Tell me about Campagnolo?

So what with the current thread about Shimano, I thought I’d ask about Campagnolo.

There seem to be a few more bikes appearing with it now, but how does it compare to Shimano/SRAM.

Where do the various groupsets sit in relation to Sora/Tiagra/105/Ultegra/DuraAce?? How does it compare weight wise and functionally?

Why would I choose Campagnolo over Shimano??

Is your frame Italian?

If yes… you have no choice.

Campag wears in/Shimano wears out. Says it all really.

Ro5ey – Member
Is your frame Italian?
Are you as neo-roadie and a sucker for some pointless faux-“tradition” over actual function? Do you wear Rapha a lot? Oh, and is your frame Italian? Of course it is! You bought a Pinarello so you could be just like Brad*

If yes… you have no choice.

*Except he rides Shimano. 😀

If I had the money I would go Campagnolo for my best bike. I have a set of ultra torque cranks on my shimano get up and the bottom bracket just keeps going. Before that I had power torque and it was bobbins.

DIY servicing can be pain in the ass as well as some of the BB bearings require pullers. I don’t think it functions any better or worse than shimano or Microshift for that matter.

People will tell you you have to put campag on an italian frame or that it wears in, not out. Both statements should be taken with a large pinch of salt.

The main reason you’d buy campag is if you think it looks nicer or you prefer the feel of the hoods/gears. Perhaps if prestige is your thing, I think the more expensive groupsets are still hand whittled by 750 year old master craftsmen.

If you do most of your own maintenance it can be a bit of a pain to live with, I’m told.

Campagnolo always used to be much better for spares than Shimano

I don’t like the thumb shift buttons.

When I first started mountain biking many moons ago an old guy I used to ride with in our group was an ex road/cyclocross racer. He used to say Shimano for the mountain bike and Campag for the road bike.

Needless to say, when I packed in mountain biking a few years back to take up road cycling I knew my road bike would have Campagnolo. I’ve never regretted it. Campag has a more ‘mechanical’ click when shifting gear, a definite click. Shimano, at that time, had super light shifting which I wasn’t keen on. However, I tried a bike with the latest Shimano Ultegra on and was impressed at how ‘mechanical’ it felt.

I’ve never tried SRAM or electronic shifting (Shimano or Campag) so can’t comment on them.

I currently have 2 road bikes on the go. My good bike is decked out with Campag Super Record and my training/commuting (Although I haven’t commuted since getting knocked off) bike has 10spd Record on it. I much prefer the old 10spd Record if I’m honest, it’s piss easy to setup and never goes wrong, also it’s clunky when shifting (in a definitively good way!). The 11spd Super Record is so much lighter but still ‘mechanical’.

If I had my time again I’d probably go for Shimano. Only because I could have specced my bikes cheaper. But then, there is all that carbon and titanium and Italian styling…………

road bike = Campag

mountain bike = Shimano

SRAM = don’t know, never tried it, probably never will.

I do like the thumb shift buttons which on the newer levers is perfectly positioned for me.

One bike with veloce, one with record EPS. I find the smaller hoods more comfy, and I’m not a fan of double tap. Only one of my bikes is Italian.

Is your frame Italian?

If yes… you have no choice.

Campag wears in/Shimano wears out. Says it all really.

Internet myths

I have a pegoretti with dura-ace and a chesini with sram force22. Both Italian steel frames but i don’t want my groupset choices limited to what others who probably own a generic Taiwanese frame think is suitable.
The DA is 10speed 7800 and still shifts like new several thousand miles and 5 years later, been through a few chains and cassettes in that time but it’s been good value for money.
I might put record on it when the shifters finally decide to give up.
It all comes down to hood shape, the thumb lever and if you like the way it shifts or not.
The only thing with campag when you get to the top level is the price of cassettes but 11speed ones are interchangeable between manufacturers (shifting wise not free hubs)

Campag wears in/Shimano wears out. Says it all really.

All it says is that you’re repeating one of the oldest pile of bollocks statements in cycling…

It works fine, same as SRAM and Shimano. Different “feel” to it in terms of shifting action, shape of the hoods etc but some people like it and get on with it.

…and whether you want to be able to shift up multiple gears in one go – something which makes Campag work better with a compact chainset than Shimano.

I have to be honest I mostly got mine because I like the look, and being old enough to remember when Campag was far more prestigious than Shimano, I’d wanted a bike with it on for a long, long time.

I’ve been using Campag Chorus 11 for the last five years and generally really like it – the smaller hoods suit my hands and I like the positive feel to the shifting and the button shift, It looks lovely too.

Since fitting it, the only issues I’ve had have been a failed shifter unit, guts of the lever replaced, cost about 40 quid, baggy hood covers, also replaced, and a snapped crank axle, replaced with Dura Ace… I’d buy it again, though not the cranks which are going back to Campag for analysis.

…and whether you want to be able to shift up multiple gears in one go – something which makes Campag work better with a compact chainset than Shimano.

That’s only on chorus and up isn’t it?

It probably is.

A guy who runs a roadie cycle tour business in France found that Campagnolo shifters outlasted his Shimano shifters by miles, that the durability was greater, but then he invested SRAM shifters and decided that they were more user rebuild-able and that a lot of thought had gone into them from that perspective.

It’s probably worth buying likely spares straight away when you buy whichever group set, so when the time comes you’re already sorted for staying on the road.

I think up to ten speed Campagnolo look nicer in the silver guise than Shimano or SRAM, so if I ever buy any brake/shifter levers, it’ll be those, I’m not ‘pro’ enough to be more fussed than that. 😉

The wears in/wears out phrase about Campagnolo versus Shimano was perhaps true around a decade or two ago, but I don’t know how true it now is.

SJS don’t deal with Campagnolo because they find spare part diagrams and spare parts hard to come by, but Mercian do, so they’d probably be a good place to go to for spares and servicing.

Apparently Campagnolo have now stopped distributing the packs of spares to service 9 speed ergo sifters, according to the Steel Is Real facebook group.

Go to almost any bike shop in the UK with some broken Shimano and there’s a better than evens chance they’ll be able to get you back on the road. Try that with Campagnolo and you’ll often be met with blank stares.

That’s pretty true.

I’ve always ridden Campag on the road. I just prefer the shifter feel to Shimano. Weight and performance wise there isn’t much between the top groupsets these days. I like UltraTorque as a BB system and I’ve got ancient (8speed Record) levers that still work really well.

The new Campag chainsets that can take standard/compact also look like a good idea.

Go to almost any bike shop in the UK with some broken Shimano and there’s a better than evens chance they’ll be able to get you back on the road. Try that with Campagnolo and you’ll often be met with blank stares.

Agreed.

By way of illustration, my new gravel (not a road bike!) has brakes which are, to all intents and purposes, XT hydraulics, running XTR rotors. So, spares are easily available. The Ultegra rear mech could be replaced with something from 105. Neither of those are “niche” or “top end” set ups, and share much with MTBs, so are commonly available.

A chap I ride with has worn our two Campag rear shifters. My Ultegra with similar mileage shows no sign or wear.
Can’t see Campag keeping with with Shimano (let alone Sram) in the electric and hydro wars.

Fortunately with Campag you won’t need to 😈

Seriously, when was the last time you had to visit a bike shop to replace a broken roadie part to get you back on the road there and then? The only time I’ve ever had to was with the tandem – and I suspect the equivalent Campag part may well have been more durable.

Sora shifting for Ultegra money 😉

Had both, different flavours. Now I prefer Shimano, but it’s personal, really.

Spares don’t feature, unless you mean spare wheels for racing. If so, Shimano 10 speed or your race is over!

Can you replace the springs bushes and ratchets and things in Ultegra doof doof, like you can in Campagnolo shifters?

Your riding companion’s shifters wouldn’t have ‘worn out’ as such, as much as needed springs etc replacing. It depends on how one wants to approach things I guess.

My own goal is to find the greenest kind of shifter, which means I’ve plumped for friction bar end levers which use the plastic washers in them.

They’re certainly less ergo but they seem un-wear-out-able

Can’t see Campag keeping with with Shimano (let alone Sram) in the electric and hydro wars

It doesnt really need to. Different markets innit?!

Shimano and SRAM stuff is for the poor nodders who want disc brakes and long headtubes to bimble round a sportive in the New Forest.

Campag tends to be bought by proper road cyclists.

It doesnt really need to. Different markets innit?!

Shimano and SRAM stuff is for the poor nodders who want disc brakes and long headtubes to bimble round a sportive in the New Forest.

Campag tends to be bought by proper road cyclists.

Can’t see Campag keeping with with Shimano (let alone Sram) in the electric and hydro wars
It doesnt really need to. Different markets innit?!
Shimano and SRAM stuff is for the poor nodders who want disc brakes and long headtubes to bimble round a sportive in the New Forest.
Campag tends to be bought by proper road cyclists.

😆 not going for the subtle trolls today then?

In the old days, not sure about now, if a bit went wrong with your lever or derailleur, Campag were more likely to have a spare to repair it rather than having to replace the whole component – some people value that – not looking at running repairs. Shimano used to be ok too I still run a 1997 dura ace shifter that was repaired.

2008 Centaur groupset (rebuilt with Record internals in the Ergos) still running beautifully. Not a fan of the new ergolevers though, and Powertorque cranks a awful compared to Ultratorque.

Pot, kettle, black, CFH…

Campag tends to be bought by proper road cyclists.

who haven’t moved on in 30 years. 😆

Didn’t see much Campag this morning, and that was among 80 hardened gentlemen of the road.

There’s a lot of internet warriors out tonight…. Some of whom are showing their public school-ing. 🙄
I’ve ridden Campag for 20 years, I’m still using some of it on some of my bikes.
In the end it comes down to what you want, and what you like.
I put 2005 Chorus on my cross bike, which I’d had on my road bike for 8 years and about 40,000 miles. It still works fine.

To be fair, Shimano 6800 is the groupset of the moment. No need for anything else.

But Campag is very reliable, easy to set up, well put together, has the best levers and best brakes.

Powertorque cranks a awful compared to Ultratorque.

Amen.

Campag’s bearing puller for the none drive side crank arm is over £100 and the end plug so you can use said puller is another £25.! That’s more than the crank is worth. Mine was clicking out of the saddle in less than 1000 (6 weeks) miles. A friend of mine had the exact same cranks and dripped oil down the seat tube every now and again to stop the clicking.

On the flip side of all this I have built up my commuter with a fully serviced Tiagra 9 speed set up and it is proper crisp to use. Heavy but crisp. I think all of the big three have something to bring to table and it comes down to what you prefer. I like the feel of Shimano but the look of Campagnolo. Their old school record stuff looks really nice but saying that so does the old dura ace.

For me the reasons I don’t use campag are…

None of the 5 shops I could reasonably call an lbs stock it.
I don’t like where the thumb buttons are placed.
I’m just used to shimano and to me, the way campag do things just seems needlessly difficult. I’m guessing this is to do with patents etc but there’s nothing I can do about that.
Screw the rules.

neilsonwheels – Member
I have a set of ultra torque cranks on my shimano get up and the bottom bracket just keeps going. Before that I had power torque and it was bobbins.

What do you do to those poor cranks and BB? ❓

According to Strava my winter veloce UT cranks and bearings have done over 4500 winter yorkshire miles, and are still smooth ❗

I have just fitted force22 to a new bike purely because I could get it below trade but having had a couple of rides on it I’m quite impressed with the shifting and liking the closer gaps of 11speed, the double tap was surprisingly intuitive considering I was expecting it to confuse me after using DA for so long.
Having also ridden record I think there aren’t any bad groupsets just different ways of doing things.
The only way to really tell is to try campagnolo for yourself.

END OF THREAD!

😉