• This topic has 24 replies, 16 voices, and was last updated 13 years ago by aP.
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  • Groupset Campag v's Shimano v's SRAM
  • AlexBerry
    Free Member

    Just bought campag veloce for the new road bike, happy with the bike but hanker after my old shim. sora groupset….not sure if I should invest in a change, any thoughts?

    simondbarnes
    Full Member

    I don't particularly like Campag but Veloce is a million times nicer to use than Sora.

    singlecrack
    Free Member

    shimano seem to shift nice
    but campag feels better built

    there used to be a saying:-

    shimano wears out – campag wears in

    as for sram not sure

    I have campag by the way 😆

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    Hammo
    Free Member

    I wouldn't invest in a change down if it costs similar money. Veloce has got to be a bit better built than Sora, no?

    roadie_in_denial
    Free Member

    …am I reading this right? You're thinking about swapping a Veloce grouspet for a Shimano Sora groupset?

    …well if it floats your boat then fair enough…but when the time comes can you please let me have first dibs at the Campag stuff?

    Anyway, facetious comments aside…yes campag feels different to shimano both in terms of how the hoods sit in your hands but also in terms of the way the action of braking and changing gear 'feels'. But that said, I personally would never whinge about a change from Sora to Veloce…it's just nicer stuff, Veloce.

    SurroundedByZulus
    Free Member

    You will get used to the Campag hoods pretty quickly. Then you wont look back.

    clubber
    Free Member

    there used to be a saying:-
    shimano wears out – campag wears in

    There did but it was b******s then and it still is now 😉

    I'm a long time Campag user btw. Suits me but it's not fundamentally better than Shim or SRAM. that said, Veloce is a lot nicer than Sora.

    GaryLake
    Free Member

    Funny how I really couldn't give a shit if my MTB has Shimano or SRAM, genuinely don't care.

    Yet on the road bike, it pains me to using anything but Campag… 🙄 I think it's an ergonomics thing.

    That said, Shimano road stuff is technically great but the Sora STIs are the exception, horrid things.

    bikewhisperer
    Free Member

    Campag cranks are waaaaay better than Shimango's system. They're stronger, less prone to loose FH crank arms, and cheap and reliable for BB bearings.
    The shifting isn't quite so snappy, but it's solid. "Agricultural" is a good description. The only thing with campag stuff is that apart from cassettes, there's not much point mixing bits from different groupsets… There's little difference in feel unless you replace the whole system.
    SRAM stuff works very well and reliably but is delicate (in crashes) and expensive. It's cheap to the manufacturers, but costly to you.

    bikewhisperer
    Free Member

    And… I forgot to add:
    Campag wheels are the best on the planet. Very reliable and strong.

    Hairychested
    Free Member

    My very old Campaq brakes are waaaaay nicer than mates' 105's. Gears and the whole lot – Campaq.
    You really MUST buy the Sora and give the Campaq to me, pronto!

    Picto
    Free Member

    Used all three brands on my road bikes over the years (Chorus, Ultegra, Rival, Force and Red). Have been very happy with each, bit of getting used to the hoods and shifters then they are all good.

    As others have stated I would not go down a level to move one groupset to another.

    clubber
    Free Member

    Campag wheels are the best on the planet. Very reliable and strong.

    Don't agree – the hubs don't hold up very well to wet riding IME unless you're permanently cleaning/regreasing and the wheelsets (at least the cheaper ones) are heavy for the money. And the G3 lacing is crap.

    bikewhisperer
    Free Member

    So you've broken a set of wheels and you're upset with them. Why is G3 lacing crap, exactly?
    They're cup and cone, which usually winds some people up as it equals maintenance, but I've often come across very old campag hubs that just needed a squirt of grease to get them back in order again.
    And as for the heavy thing.. Yes, but they are efficient. i.e. better power transfer by being stifer.

    clubber
    Free Member

    G3 lacing doesn't add anything over regular spoking and leads to a heavy rim since it has to be stronger to deal with the unsupported sections. Anyone can make a strong, stiff, heavy wheel. Plenty of people make lighter, strong enough and stiff enough wheels.

    I'm talking about more recent (say the last 10 years or so) campag hubs, not the ones of 20 years ago.

    cynic-al
    Free Member

    they are efficient. i.e. better power transfer by being stifer.

    Keep reading the magazines…

    clubber
    Free Member

    Oh and FWIW, no I haven't broken any myself so I don't have an axe to grind. I've just had to sort out the mess from friends' wheels that have needed truing and bearings sorted out.

    poppa
    Free Member

    SRAM stuff works very well and reliably but is delicate (in crashes) and expensive. It's cheap to the manufacturers, but costly to you.

    I thought Rival was pretty good value? Maybe you have better groupset aspirations than me!

    bikewhisperer
    Free Member

    I guess that's why Campag launched Fulcrum, to offer a budget brand with all the aspects that people want, and a shimano freehub body.
    I can understand G3 lacing.. There's more force on the drive side spokes, so why not more spokes.. Either way, they're easier to true than others (Corima, Mavic, bontrager etc…).

    [Edit] Sorry Clubber, not wanting to call out any axe grinding! I'm just relating what I've had to fix. The only arse with Campag wheels is getting the right spokes or other bits from JW. I've always found them easy to fix otherwise.

    RestlessNative
    Free Member

    I had cheaper shimano stuff (though nothing as nasty as sora) on my cross bike till my brother gave me his 10 speed centaur stuff when he upgraded, it's like night and day better and I really prefer the hoods and shifting action. I'd never go back to Shimano road stuff.

    donsimon
    Free Member

    I've had a Campag Veloce groupset for over ten years and love it, it's beautiful.
    Nine years on one bike, with no maintenance, 1 worn out chain and 1 new cassette only. And yes, it got ridden lots.
    I've just transerred it across to the new road frame and cleaned it up a bit and it's like new.
    Still with original brake block.

    How can you not like Campagnolo?

    clubber
    Free Member

    Because it's clunky in comparison to Shimano's very light, smooth action. Which incidentally is why I like it – I call it 'definite'. I find Shimano too smooth – I'd use the word 'vague'.

    Plus the hoods are different shapes which suits some better than others.

    So it's just a matter of preference.

    roadie_in_denial
    Free Member

    Actually a few months ago I had my little heart set on a campag groupset…then I saw the 2010 Dura Ace stuff that Merlin were selling and…well…there was a nasty outbreak of shiny kit syndrome and I bought an entire Dura-Ace groupset.

    Funnily enough I've not regretted it.

    Actually I'm not sure that that adds anything to this discussion…I think really what I'm getting at is that we all pick a price point and we do our best to get the best kit available for that price. So to that end perhaps a Campag vs Shimano debate is redundant, the real discussion is whether or not individuals like the 'feel' of different groupsets.

    SpokesCycles
    Free Member

    I have campag on my bike (it came with it) and think it's a bit of a waste of time- it feels cheap, shifts feel a bit crap and if you've got small hands then the brake levers are in the wrong place. I have warmed to it over time, but the price over shimano makes it just seem ridiculous.

    Personally, I agree with the OP that the new 2009/2010 Sora kit is better. It feels more expensive than my Carbon Chorus group!

    aP
    Free Member

    I've never had a problem with Campag hubs or wheelsets, and between us we've got a [cough] number of them. I've got some Eurus and the OH has Shamal Ultra – thousands of miles on each with no problems at all, although the rims on mine are probably close to the end after about 20,000 miles, and my most recent Record hubs are so, so silky smooth.
    The biggest problem I've found with the new Ultra Shift cablesets is that they're really quite intolerant of dirt in the cable outers. Which is a shame as I've got them on my cross bike.
    [edit] For small hands my OH reckons that Campag is the dogs as it suits her perfectly whereas shimano has such ridiculously long lever throw that she can't change the front shifter with going sideways.

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