What groupset should I get? A guide for every budget

Groupsets are the unsung heroes of the cycling world. Yes, the bike frame may grab all of the attention, but a great groupset really does make all of the difference when it comes to your enjoyment and safety when riding.

A groupset is essentially everything involved in speeding you up or slowing down. It consists of the crankset, bottom bracket, brakes, brake levers, gear shifters, derailleurs, chain and cassette. Thankfully, we won’t bore you by going into detail on what all of these things do…

A groupset will define how many gears you have, how you change your gears and even what type of brakes your bike uses. As a result, it’s an extremely important thing to consider when choosing a road bike.

What types of groupsets are there?

Groupsets differ between mountain bikes and road bikes, however we’ll focus primarily on the road in this article.

Unlike frames, where there are hundreds of manufacturers competing against each other, groupsets are primarily made by three companies: Sram, Shimano and Campagnolo. Each brand has their own nuances, for instance Campagnolo is famous for having a thumb shifter to move down on the gears, whereas on the others it is fully integrated into the brake lever.

Their most basic groupsets can be picked up second hand for less than £100, whilst the top of the range options can set you back £4-5000. Here’s an overview of what you can get in each price bracket?

£100 or less

As mentioned, some of the most basic options by each brand can be picked up cheaply – especially older variations. Shimano Claris and Sora are generally the cheapest of the main brands and can be found on most cheaper bikes.

At this price point you can’t expect world class shifting, however they will usually do the job. If you aren’t spending as much money then you are generally going to be limited in the amount of gears you have, with Claris offering 8 and Sora offering 9. This might make it harder to find the perfect gear for each situation, as the jumps between gears will be larger.

£500

Mid-level groupsets start at around £500, although you can get them much cheaper when buying second hand. 

At this level you will most likely get around 10 speeds on the cassette, with much more effective and high-quality components. Shifting and braking should be a lot smoother, and whilst there may be some electric assistant it will most likely still feature cables unless you are spending upwards of a few thousand pounds.

Shimano 105’s are considered a very reliable groupset at this price point.

£4000+

At the very top end of the market you can expect 12 speed cassettes and (in most cases) fully electronic shifting, meaning no cables at all. On some models you can program the shifters on your phone, enabling it to do things like automatically shifting up or down on the rear cassette if you shift on the front. 

This is as good as groupsets get and if you are spending this much money, your setup won’t be far off a tour pro’s. However, it’s important not to forget rule number 1 when it comes to electronic shifters: Always charge the battery! Otherwise you may be faced with a mighty climb stuck in your highest gear….

As with most products, you can get the best deals on groupsets when buying second hand – either as a bike or separately. At MyNextBike we encourage sellers to include a breakdown of each bike’s groupset, meaning you know exactly what you are buying. Happy riding!