Shimano launch Tiagra 4700 groupset

Bike came with Tiagra 4600 triple front 30-39-50 and 11-32 cassette. I did not like the 11-32 because of big gaps- Wanted like 12-25 but needed 24 front to have same lower gear. Read in an Amazon review that they put 24 on a 105 setup that worked with 26 capacity- so I tried. It works. If I were not 65 years old sometimes packing 40 pound load I would do 12-21 with the 24-39-50 that I have. I will try 54 instead of 50 soon.

Tiagra's weskness was its RD - functional but a 105 was much better for a few £ more. My Tiagra/105 builds shift much better than a full 105 - that cable routing is a nightmare. I guess I can see why fashionistas want cables under the tape, but it doesn't improve shifting or serviceability.

Yes, the shift indicators are dorky on drop bars, so lose them. Nice to see the triple lives and stays at cheaper 10 speeds.

My tip? Buy up the discounted previous shifters

"the mid cage is good for anything up to a 34T. That's great news if you're planning a touring setup as the triple and wide cassette would give you a 23" gear on a 700c wheel which should be low enough for most loads and hills. That's assuming the mid-cage mech has enough capacity for that setup; we'll check." -- Any update on this? What's the official total capacity for the RD-4700-GS when used with a triple?

Really good news. If this had been out when I built my winter bike, I probably would have used it instead of 105. If anything on that bike breaks, I think I'd now replace it with this.

Shimano used to make a Tiagra 9-speed flat bar shifter, and an Ultegra 10-speed flat bar shifter.

Do they now make an Ultegra 11-speed flat bar shifter?

It's been a few years since I've bought a new Shimano group, my Ultegra 6600 with exposed gear cables is still going strong.

Please don't let this be an April fools!!!

I find it nearly impossible to see the gear indicators anyway, less clutter ahead of the stem is a great thing for lights and/or aero.

My firstborn likes bikes, I'll ask her what she thinks of this.

I'm glad they're keeping it as 10 speed, and it's a well deserved upgrade for this groupset. I'm also pleased with the new chainset- a cheaper introduction to easily interchangable chainrings and it just looks cool.
I've also just upgraded to 5700 shifters with the rest of the components as Tiagra so it's good to know I'll still be able to get decent spares without hassle.

I also hate the exposed cables. 'Classic bikes' ? er no - they had down tube shifters. After that, we moved to under the tape shifting and braking. So for a 'not best bike' group - probably excellent VFM - cheap replacement parts for my 10sp cross bike that has 105 on when I keep breaking things too

Hurrah for the hidden gear cables! I have a world of love for the hidden gear cables.

Stupid irregular four-arm cranksets can get to soddery, though.

Gotta say I really like it, especially the under tape cable routing, that's probably what bugs me most about my Tiagra equipped bike (although not enough to have replaced it with 10 speed 105 ones clearly...)
I think it's a good move, it'll make bikes in the £750-£1100 range that often use Tiagra look a lot better.

It seems that I am the only one who thinks that the chainset is so ugly that it is untrue. Yes, i know function should be the prime consideration but really, this is Tiagra we are looking at, not race-level kit. At least now you can have a chainset as ugly as DuraAce for a fraction of the price.

Looks like a decent upgrade to Tiagra, I'm particularly glad they've ditched the awful"dinner plate" chainset design of the previous version. That was genuinely a reason I wouldn't have bought a Tiagra-equipped bike before. Under-tape cabling is another aesthetic bonus too.

Triples... mmm... yes please. Means I can basically run single-tooth differences in rear cluster AND get a hill friendly lower ratio.

I grew up on 42,52 with 13-18 or 21 clusters so got very used to close gearing - compacts dive me nuts.

Let see, triple setups I have used in the the last year: 28,38,48 with 11-23 block - super tight! 30,42,53 with 13-28 block - hilltastic! Look mum, no fecking great gaps in my ratios.

Added bonus that no one takes you seriously on a triple, so you can ride along at your own pace, not macho pace. So yes, for 'tourers' - or those us us who can think for ourselves

Any weights published? How does it compare to 5700?

Brakes do not look like last iteration Ultegra. Brakes look more like last iteration Tiagra.

They put in a tighter spring and increased the forging alignment of the pivot arms.

So a Tiagra triple crackset will replace my old 105-5700 triple?

Need a price now.

Agree about the gear indicator, who the heck looks at them?

Too bad about the move to under-tape shift cable routing. I liked the old exposed cable setup (but hated the indicator windows) as it had the look of the classic bikes and made a nice upgrade. Now, 105/Tiagra is less of a difference.

I have noticed recently that 10-spd 105 prices have come down to be only a bit more than Tiagra (no doubt clearing out old stock) so it will be interesting to see the pricing. The Tiagra RD was always the weak spot - this new model looks much better.

And yes, lots of cyclists still use triples and ten speed clusters are more than enough for any sort of normal or recreational rider (two more than enough, in fact)

Am I the only one seeing a colour mis-match of the crank arm?

It looks like a good vfm groupset.
Does ANYONE still use a triple out of choice?????