Each groupset manufacturer employs a variation on the style of gear shifting.

Shimano STI (Shimano Total Integration) system, first introduced in 1990, allows the brake lever to be swung inwards to change up into an easier pedalling gear on the right-hand shifter. A smaller lever sits just behind the brake lever and when pushed in allows the chain to move down onto a harder pedalling gear.

Meanwhile, on the left-hand shifter, swinging the lever inwards moves the chain onto the larger chainring. An identical small lever behind the shift/brake lever brings the chain back down onto the smaller chainring when clicked.

All three major manufacturers offer competing groupsets, at a variety of prices, but the Japanese giant, Shimano, offers the widest choice.

Groupset hierarchy

The entry-level Claris system is an eight-speed system which is usually found on bikes ranging from £500 to £750, though, as is the case with all groupsets, what you get for your money when buying a complete machine varies from one manufacturer to the other.

Next up the ladder is the Sora groupset, which is nine-speed system seen adorning bikes at around £700 to £1,000.

Tiagra is now Shimano’s sole ten-speed gruppo and is regularly fitted to bikes priced in the £900 to £1,500 range – with a new iteration, Tiagra 4700, due out later this year.

Shimano’s 105 groupset is a well-respected system and is regarded as the Japanese company’s first level performance groupset. The latest version has jumped ten to 11-speed and strikes a popular balance of price, durability and performance. Expect to see this fitted on bikes ranging from £1,200 to £2,000. Shimano 105 will boast hydraulic disc braking from late 2015.

One step away from the top sits the much-loved 11-speed Ultegra system. In performance levels, Ultegra is on par with Shimano’s top-flight Dura-Ace groupset with only a 258g weight penalty and slightly less refinement keeping them apart. Ultegra also boast a fully hydraulic disc brake option. Expect to find Ultegra on bikes at £2,000-plus.

At the pinnacle of Shimano’s groupset order sits Dura-Ace, used  pro riders and weight/performance obsessed riders everywhere (unless you prefer SRAM or Campag, that is). High grade alloys, titanium and carbon fibre all help to keep this groupset fitted to top-flight bikes only. One added benefit here is that you can start replacing worn out 11-speed components on lower level systems (105 or Ultegra) with pro-level bling as you go along, if you’re so inclined

Dura-Ace and Ultegra groupsets are both available in Shimano’s electronically-operated Di2 system. Di2 dispenses with traditional cables and incorporates motor-driven derailleurs to change gear. The weight penalty of the Di2 system may be minor but the cost penalty is significant.

Next up, SRAM…