reasons not to choose Campag ?

hot66

I'm in process of speccing up my custom road bike, based around a Rourke frameset

2 things I'm struggling to decide on ... colour & groupset

colour .. that's for a different thread


so , groupset ....... I've always run shimano on my Mountain bikes for the past 23 years, but I don't like the aesthetics of the Ultegra crankset , so that leave's me with Sram or Campag. Problem is, my frame is a nice steel style, pantied in a tradition style & thus I'm worried carbon cranksets might look out of place ?

I know there are loads of campag fans, but what are the reasons for NOT choosing campag ?

What would you choose ?

rolf_f

So don't choose a Carbon crankset?!!

Athena is all alloy aside from the levers (which sadly can't be had either in painted black or carbon).

Or, for 10 speed simpleness you can get a mostly alloy Centaur setup.

dennisn

If you're looking for pretty much showoff - bling stuff then it's up to you what you think will give you the most sparkle for your dollar. The big three all feature top of the line flash(depending on your viewpoint). And as an extra bonus, all three actually work really well.

thegreatdivide

You can get Veloce in alloy too...

http://www.shinybikes.com/campagnolo-ve ... -2011.html

clx1

There aren't any good reasons for not choosing Campag.

giant_man

There are none, just do it ...

daviesee

Only down side I have found?

A distinct lack of LBS who deal in Campagnolo. I have learned that it is better just to do the work yourself.
Saves a fortune :P once you have the tools.

Berk Bonebonce

daviesee wrote:

A distinct lack of LBS who deal in Campagnolo..

"Hmm ... I don't see much Campag around here".

hot66

I have no worries on the maintenance side of things as my main hobby is classic cars etc so fine with a spanner

One of the reasons suggested not to go with Campag was the lack of potential compatability with 'future' & 'past' campag & possibility of difficulty to get parts for older campag ??

Asthetics, the other day I saw an immaculate steel Colnago with alloy campag ... it was a thing of beauty

Although,depending on what colour I finally choose, maybe a carbon chainset would look OK ??

So, consensus here is Campag over Sram ?

rajMAN

giant mancp wrote:

There are none, just do it ...

+1

anto164

thumb hifters and silly freehub bodies.

rolf_f

anto164 wrote:

thumb hifters and silly freehub bodies.

But the thumb shifters are great and - well I have no idea what you mean by "silly freehub bodies"!!

Bozman

Italy and reliability just don't go together but they sure know how to make something look good..... bikes, motorbikes, cars, clothes, women and the food isn't bad either.

derbygrimpeur

CLX1 wrote:

There aren't any good reasons for not choosing Campag.

this

giant mancp wrote:

There are none, just do it ...

this

Rolf F wrote:

But the thumb shifters are great and - well I have no idea what you mean by "silly freehub bodies"!!

And this.

Mark Alexander

Only you can decide but I'd say Athena.

Monkeypump

Dura Ace?

noiseboyfeetman

Mark Alexander wrote:

Only you can decide but I'd say Athena.

+1

thegreatdivide

As stated in a recent Campag question - using Campagnolo makes you more attractive to women and a better person in general.

sheffsimon

http://www.bikingthings.com/vicasuregrse.html

g00se

Campag thumb shifters are different to Shimano 2300/Sora ones. They're bigger and further back - nearer the bars. This means you can reach them on the drops (if you hands are behind the levers).

As for future proof - there are always bits going on ebay and NOS so I wouldn't worry.

Another thing to consider is if you go for Powershift or Ultrashift levers. Powershift is more like Shimano is that it's 3 jumps with the lever arms and 1 jump with the buttons. With Ultrashift, the buttons are actually small ratchet levers and will shift up to 5 in one go.

jeepie

Thinner 11 speed chains are weaker and have a shorter life span?

JD_76

Bozman wrote:

Italy and reliability just don't go together but they sure know how to make something look good..... bikes, motorbikes, cars, clothes, women and the food isn't bad either.

+1

Get the Sram.

thegreatdivide

Jeepie wrote:

Thinner 11 speed chains are weaker and have a shorter life span?

Hmm...

jeepie

Yeah - certainly a bit hmmm..................... Surely thinner chains last less long?

mcj78

Never used Campag stuff personally, however i'd certainly go for either silver Veloce or the alloy Athena group on an old steel frame renovation purely on looks 8)

richk

I had a road bike with Campagnolo gears & I found the hoods to be very uncomfortable - Shimano ones were much more usable for me. Might not be the same for you though (try before you buy?).

giant_man

Bozman wrote:

Italy and reliability just don't go together but they sure know how to make something look good..... bikes, motorbikes, cars, clothes, women and the food isn't bad either.

I'll just take the bikes, cars and women thanks, ooh and some of the food too

rolf_f

Jeepie wrote:

Thinner 11 speed chains are weaker and have a shorter life span?

So you are recommending Campagnolo 10 speed groupsets?!

hot66

is Italian reliability an issue these days ?

ddraver

Go to a good bike shop and try all three makes and buy which ever one feels best for you. The differences between them are sop pathetically minescule it does nt matter what you choose. If you don't like the Ultergra Crankset, get an FSA/Controltech/Whoever one

Chip \'oyler

Jeepie wrote:

Thinner 11 speed chains are weaker and have a shorter life span?

No. I've been using them since they came out and had no problems.