Shimano Chain Compatibility for Road, MTB, and Hybrid Bikes
An overview of Shimano chain compatibility across road bikes, mountain bikes, and hybrid bikes. Includes guidance on how to choose the right chain for your drivetrain.
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Road Bike Component Prices by Parts
Posted at: Dec 16, 2020
When upgrading your road bike, you may be wondering which parts to upgrade from. In this article, we will compare the prices of different parts based on the list price of Shimano's components for road bikes.
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Table of contents
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Check the parts of a Shimano component set
Let’s check the parts of Shimano component sets before comparing them.
- STI lever
- Brakes
- Crankset
- Front derailleur
- Rear derailleur
- Sprockets
These are included in what is called a “component set.
Price per part
Let’s take a look at the prices of the parts. The parts will be compared with the R7000 series, an 11-speed model of the popular race-ready 105 series.
| Parts | Part Number | Rate Price | Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| STI levers | ST-R7000 | $257 | 37.4% |
| Front derailleur | FD-R7000 | $44 | 6.3% |
| Rear derailleur | RD-R7000 | $64 | 9.3% |
| Crankset | FC-R7000 | $170 | 24.8% |
| Brakes | BR-R7000 | $99 | 14.5% |
| Sprockets | CS-R7000 | $54 | 7.8% |
| Total | - | &688 | 100% |
The STI lever is the most expensive, at 37.4% of the total price. The STI lever alone accounts for 1/3 of the total price.
Next in second place is the crankset. This is probably due to the large number of parts and metals used. It accounts for about 1/4 of the total cost.
The next largest component is the brake. For brakes, many people upgrade to 105 brakes because of the wide range of compatible upper and lower grades and the high cost performance of 105.
The rest are rear derailleurs, sprockets, and front derailleurs, in that order, which together account for only 22.4%, or about 1/4 of the total.
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If you’re looking to upgrade your own components, you’re in the right place.
If you are interested in servicing or upgrading your road bike, you may be wondering where to start.
As you can see from the comparison, brakes and sprockets are the most affordable and most accessible upgrades when considering your budget. (The selling price is around $100.) On the other hand, upgrading the base components is not that difficult.
On the other hand, if you upgrade the base components, STI levers, front derailleur, rear derailleur, and sprockets often need to be matched, so be prepared to spend a few hundred dollars.
Price structure makes it easier to get used
When thinking about getting used road bike components, there are many parts that are not current and it is difficult to know how cheap they are available.
Knowing the component component prices is a good indicator to determine if each used part is cosmetic or not.
Why Mix Components are Often Used in Entry-Grade Road Bikes
Entry-level road bikes are often “XXmix,” meaning that different grades of components are combined to make a complete bike, and the price difference for each part shows the reason.
First, STI levers, front derailleurs, rear derailleurs, and sprockets, which control shifting, must be the same type. So far, the price share in the component set is 60.8%, which is almost $500 on a list price basis.
Since it is said that the bicycle shop’s purchase cost is 30% (70% of the selling price), considering those distribution costs, the retail/cost ratio of the bicycle would be about 50%. Then, even if you were to purchase a 105/R7000 STI lever, front derailleur, rear derailleur, and sprocket for $250, that would be 33% of the cost of a $1500 road bike, which is $750.
Since a road bike is composed of more than 20 parts, it is up to the manufacturer to show how well the other parts perform and how cost-effective the product is.