Transitioning from hybrid to road/cyclocross

[Lady Hamilton]

Lady Hamilton, I would always go with the extra gearing over the brakes. If you are not going to be riding in the rain all of the time or you will mostly be on pavement, I am not sure you would need discs. Just my personal preference. I have had discs only on a mountain bike and I found them exceedingly difficult to get used to and forget about it if you crash or the brakes even just need work; even my mechanically inclined husband who works on all of our bikes needed to bring the discs to a shop for work.
I have 11-32 on my Silque and 11-34 on my Guru. If you can get a lower gear, go for it, especially if you live in a hilly area. When I teach a basic bike workshop, the mantra is "the most important gear on your bike is the lowest one." It does not mean you are tough to climb in a hard gear where you have to mash the pedals.
North Woods, now I know how I got that woman's bike in a lower gear! Thanks for the primer. I would always be misshifting.

We have some hills, and some very high hills (included in many charity rides). My commute is flat.
I have also realized that 11-34 is more important than having hydrolics.

I have lots of learning to do.
Why do you think Synapse on Tiagra has 11-34 and Synapse on 105 has 11-32. Is it because it is a newer Tiagra and older 105?
Or is it a mistake in specs?
I am looking at brand new 2018 bikes on the official Cannondale website?

[north woods gal]

I've been looking at 11 speed Shimano cassettes in 11-34 and for some reason, you can get 11-34 in Tiagra or Ultegra, right now, but nothing, so far, listed for 105. You can mix and match Shimano 11 speed stuff, so you could use Tiagra or, if you have the money, Ultegra.

[Lady Hamilton]

I've been looking at 11 speed Shimano cassettes in 11-34 and for some reason, you can get 11-34 in Tiagra or Ultegra, right now, but nothing, so far, listed for 105. You can mix and match Shimano 11 speed stuff, so you could use Tiagra or, if you have the money, Ultegra.

Just checked. Hopefully, someone else will find this information useful.
Trek used 11-32 on both Tiagra and 105 Domane.
Specialized Ruby (base with Tiagra) uses 11-34, just like Cannondale Synapse. But Specialized Ruby Sport 105 uses 11-32, same for 105 based Dolce.

It certainly is interesting choice to use 11-34 on a cheaper bike, but I wonder if that is done deliberately.

So, the question is, is 11-34 Tiagra a better choice than 105 based machine with 11-32?

This starts to make Cannondale Synapse disk Tiagra a very lucrative option. The gentleman at the store yesterday asked me a ton of questions and he was not convinced I even need 105... He said that the newest Tiagra is plenty of gears for me. But I could definitely use the extra cogs. I have 11-32 on my 5 year-old Vita.

This is one of the hills featured in many rides. http://www.mapmyride.com/ca/hamilton...route-33307440

[north woods gal]

As I mentioned before, the new Tiagra is probably very comparable to the old 105. I rode the new Tiagra for a year and, honestly, couldn't tell any difference between it and 105. I very much doubt you'd notice a difference on a cassette. Might weigh a touch more than 105, but it will make very little difference, otherwise. You'd have to ride a lot of miles to wear out any Shimano cassette. No one beats Shimano when it comes to making gears. The industry leaders. They make gears for all kinds of equipment, not just bicycles.

[Crankin]

Yup, you can always upgrade. I put Di2 shifting on my bike last summer, after my cable broke (2nd time) when I was leading a ride. I had been adamant about not needing it when I bought the bike 3 years ago. Now I don't know why I was so resistant!

[north woods gal]

Sheila, we steel bike lovers aren't the type to care much about overall bike weight. On the plus and fat bikes I ride, the only place I make a conscious effort to reduce weight is in the wheels/rims/tires. That's where I notice a difference.

Bad news on the Norco Search in steel I was considering. Here it is spring and the new 2018 version on their website is already sold out!!! If I want one, I will have to wait for the release of their 2019 version, later in the year. Just my luck. I find the bike I want and it's not available. The search for a 700x40 gravel bike continues.

[Lady Hamilton]

I will appreciate any info! Thank, Muirenn!

The state our trails are in right now you would need a bulldozer....

[Lady Hamilton]

Bad news on the Norco Search in steel I was considering. Here it is spring and the new 2018 version on their website is already sold out!!! If I want one, I will have to wait for the release of their 2019 version, later in the year. Just my luck. I find the bike I want and it's not available. The search for a 700x40 gravel bike continues.

How unfortunate (. Is there no dealers in the area, who might have one in stock on premises?