Campag chorus or Ultegra?

thechangingman

I am just about to buy my first proper upgrade bike and the last decision I need to make is the choice between these two groupsets.

I have been riding Shimano for a couple of years and have been very happy with it on my entry-level Spesh (sora).

I am feeling drawn towards the Campag set but have been having some last-minute doubts because of some negative comments about its reliability.

I would, therefore, very much welcome advice from folk who have ridden/experienced BOTH sets.

I know that many get very partisan about their groupset - I am, however, looking for some measured, dispassionate insights please.

The riding i'll be doing is on undulating hills and flats. I'll be doing regular 40+ mile rides plus many longer ones. I'll be entering a few sportives each year including a big one.
Thanks for your help...

Monty Dog

Chorus is near pro quality and there is very little evidence of any reliability issue. Problems are often due to poor installation, often by bodger mechanics only used to Shimano. IME Shimano is less reliable - STIs are needlessly way more complex than they need to be and consequently failures are more common and when they go, you're stuffed.

rc856

I've had the Chorus groupset on my bike for about 7 years and it been pretty much faultless.
Your hands might prefer one set of brake hoods to the other.
The Campag ergo levers are much better for my size of hands.

anto164

i am not the biggest fan of thumb shifters, so it'll be shimano all the way for me!

As for comparison, they'll both work really well.

marin_maniac

Opinions are like exit holes, everyone has one.

Try both to see which one you prefer in terms of ergonomics and shifting. Then pay your money.

noodleman

I have both. The chorus looks better and the levers feel miles better. Having said that, the ultegra shifts more accurately but I don't like the looks that much and the levers just don't seem to fit my hands. On another note, I love the way you can make multiple shifts up and down with the campag. For me the looks and lighter weight plus the fact that in no way does the campag actually shift badly I would go campag if it had to be one or the other.

chrishd883

Quote "Opinions are like exit holes, everyone has one" +1

A lot of people are divided on this one - strong opinions!
But personal opinions - which I guess aren't very useful because of that!

I am building up a bike with Campag because of problems with Shimano recently
A friend has switched over to find his campag lever break (Xenon).
Look hard enough and you'l find "horror stories" about both brands!

Personal factors? Do you like the shape & feel of the levers?
The two are different - Campag like Sora have the thumb lever.

Other factors?
Weight? Campag levers tend to be much lighter than Shimano.
Price? What's the best deal - VFM - that you can find?

Despite what everybody will say - both work ( most of the time!)

JRooke

Everyone has their favourites, you won't go wrong getting either of them, you will enjoy a massive massive change.

antlaff

Have 105 on my commuter and while very reliable I hate shifting down on the left hood while breaking - have had Chorus now for 3 mths on the good bike and love it - just feels so much more and love the multiple shifts.

Monty Dog

^ How anyone can compare the quality of Xenon with Chorus is a joke - a bit like saying because Sora is cr@p, therefore Di2 must be bad? The other choice is SRAM Force - nearly as light as Red and not as plug-ugly as Ultegra.

noiseboyfeetman

"On another note, I love the way you can make multiple shifts up and down with the campag."

+ 1

The shifting on Campag is smooth with the multiple shifts, it saves on the machine gun effect of changing up multiple gears when you reach the top of a steep hill or down multiple gears when at the bottom, I for one see this as a big positive that Campag has over its rivals.

Squillinossett

I have only used SRAM & Shimano, but if it were me I would have to go for Chorus. Just a bit more classy inn'it

Berk Bonebonce

Monty Dog wrote:

Chorus is near pro quality .

As MD will no doubt know, there have been pro teams that have used Chorus - Kelme being the most obvious example. I've never seen a pro team using Ultegra.

cooper.michael1

I've used both recent Shimano and recent Campagnolo. They both shift fine, the both do the job, you'd be happy with either.

Campagnolo ergo levers are just far superior than STI levers in my opinion. The ergonomics, the braking action, the multiple shifting, the fact that they cost half the price and are repairable. That alone wins it for me, and is the reason why i'll continue to ride campagnolo for to forseeable future. This is highly supjective however.

Plus it is a European brand and there is a bit of me at the moment that likes to spend my money as close to home as possible to aid the economic situation in the UK and or on this occasion the EU.