Last Updated 2021.01.22
Road bike components
It is often referred to as a component in road bikes and bicycles, but this component is a way of calling the parts that make up a road bike. Also known as a compo. The term component is called Shimano, and Campagnolo in Europe is called a groupset. Components are a group of parts that are mainly related to driving a road bike, and refer to the following parts:
- Crankset (Chainring)
- Brake lever (shift lever)
- Front and rear brakes
- Front Diller (Front Transmission)
- Rear Diller (Rear Transmission)
- Rear sprocket (rear gear shifting gear)
- Bottom bracket
- Hub
The above parts are collectively referred to as components.
Shimano began selling a set of parts called this component, and then began to sell its products in series so that each manufacturer could compete.
Component sets are graded, and each company's components are sold with a difference in durability and light weight depending on the grade.
In general, the higher the grade, the more durable and lightweight it is, and thereby the price difference is set.
Shimano
Shimano is a Japanese manufacturer that is also famous for fishing tackle. In the 1980s, advances in mountain biking began to represent the company's market share, and the development of STI levers rapidly increased its market share. It is now a manufacturer used all over the world.
Mountain bike components are almost exclusive, and road bikes have also entered the road bike market since the 1990s.
It came to compete with Campagnolo, which was monopolized at the time, and increased its share at once by diverting STI levers to road bikes, and is currently in the top position in Japan, overpacing Campagnolo.
In addition, many of the finished vehicles of each bicycle manufacturer often use Shimano components for reasons such as high quality and low price.
Shimano Component Grade
- Duraace
- ULTEGRA(ULTEGRA)
- 105
- TIAGRA
- Sora (SORA)
- Claris
There are mainly the above grades.
Generally, grades 105 to higher are models that can also be used in racing applications, and Tiagra and below are distinguished as town use applications.
In addition, more than 105 grades are grade compatible at rear 11 speed, and there is also fun to custom road bikes, such as being able to upgrade to Artegra and Dura Ace later when using 105 components.
Since the grade below Tiagra changes with the rear sprocket at 10th, 9th, 8th, etc., and there is no grade compatibility, it is necessary to change the basic component set when upgraded.
Many entry models from renowned European road bike manufacturers use Tiagra or Sora to keep costs down, and be careful if you have the potential to upgrade your components later.
In addition, even if 105 components are adopted, there are road bikes that use brakes and front cranks made by other companies or Shimano lower grades to keep costs down. When considering a purchase, we may want to check the catalog or shop to see if the components are uniform or if some third-party products are used.
In my personal life, when purchasing a road bike, I recommend a model that uses more than 105 grade components. The reason is compatible with the upper grade even if you think about the upgrade etc. later as I wrote earlier, so you can upgrade by aligning the parts little by little without needing to upgrade at once.
Even if I'm not thinking about improving, if the road bike becomes fun and I get to ride a lot, if the rear is 11th speed, I can use the race, hill climb, and long distance without any inconvenience, so I think that there is no loss in the long run because I can use the Burbe finish that I am targeting.
Campagnolo
Campagnolo is an Italian bicycle parts manufacturer. In Japan, it is often abbreviated as a camper.
Since Europe is the home of bicycles, there was a time when campagnolo components were monopolized in races where professional road racers such as the old Tour de France participated.
It is a manufacturer that is absolutely indispensable in road bikes and is famous enough to be called a camper believer in Japan, and super record, which is the highest grade of Campagnolo components, is also a longing existence.
Campagnolo components are more expensive than Shimano's, and road bike manufacturers often use more than middle grade in finished vehicles.
If Shimano is solid, campagnolo has a feeling of fighting with beauty, and there are many Campagnolo lovers in Japan because there is a track record in the world of professional road racing.
Campagnolo Component Grade
- Super Record
- Record
- Chorus
- Potenza
- Centaur
- Veloce
There are mainly the above grades.
In the case of Campagnolo, Beloche and Kentaul are in 10th speed and Potenza or more is an 11th speed lineup.
However, in terms of price, if you try to make it an 11-speed specification in Potenza at a price of 105 of Shimano at a Beloche grade, you will get tens of thousands of yen even if you buy a set of Shimano Artegra. There is a price difference of that much.
We recommend Campagnolo for those who can afford it or who want to custom road bikes and ride beautifully, but if you ride long distances such as Brube and overuse the road bike, shimano components are more likely to respond if there is a shop nearby even if there is trouble on the go, so I recommend Shimano.
SRAM
Slam is an American bike manufacturer and the newest manufacturer in the world of road bikes. We mainly developed parts for mountain bikes, but since 2007 we have been developing components for road bikes.
The shift change mechanism of the slam is special, and it is a mechanism that can up and down the gear by clicking the lever in front of the Shimano STI lever in two stages. As a feature of the slam, it claims to be lightweight to compete with Shimano and Campagnolo.
A hill climber who appears in magazines etc. uses a superlative grade component called RED of the slum to reduce the road bike weight to the limit.
Compared to Shimano and Campagnolo, slums have a small share worldwide and I think that the utilization rate is quite low in Japan.
Slam component grade
- Red (RED)
- Force（FORCE）
- Rival (RIVAL)
- Apex (APEX)
There are mainly the above grades.
There are few models that each manufacturer uses in the finished car, and it is difficult to say that it is still popular compared to Shimano and Campagnolo.
Recently, however, Slam has attracted attention by announcing a mechanism that can shift electric shifts wirelessly against wired at the top level of RED.
There are still few slam users in Japan, so if you want your road bike to have its own personality, there may be a slam.
These were the characteristics of the three major manufacturers of road bike components.
I hope it will be a little helpful when purchasing a road bike.
