shimano or campagnolo ?

lilactime

whats the best ?

redddraggon

Oh dear. You've started something here.

Campagnolo of course

John.T

SRAM :twisted:

Mog Uk

Pass the popcorn, here we go again :roll:

Adamskii

SRAM probably is the best now!

Sea_Green_Incorruptible

I wonder if I could also throw the following into the mix:

1) Helmets yes or no?
2) Which frame material?
3) Compact, triple or double?

John.T

Good idea. Lets get all questions like this on one thread and then we know where not to go.

Nuggs

Sea_Green_Incorruptible wrote:

I wonder if I could also throw the following into the mix:

1) Helmets yes or no?
2) Which frame material?
3) Compact, triple or double?

4) Factory-built or handbuilt wheels?
5) White or black socks

lilactime

Nuggs wrote:

Sea_Green_Incorruptible wrote:

I wonder if I could also throw the following into the mix:

1) Helmets yes or no?
2) Which frame material?
3) Compact, triple or double?

4) Factory-built or handbuilt wheels?
5) White or black socks

1 going for a ride 2 looking at forums

DavidTQ

safer to RLJ or to wait?

RC21

What's the best bike for £1000?

musto_skiff

Give the guy a break - it's kind of a fair question for a newbie.

I don't know the answer as I have only tried Shimano :oops:

dennisn

lilactime wrote:

whats the best ?

The one you can afford without taking out a loan.

Dennis Noward

hodsgod

Isn't thne real answer, they are all ok? Some people will swear by one particular group set or maker. In all honesty I have tried all 3 major manufacturers and they all work well.

P.B.

Black socks should not be worn by a cyclist when on their bike. They should be worn only by the likes of 'Rock Racing' et al, i.e. no idea types. Also the socks should not be too high (look at Lance... oh dear!) nor too low (this is not a triathalon). Campagnolo is an Italian brand and we all know that Italians are far better cyclists than the Japanese. Shimano should stick to fishing reels. Triple rings were designed for Americans to go uphills. Everybody else should only ever use doubles; And wear a helmet. Your skull is suprisingly thin and is easily damaged.

Smokin Joe

P.B. wrote:

Black socks should not be worn by a cyclist when on their bike. They should be worn only by the likes of 'Rock Racing' et al, i.e. no idea types. Also the socks should not be too high (look at Lance... oh dear!) nor too low (this is not a triathalon). Campagnolo is an Italian brand and we all know that Italians are far better cyclists than the Japanese. Shimano should stick to fishing reels. Triple rings were designed for Americans to go uphills. Everybody else should only ever use doubles; And wear a helmet. Your skull is suprisingly thin and is easily damaged.

Especially by a helmet...

pdstsp

Noooooooooooooo - look what you've started

TheBoyBilly

Triple rings were designed for Americans to go uphills. Everybody else should only ever use doubles;

.........I'd never thought of things like that, how very true

lilactime

thanks for all your advice , none the wiser , think i will get a chopper , oh what groupset do they have ?

winoneday

I have black bibshorts and black shoes, white socks would look a bit odd. Also I own very few white clothes meaning white washes happen once in a blue moon therefore black socks are just more practical.

I can't believe I'm actually defending my sock colour choice :shock:

Smokin Joe

People who wear black socks have feet that smell like a camel's vomit after it has spent a week eating lion sh1t. That's because they don't wash their socks in the mistaken belief that because they don't show the encrusted filth that has accumulated over the entire season they are not dirty.

Then they wonder why they have no friends and are not allowed on the clubrun.

Mark Alexander

Sea_Green_Incorruptible wrote:

I wonder if I could also throw the following into the mix:

1) Helmets yes or no?
2) Which frame material?
3) Compact, triple or double?

Campag all the way [not campy :evil:]
helmets; yes [doh]
material? racing; carbon, general use; Alu/Ti, commute; steel [never tried Ti though].
I hear jelly's a soft ride
chainset; double
socks black [easier to wash, goes with the shorts and you are allowed on the club run, you just have to stay at the back and down wind

neeb

-Campag because the levers feel nicer.
-Helmets because you'll almost certainly save yourself some nasty concussion sometime even if they may not be designed to protect against the sort of impact that will kill you. And because they might just make the difference in that situation too.
-Ti because it can be as fast, comfortable and almost as light as CF with the additional benefit of lasting for ever.
-Compact chainset with small cassette (e.g. 11-23) as you get the same gear range as standard + 12-25 plus one lower gear, it's lighter, and you can always add a bigger cassette if you need it for some serious hills.
-Black socks because 20 years ago I was a goth and old habits die hard. Never owned an item of white clothing in my life and itend to keep it that way.

Adamskii

Forget about which groupset or which frame or wheels or tyres, clearly the most important thing to get right is the colour of your socks! :roll:

craigenty

lilactime wrote:

whats the best ?

One's good if you need to pimp up a nice Italian frame. The other is good if you're serious about racing.

neeb

whats the best ?

Depends what sort of snobbery suits your image better, the heritage & style type or the inverse type...

OldSeagul

People who ride Campaq say Shimano gears are clunky. People who ride Shimano say Campaq gears are clunky. I have both and until you pay an absolute mint for a 10spd 12 -23 top of the range cassette, they're all clunky.

If you can afford a bike with an Ultegra or Veloce 10spd gears / brakes / levers, buy it - if you can't, buy any because it really doesn't matter.

Whatever you choose for your first bike, you will probably always buy that in the future.

redddraggon

OldSeagul wrote:

People who ride Campaq say Shimano gears are clunky. People who ride Shimano say Campaq gears are clunky. I have both and until you pay an absolute mint for a 10spd 12 -23 top of the range cassette, they're all clunky.

I think you may be a bit confused (or I may be) with your use of Clunky. If you mean "clunky" as in loud solid positive shift, well that's what I like about Campag. Shimano is definitely softer and quieter at shifting - but that doesn't make it necessarily better.

Campag have just brought out new Record Ergos (originally meant for Pros only) that have an even more positive shifting action.

Smokin Joe

Both Campag and Shimano are as smooth as silk, without a hint of a clunk between them. Gears only clunk when ridden by people with black socks, as the stomach-churning rancid odour from their feet dissolves the grease on the componants.

ellieb

You mean you are supposed to wear socks. What about all that extra weight :shock:

Adamskii

What is it with this sock obsession?!

After riding Shimano all my life I recently bought a bike with Campag on it and I like it... A lot. It kind of feels special, somehow. Shimano is very competent don't get me wrong but I don't get that 'special' feeling when I ride it.