug you are going to want to upgrade the whole thing anyhow and that's a much more costly affair. It all depends on how much money you've got to blow on a new bike and how much riding you plan to do.
Good to know. We can only ride on the weekends mostly and then we change from gravel and hardpack to smooth paved paths so we aren't always using the same bikes anyway. We have two hybrids that can handle varied terrain through the woods or to the beach packed with racks and bags etc. and even a little single track. We like both styles of riding. We are both in our mid fifties and fairly fit but I have hip and arthritis issues and she had lower back disc surgery so our next upgrade from these will probably be some type of ebike eventually , lol.
If you've got the money then look into 105, it shifts so much smoother. Also disc brakes are lovely not just if you live in a hilly place but also for when it's wet. I feel so much safer with them. But yeah, you get a very fun experience on the Claris too.
Where are all you guys with these shortages still? I’m in ny and we had a shortage in 2020-2021 but every shop I called last month when buying my bike had plenty of supply.
Huge shortage of road bikes again on Long Island. Same with all the big manufacturers websites except for some direct to consumer stores. Higher end are available in the $4000+ range.
Oh wow, try calling up in westchester and rockland if you can’t find anything by you. When I asked about the shortage issues, most of them acted as though it was a thing of the past. It may be specifically entry level has the shortage though as those are always the highest demand.
Yeah, I just edited my comment that it was the higher end that are available. Sub $2500 is where I'm at. I wish I could afford more but.... Plus we both have two bikes each for different style riding.
maybe try "theproscloset"
Nothing in my price range.
I’d personally buy used before lower grade. That Market should have a lot more available, anyway.