Campag 11 vs Ultegra 10 - reliability

thebungle

First of all I have to I appreciate both systems and I'd prefer this not to be a 'whats best' thread

My old bike had full Ultegra 6700 and generally speaking it ran flawlessly, after the frame was written off I transferred it to a winter bike and again it ran flawlessly, its covered 12k with nothing more than one new set of cables, three chains and a new cassette, its maintained by myself and runs in all conditions.

My new best bike has Campag Athena 11, its covered approx 500 miles of mostly dry miles and to be quite frank has been a pain in the arse. Its been to the LBS several times and appears to 'lose' its indexing and crispness.

Is 11speed really that much fussier than 10speed?

I know a small accumulation of dirt around the BB cable routing (its internal otherwise) caused the cables to grab but I really can't be doing with a deep clean after every ride, especially as I'm only riding when its dry.

bondurant

I'd suggest a setup problem.

thebungle

Bondurant wrote:

I'd suggest a setup problem.

Possibly although I have every faith in the LBS, they are experienced knowledgable guys.

I've a feeling the cable routing at rear of bike isn't ideal for crisp shifting..

cycleclinic

Campagnolo 11 speed once setup properly works just as well as ultegra if not better. It is a setup issue nothing more.

the_cyclist_of_catan

11-speed Athena here, and although it took a bit of time to sort the FD dropping the chain (fixed by adding a chain catcher), the rest of the groups et has been flawless for over 5,000 miles. I only trim it on the rare occasion that I take the cassette off for cleaning.

Flexisurfer

I have 11 speed Athena that I fitted myself and have never had an issue with it. The shifting is very quick and crisp, it's a very good group set. Why not get a second opinion from another shop if you can?

bobgfish

I run both ulterga and Athena on two different bikes. They both give no trouble and operate flawlessly. Sounds like setup. I prefer the Athena as it seems to be a bit crisper and the brakes seem better. Could just be the I've had the ulterga far longer and it's worn a bit more

How Far is too Far

I have 11sp Athena, 10 sp Ultegra 6700 and 10sp Sram Red,

The one I have had the most problems with is the Ultegra, the 11sp Campy is great, dome well over 1000 miles on it now with two slight tweeks to the rear mech.

cycleclinic

You should not need a chain catcher to resolve a chain dropping issue. The issue has a cause and has a solution in setup.

Thing to look for if you have shifting issues.
1) limit screws
2) cable tension
3) casing bends to tight
4) gear cable rounting on outside of the bars - better on the inside
5) plastic ferrules used instead of metal (no ferrules needed in the shifter)
6) what casing is used some work better than others especially if you are using kits from Nokon, alligator e.t.c.

Take your bike to a shop that can set up a drive train, there is nothing special about campagnolo drivetrains they are easy to set up. Best results are had with campagnolo own cable set.