What is a groupset? Should you pick Shimano, SRAM or Campagnolo? Here's your complete guide to this essential piece of road cycling kit
What is a groupset?
The term “groupset” or “gruppo” refers to mechanical parts that make up a bike and typically include the gear/brake levers, front and rear brakes, front and rear derailleurs, bottom bracket, crankset, chain and cassette. After the frame, a bike is often defined by its groupset.
Gear/brake shifters
The shifters on a road bike are used to apply the brakes and change gear. Shimano’s STI (Shimano Total Integration) shifters are the most common design. The brake lever can be pushed inwards (sideways) to change up into an easier gear. To change down, there is a second lever behind the first that can be separately pushed inwards. To apply the brake, both levers are pulled backwards, towards the rider. The mode of operation for Campagnolo and SRAM shifters varies slightly, but in essence they all do the same job and all do it well.
Campagnolo (left), SRAM (center) and Shimano (right) shifters
The brakes
The most common brakes found on road bikes are cable-operated calipers that engage with the wheel rim. Recent advances have seen the introduction of hydraulic calipers, although these are not widely used, and an increasing number of road bikes are being equipped with disc brakes. Currently, disc brakes are not UCI-legal (meaning they can’t be ridden in UCI road races) but they can offer much improved breaking power and modulation. In addition, because the wheel rim does not have to be reinforced to feature a braking surface, the rim can be lighter. Direct mount calipers are also being seen in increasing numbers and offer superior performance to single mount calipers, but they are only compatible with specific frames.
A standard cable-actuated Shimano Tiagra brake caliper
The chainset
Chainsets housing the front gears can be split into two main categories – doubles and triples. A double has two chainrings while a triple has (you guessed it) three.
Double chainsets are available in different ratios, with 53/39 being the standard combination favoured by road racers. For those new to cycling, the numbers refer to the number of teeth on the chainring and the bigger number, the bigger the gear. A bigger front gear is harder to push but can achieve higher speeds. Compact chainsets have a 50/34 ratio and are currently the most common gearing equipped on road bikes. The smaller 34-tooth chainring makes this kind of chainset ideal for beginners or very hilly terrain. A third, less common ratio known as mid-compact, with a 52/36 ratio, is also available.
Triple chainsets are being used less frequently these days, but they are often found on touring bikes as they offer the greatest range of gears, which is useful when riding a bike laden down with heavy kit. The most common ratio is 50/39/30.
The chainset also features the cranks, which attach to the pedals. The length of the crank arms can vary, typically ranging from 160mm to 180mm. The length of the cranks that come fitted to a complete bike is usually related to its size — for example, a 56cm frame will often have 172.5mm cranks. Longer cranks offer a bigger mechanical advantage and larger effective gear, but can be harder to turn. Shorter cranks are sometimes favoured in criteriums, for pedalling around corners.
A Campagnolo Veloce chainset
Cassettes
The cassette refers to the collection of sprockets on the rear wheel. These are available in wide range of different ratios. An 11-speed cassette will have 11 sprockets on the cassette. These can be a close ratio such as 11-23 or wider like 11-32. A close ratio is useful for time trialling and racing on flatter terrain, as the close gears allow for fine adjustment and very smooth shifting. A wider range gives greater flexibility and is especially useful in hilly terrain. You can change your cassette and it is common for cyclists to own a few different ratios. However it is important to remember that the size of the biggest ring on a cassette is limited by the length of the cage on the rear derailleur, so check with your local bike shop before you splash out on that 32-tooth granny gear!
A SRAM Force cassette
The chain
The type of chain is dependant on the range of gears, i.e. a 10-speed groupset requires a 10-speed chain. An 8-speed chain is considerably wider than an 11-speed chain. More expensive chains feature alloy coatings that are more resistant to wear, and are often lighter. Chains, like cassettes, wear over time, so will need to be replaced periodically.
A 10-speed chain
Derailleurs
The derailleurs, also called mechs, are responsible for guiding the chain from one sprocket to the next. A cable is usually responsible for the shifiting, but electronic groupsets, such as Shimano Di2 or Campagnolo EPS, use servos to move the deraileur. Front derailleurs are either band on, or braze on, so make sure you select the correct option if purchasing separately from your frame. Band on refers to a circular clamp to attach to the frame. This is not always possible, as bike frames are not always round. To counter this, braze on derailleurs are riveted or bolted to the frame. The more expensive rear derailleurs feature ceramic bearings in the jockey wheels.
Campagnolo Chorus front derailleur
Campagnolo Chorus rear derailleur
Groupset manufacturers
There are three main manufacturers of groupsets and bike components. Shimano is the largest and arguably best known, while the other two are Campagnolo and SRAM. All three manufacturers offer a range of gruppos at competing price points.
Shimano
Shimano currently offers the largest range of groupsets, starting with Claris and Sora, which are often found on entry-level road bikes between £500 to £800. Tiagra comes next and is followed by 105, which is generally found on bikes between £1000 and £1800. 105 is considered Shimano’s first performance groupset, and for many people it is the best option in combining, performance, value and longevity. Ultegra is next and is very similar to Dura-Ace in terms of performance, though Dura-Ace is lighter. Shimano currently produces Ultegra and Dura-Ace in electronic versions, denoted by Di2.
Shimano groupset hierarchy
Groupset
Speed
RRP (Nov 2014)
Dura-Ace Di2
11
£2899.99
Dura-Ace
11
£1899.95
Ultegra Di2
11
£1999.99
Ultegra
11
£999.95
105
11
£509.99
Tiagra
10
£449.95
Sora
9
£324.99
Claris
8
£272.94
Campagnolo
Campagnolo, affectionately referred to as “Campag” or “Campy”, is a company rich in cycling heritage. The Italian brand can boast of equipping the winning bikes of the 2014 Giro D’Italia and Tour de France. Historically it is famous for inventing the rear derailleur and many other key innovations, such as quick release skewers.
The entry-level groupset, Veloce starts higher than Shimano and sits above Sora and Tiagra. Athena competes with Ultegra and SRAM Force, with Chorus sitting just below the Record components, while Super Record sits atop the Campagnolo hierarchy. Campag offers three electronic groupsets, which are denoted by the term EPS (Electronic Power Shift). Super Record EPS is the most expensive commercially available groupset.
Campagnolo Groupset Hierarchy
Groupset
Speed
RRP (Nov 2014)
Super Record EPS
11
£3749.99
Super Record
11
£2176.99
Record EPS
11
£2999.99
Record
11
£1749.99
Chorus EPS
11
£1795.99
Chorus
11
£1349.95
Athena
11
£934.99
Veloce
10
£499.99
Nairo Quintana leading the 2014 Giro d’Italia on Campagnolo Super Record EPS
SRAM
Illinois-based SRAM is the newest of the three main brands and offers the lightest commercially available groupset in SRAM Red. Apex is SRAM’s entry level and roughly comparable to Tiagra. Next up the ladder is Rival, which was named to rival Shimano 105. SRAM Force sits above Ultegra and below Dura-Ace. SRAM offers WiFli rear derailleurs across all of its groupsets, allowing 11-32t cassettes to be fitted, and this offers great versatility. Unlike the other two manufacturers SRAM is yet to offer an electronic groupset, although one is reportedly in the pipeline for 2015.
SRAM Groupset Hierarchy
Groupset
Speed
RRP (Nov 2014)
Red
11
£1999.99
Force
11
£1124.99
Rival
11
£578.00
Apex
10
£499.99
What do you get for your money?
Groupsets vary in price a great deal, but what changes as the price goes up? The first thing to consider is weight. A lighter bike will accelerate faster and climb quicker than a heavy one, but components also need to be strong and stiff. As the price of components increases the weight decreases. In order to maintain strength, durability and stiffness of the lighter components, more expensive materials are required. For example, an entry level groupset will likely have a steel chain, with a top end groupset featuring a titanium chain.
Performance
Manufacturing tolerances are much more higher on a top end groupset, which means that with an increased price, you get improved shifting between gears. The more expensive components are smoother, more precise and quicker to shift. Electronic groupsets are currently the benchmark in shifting performance, offering smoother shifting when changing gear under load, such as when riding out of the saddle or grinding up a hill. In these situations the lower end groupsets will be very clunky and strained, whereas the electronic shifting is sublime. The electronic groupsets are slightly heavier (~200g) than their mechanical counter parts, but this is a minor penalty for the improved shifting. Setting up gears can often be tricky, but the electronic groupsets automatically align themselves, which makes maintenance simple.
Ultegra Di2
Something to consider is that the shifting performance does tend to level out for the top two tiers. For example, the shifting quality between Ultegra and Dura-Ace is very similar, and the difference between the two primarily comes down to weight.
Braking performance improves too, with the calipers becoming stiffer up the hierarchy. This translates to more power, feel and modulation. The more expensive chainsets tend to be lighter and stiffer too. This can transform a bike, as a stiff crankset is more efficient at transferring the power from the pedals into pushing you forward. A chainring that flexes slightly under load will absorb energy, and decrease shifting performance too. For these reasons the big sprinters, such as Marcel Kittel will favour very stiff chainsets.
Durability
As one would expect, durability improves as you move up in price. Quality mid-tier components such as shifters and derailleurs last a very long time if properly maintained. However it is important to consider that the top-tier groupsets, such as Super Record and Dura-Ace, are designed for racing and not everyday use. These components are designed to be the lightest, with everyday use a secondary concern, which means that durability of groupsets tends to peak around the second highest tier. Running costs should also be factored in, as chains and cassettes are expected to wear out and be replaced several times throughout the lifetime of a bike. Replacing a Super Record chain and cassette will incur a much greater cost than a Chorus equivalent.
Top Tips
When buying a bike look at the components it comes with. It is common for bike manufacturers to supply a bike with a whole groupset, minus the brakes and chainset. These are sometimes (but not always) swapped out for cheaper parts to bring the overall price of the bike down. If you are unsure, enquire to establish what you are getting. In some instances it can also be worth investing in a quality frame with a lower end groupset, with a mind to upgrading the components at a later date.
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