How is it different to the big S? Would any repairs/parts be dearer?

What would you go for?

Thanks. 🙂

Campag seems to be for people who aren’t racist, they just don’t like Japanese stuff.

Superior in every single way. Post closed.

OK, how is it superior please? Any temperamental tendencies?

I’d go for SRAM.

Campag sell all little things in their components as parts, if you wear something out.
Shimano don’t, you buy the complete part.

Shifters on road bikes are the big beneficiaries of this. A 7 speed shifter could be upgraded to 9sp easily, and 10 with some slight mods. At a cost of £20 or so.
New Shimano shifters would be £100+ for 7 to 8, then another 100 from 8 to 9, then another 100….

Much better for those with smaller hands.
Tends not to change standards every year.
Lasts a long time.
Looks like it was designed by people with eyes.

Very attractive, and I feel a much clunkier (yes that’s positive) gear change so when booting it out of the saddle you have more faith that the gear is going to stay put, I know that all comes down to indexing but I have always found campag to have a more reassuring feel to it, shimano almost feels too easy to to change gear.

Looks like it was designed by people with eyes.

😆 😆

Many more Campag chainsets at bespoke Bristol as they look nice .Shitmano road chainsets are an assault on the eyes !

When it works its the dugs baws, when it doesn’t its just big hairy sweaty baws!

Ah, thank you! So – it’s for a very tall bloke with bear-size paws. Yes or no?

🙂

Yes, the shifter hoods are really nice to hold, comfortable when tapping along and yet very suitable for holding in a variety of ways when riding hard both in the chair and out.

Main difference with the shifters is that with shimano you have a small paddle to change one way, and then you press the brake lever to the side to change the other, with campag you have a small paddle like shimano but the brake lever is for braking only, instead you have a thumb shifter. Much nicer for riding on the drops especially as in descents you can change up without having to relax your grip on the bars.

Agree with being able to change gear far easier on the drops.

I also think the Campag shifters are easier to use if you’ve got smaller hands. I was able to use my Chorus shifters without really needing to move my hand position; unlike Shimano.

Campag sell all little things in their components as parts, if you wear something out.
Shimano don’t, you buy the complete part.

The flipside of that being that you can indeed order in the widgety grommit for your Campag thingummybob if you’re prepared to special order it from the one shop within a 30-mile radius that actually stocks Campag, wait 2 months, pay £40 for it when it finally arrives and then employ a watchmaker to rebuild the part.

Or you can go to any bike shop in the country, buy the new Shimano part and ride off the same day.

OK, maybe it’s changed a bit now but they were hopeless to deal with when I was working in a bike shop that sadly, for some unknown reason, stocked the hideous stuff.

Bottom line is (being serious for a moment) is it’s like asking on a camera forum whether you should buy Canon or Nikon; like asking on a climbing forum about bouldering vs rope work. People either love it or hate it and you get two camps shouting at each other and spouting the usual total bollocks of “Campag wears in, Shimano wears out” and the oh-so-original “Shitmano”. 🙄

Try it out, see if you like it. If you like it, use it. It works fine, just like Shimano or SRAM. Different, but fine.

Very useful info there from crazy-legs and I’m now being swayed towards Shimano. As he’s a newbie he won’t know about repairs, maintenance etc so it really needs to be kept simple and practical.

OK thanks all, now back to trawling the web for him.

🙂

It’s another old world vs new world thing. Both pretty good but you’ll fond some people argue to the death that one is better.

Shimano Sora isn’t it? 😉

To be honest, there isn’t any real difference. Check you are happy with the thumb shifter position. Campag has become lighter shifting to compete and Shimano heavier now they’ve gone to internal routing. Buy the shiniest you can afford.

And yes, I’ve used both.

If you’re a proper roadie and you have an Italian brand bike then you HAVE to have Campag. It’s the law. Mind you, I hear they don’t really pay too much attention to that sort of nonsense in Italy.

At the budget end, I think Shimano / SRAM is finished far better than Campag. I’m sure the Super Record stuff is nice, but Veloce isn’t. At Tiagra / 105 level, I’d rather go Shimano. I’ve never used campag for any length of time, though.

Much better for those with smaller hands.
Tends not to change standards every year.
Lasts a long time.
Looks like it was designed by people with eyes.

Kinda sums it up really.

I use both, Chorus 11 on the road and Shimano on the cross bike. I really like the Campag stuff. The hoods are a nice shape for smaller hands, it looks lovely and shifts are really positive,. In four years of regular use the only thing that’s failed has been the return spring on the rear shifter – bodged temporarily with a rubber band, fixed with new shifter innards for about 40 quid, I think. I like the button shift release too.

Shimano’s been fine too. I’d go for either to be honest. It”s not like shifters fail regularly – touch wood – mostly you just wear out chains, rims, pads and the odd chainring.

I don’t really understand why people get so polarised on group-sets, though I guess if you have a fancy Italian frame, there’s a certain appropriateness in fitting Campag.

After years of Shimano MTB stuff (mostly XTR) I was a bit wary when I bought a road bike with Campag (Athena). It was fine and I spec’d Campag (Super Record) on my new road bike (that’s even more fine).
My CX bike has Sram (Apex) and thats fine too. 🙂

I don’t think you can go too far wrong with any of the big brands, unless you go too far down the range and intend to do lots of miles.

I don’t understand how it is easier to change gear on the drops if you have a separate button to shift down? I’ve got this on my Shimano Sora, and when you’re on the drops you can’t change down without taking your hands off the bars. Also what I like about Shimano is that you can brake and change up at the same time, like if you’re approaching a junction, you can brake and change up ready for when you want to pull out in a low gear.

At the budget end, I think Shimano / SRAM is finished far better than Campag. I’m sure the Super Record stuff is nice, but Veloce isn’t. At Tiagra / 105 level, I’d rather go Shimano. I’ve never used campag for any length of time, though.

Veloce is fine, in fact centaur and veloce are the same groupset with minor tweaks.

I prefer campag, not keen on the shimano levers.

I think the key issue is whether you like the brake/shift levers, whether they fit your hand, you like the shifter method and lever positions.

They all work.

My opinion is i wouldn’t touch sram, it is massively over priced IMO! Others will disagree.

The reason why the shifting works on ergo shifters is that Campagnolo actually considered ergonomics, rather than just applying an industrial design aesthetic to their shifters. I do have a bike with older style Shimano side cable STIs and whilst the shifting works ok (as long as you have long enough fingers for the front shifter throw which is ridiculous) they’re appalling braking from the hoods (admittedly that’s not helped by the low power shimano cable discs) as the pivot location means that there’s very little leverage on the brake lever.

I don’t understand how it is easier to change gear on the drops if you have a separate button to shift down? I’ve got this on my Shimano Sora, and when you’re on the drops you can’t change down without taking your hands off the bars. Also what I like about Shimano is that you can brake and change up at the same time, like if you’re approaching a junction, you can brake and change up ready for when you want to pull out in a low gear.

Sora isn’t campag, that is why, the thumb levers are in different places.

as for the second point, you can do it on Campag, just a different technic.

I’m a big campy fan but would avoid the low end stuff , much as above at 105 level or below shimano is just more reliable well except maybe 2300 which seems utter rubbish

For me I prefer there hear shit button and that’s why I use it.

Most Campag stuff is made in Romania these days which always makes me smile given every one assumes the fancy name means it was lovingly crafted from long haired brunettes in sleepy hollows on the foothills of Monte Rosa…. as others have said, the lower end stuff isnt that good and is quite clunky shifting. Generally, it was around before Shimano and the purists prefer it but in reality you are comparing like for like and the only real change is asthetics.

SRAM all the way for me though, double tap is simple and effective, Apex is way better than anything else for the same price and Force is the bargain of the century, performs better than Ultegra or Chorus and looks superb. It also weighs a good deal less than the equivilents too.

I’ve always been a Shimano guy. I covet the high-end Campag stuff, but have never liked an Italian frame enough to buy one, and as previously mentioned, hanging Campagnolo from anything that int Italian is a huge faux pas!

Can’t believe anything Italian can be more reliable than anything Japanese. Cars, electronics, bike parts etc.

Top end SRAM/Campag/Shimano are all good. I much prefer the aesthetics of Campag but I don’t think Record is say better in any discernible way than Dura-Ace in terms of shifting or much different in weight.

My Athena 11sp bike works beautifully too. The centre coupling Ultra Torque chainset are so easy to work on. However the Power Torque chainsets are works of the devil and a massive pain to get off.

If you’re a proper roadie and you have an Italian brand bike then you HAVE to have Campag. It’s the law. Mind you

I have Dura-Ace on my pegoretti as I like to not appease those who come up with silly ‘laws’
It comes down to how you get on with the shifters, if you don’t get on with them it doesn’t matter how pretty they look.
I don’t like the thumb shifter so sram or shimano for me.

Campagnolo for me, current bike is 6 years old with Chorus, thousands of miles all year round and no failures whatsoever. Good reliable kit. Heavier than the Shimano equivalent though so I’m told by my riding mates