What's wrong with Campag....?

Father Faff

Some people say avoid Campag groupsets. Why is that? I have only ever used Shimano up to now but am looking at bikes that come with Campag Chorus rather than Shimano Ultegra 11-speed.

napoleond

Who says that?

upperoilcan

It's all down to personal preference,some like Campag,some like SRAM,some like Shimano.

Go try it for yourself.

But those who say avoid it are talking utter bollox.

Next.

fnq59

^^^^ What he said

Moonbiker

Does seem that Shimano is about 10 times more popular than campag on new bikes for sale atm?

rafletcher

Moonbiker wrote:

Does seem that Shimano is about 10 times more popular than campag on new bikes for sale atm?

Popular, hmm. Cheap for the bike makers to buy, definitely. Shimano are a huge concern, Campag in comparison are tiny. Economies of scale apply.

cattytown

Bear in mind the choice of Shimano - Campag and Sram start at roughly 105 is level. That means that you you are going to see a lot more shimano on bikes under a grand than any other manufacturer.

Paul.

Father Faff

Is Campag as reliable and tough as Shimano? I've had 105 on my 2006 Scott CR1, had the odd crash, ride in poor weather conditions, and it keeps going just fine. Will Campag be as good?

IrishMac

It's compatibility too as far as I know, i.e. If everything you have in your garage is Shimano/Sram compatible, you could end up having to buy Campag compatible versions of what you already have, such as a cassette remover and spare wheels, (the freehub.)

That's my guess anyway, I don't think I've even touched Campag before so I wouldn't take what I say as utter fact

Miles253

Campagnolo is much pricier to replace too, also local shops sometimes don't have the expertise to service campag

chippyk

Miles253 wrote:

Campagnolo is much pricier to replace too, also local shops sometimes don't have the expertise to service campag

Utter bollox. A front mech is a front mech, a competent LBS will fix either. You should be able to service either your self. As for being much pricier? I've seen that discussion before, 74 quid 105 shifters, 79 for Veloce.

Father Faff

madasahattersley wrote:

Father Faff wrote:

Is Campag as reliable and tough as Shimano? I've had 105 on my 2006 Scott CR1, had the odd crash, ride in poor weather conditions, and it keeps going just fine. Will Campag be as good?

Yes. Just like Shimano they make the same parts out of the same materials more or less. There's nothing in the design process that makes them inferior.

The only thing is the Campag bottom bracket design isn't as good as Shimanos.

That said Campag shifters are serviceable, so you won't have to buy a new pair of shifters for £300 when a tiny piece of plastic in the mechanism breaks.

Each has pros and cons

What is the issue with the Campag BB - obviously that's a fairly crucial and expensive part of the bike?

daveyruthers

I have campagnolo veloce on my winter bike since 2008. I've had no major problems and really rate it.

russyh

Father Faff wrote:

madasahattersley wrote:

Father Faff wrote:

Is Campag as reliable and tough as Shimano? I've had 105 on my 2006 Scott CR1, had the odd crash, ride in poor weather conditions, and it keeps going just fine. Will Campag be as good?

Yes. Just like Shimano they make the same parts out of the same materials more or less. There's nothing in the design process that makes them inferior.

The only thing is the Campag bottom bracket design isn't as good as Shimanos.

That said Campag shifters are serviceable, so you won't have to buy a new pair of shifters for £300 when a tiny piece of plastic in the mechanism breaks.

Each has pros and cons

What is the issue with the Campag BB - obviously that's a fairly crucial and expensive part of the bike?

It's hardly an expensive part, it's a wearable item. Which whatever groupo you use will have to be replaced at some point. To be honest I have not heard any issues around campag bb (doesn't mean there aren't any) but I like the idea of the serviceability of their shifters. So my next bike I am giving it a go, I have always used shimano, not through choice jugs gets what was always available on the bikes I wanted.

Anonymous

Never had Campag but want it ;-)

It looks way better and I perceive it to be more enjoyable.

Your friends might be saying to avoid it because its better and on more expensive bikes lol
Or just that it is an unknown quantity to them and they feel safe with Shimano.

rolf_f

Father Faff wrote:

madasahattersley wrote:

Father Faff wrote:

Is Campag as reliable and tough as Shimano? I've had 105 on my 2006 Scott CR1, had the odd crash, ride in poor weather conditions, and it keeps going just fine. Will Campag be as good?

Yes. Just like Shimano they make the same parts out of the same materials more or less. There's nothing in the design process that makes them inferior.

The only thing is the Campag bottom bracket design isn't as good as Shimanos.

That said Campag shifters are serviceable, so you won't have to buy a new pair of shifters for £300 when a tiny piece of plastic in the mechanism breaks.

Each has pros and cons

What is the issue with the Campag BB - obviously that's a fairly crucial and expensive part of the bike?

There isn't really one. Aside from that it isn't as good as a square taper but I think that applies to external BBs in general. And the comment doesn't distinguish between the two entirely different Campag BB designs (well, 3 now I suppose).

The only problem I've had with the Ultratorque ones in 20,000 miles or so of riding them is that the bearings don't last too well (certainly less than 10k miles) - but, once you've bought the tools (£50 or so) the bearings can be replaced in a few minutes and they aren't hugely expensive.

Powertorque is a bit more of an issue - I think the tools are more expensive and the job more complicated but, afaik, the functionality is fine.

jordan_217

The thumb shifters. If the change up/down operation was the same as Shimano's then I'd ditch Shimano in a heartbeat.

I really like the shifting feel of Campag, and aesthetically it's pretty whereas Shimano's higher end group sets are starting to look 5hi7 and cheap.

As mentioned above, it's all about personal preference. Anyone know where I can get some longer thumbs???

Flâneur

Find an Igor Jordan?

Never heard anyone say bad about campag, but my curiosity wonders how much of a pain it is to run multiple bikes with shimano and one with campag. With Sram you can just switch stuff (wheels/ cassettes) with ease but it could be (an example) a case of needing summer wheels for both bikes?

FatTed

Apparently all 11 speed cassettes are compatible, so no problem having SRAM or Shimano wheels.

ugo.santalucia

Father Faff wrote:

Some people say avoid Campag groupsets. Why is that? I have only ever used Shimano up to now but am looking at bikes that come with Campag Chorus rather than Shimano Ultegra 11-speed.

I read you've been on this forum for 8 years... which means for 8 years you've been involved in road cycling, at least...
Now, this is a question I would expect from someone who bought hid first bike last week... unless of course you are deliberately trying to throw in a can of worms to have a bit of a laugh...

jordan_217

I recently sold a FSA chainset from a Shimano equipped CAAD10 to a fellow forum user. He said he'll be using it on a Campag equipped bike and has ran the same chainset previously with no issues whatsoever.

imposter2.0

jordan_217 wrote:

I recently sold a FSA chainset from a Shimano equipped CAAD10 to a fellow forum user. He said he'll be using it on a Campag equipped bike and has ran the same chainset previously with no issues whatsoever.

As above - chainsets and BBs are pretty much groupset-independent.

drlodge

I started with Shimano (600EX) on the Condor frame in the 1980s, tried Sora (to work with old 7 speed), bought the Rourke with Campag Super Record, have a mix now the Confor (Ultegra brakes & chainset, DuraAce derailleurs but front one broke so got a Veloce, Veloce 10 speed shifters - works with 7 speed cassette with Shimano RD) and now SRAM Apex on the Boardman CX Pro.

They all work, and none of them are perfect. The campag BB is a poor design IMHO - the bearings are open and vulnerable to dirt, and the wavy washer is just a bad design. I've had a bit of clicking due to dirt I think, but after 3000+ miles its still working fine. I like the feel of the campag shifters/hoods and actually really like the thumb button with ultrashift action (similar up/down shifting as the old Sora).

When I had the Sora shifters on the Condor, shifting worked a treat. I don't get all this stuff about cheap groupsets being clunky and expensive ones being as smooth as silk - if properly setup and maintained the components work just fine. But the feel of the Sora shifters on my hands wasn't good.

If I got another nice road bike, it would get Chorus on it, no question.

alex222

Velocast did a podcast a while ago comparing and commenting on the main groupsets, which I found interesting

http://velocastcc.squarespace.com/tech5 ... -1-of.html

hypster

Alex222 wrote:

Velocast did a podcast a while ago comparing and commenting on the main groupsets, which I found interesting

http://velocastcc.squarespace.com/tech5 ... -1-of.html

Very interesting, thanks for posting the link.

I've always had Shimano for over 25 years cycling both on and off road. Shimano groupsets on 3 road bikes and 3 mountain bikes apart from Hope disc brakes on one MTB which it came with.

I've tried Campag and SRAM on friends bikes and don't particularly care for some aspects of them. Nothing wrong with them though and probably comparing equivalent price points, all have their pluses and minuses I would guess. I don't really see the point of mixing and matching though unless you get an SRAM cassette particularly cheap to use on a Shimano groupset for instance. If I had Campag Chorus it would probably be Campag Chorus all the way.

drlodge

hypster wrote:

If I had Campag Chorus it would probably be Campag Chorus all the way.

Yes indeed. It make no sense to mix and match Shimano with Campag unless you need a "Shimergo" setup like I have on my 7 speed Condor. Shimano and SRAM are much more compatible.

It does make sense to mix and match e.g. Chorus and Record - the Chorus cassette and chain is cheaper/heavier/longer lasting than Record/Super Record but otherwise identical.

hypster

drlodge wrote:

hypster wrote:

If I had Campag Chorus it would probably be Campag Chorus all the way.

Yes indeed. It make no sense to mix and match Shimano with Campag unless you need a "Shimergo" setup like I have on my 7 speed Condor. Shimano and SRAM are much more compatible.

It does make sense to mix and match e.g. Chorus and Record - the Chorus cassette and chain is cheaper/heavier/longer lasting than Record/Super Record but otherwise identical.

On the other hand you could say it makes no sense at all. If you perceive a benefit in terms of quality and weight using Record then why downgrade the groupset by mixing Chorus components in? It makes sense to select a Chorus groupset over Record because you perceive little benefit for the extra cost but mixing and matching just because you can is not really justified if you really think Record is better. I can understand why people do though.

drlodge

hypster wrote:

On the other hand you could say it makes no sense at all. If you perceive a benefit in terms of quality and weight using Record then why downgrade the groupset by mixing Chorus components in? It makes sense to select a Chorus groupset over Record because you perceive little benefit for the extra cost but mixing and matching just because you can is not really justified if you really think Record is better. I can understand why people do though.

That's a very valid logical argument, hadn't thought of it that way. I guess a few reasons why I got Chorus chain/cassette with SR everything else:
- I did a pound/gram analyse of the various group sets, determining how much it costs to "upgrade" each component from the set below and how much weight was saved for the additional cost. The Record cassette is £2.90/gram over Chorus and SR is £4.96 a gram over Record. These numbers are on a par with most other components but the actual cost (£224 and £352) are quite high for a cassette that will actually wear quicker. Other upgrades are pure weight, they will last the same length of time. The chainset upgrade from SR to SR with titanium axle is £22.80/gram!
- Rourke's aren't the cheapest, but their price for Chorus/SR mix was the same as Ribble for a complete SR group which met my expectations.
- I wanted a SR group set, and really no one can tell whether the cassette and chain are SR, Record or Chorus (Record chain has hollow pins but you'd have to get close up to see it).
- I have since replaced the chain, and I got the Record chain as it cost little extra in absolute terms. There is no SR chain.
- So actually I just have the Chorus cassette now

giant_man

Father Faff wrote:

Some people say avoid Campag groupsets. Why is that? I have only ever used Shimano up to now but am looking at bikes that come with Campag Chorus rather than Shimano Ultegra 11-speed.

Campagnolo make the finest cycle groupsets in the world. Period. Nothing more to be said. Don't try and compare to Shimano or the very inferior Sram efforts, because there's no point. Neither one comes close.

ratsbeyfus

...apart from Xenon which is complete and utter cack.

chippyk

Think of Campag as a Ferrari 458, classy, beautiful and Italian. Shimano is a Nissan GT-R. Bloody brilliant but no knicker elastic snapper. In the same way you've got to admire Dura Ace Di2 for its brilliance, it's never going to melt your heart like a Super Record 80th anniversary groupset. Continuing the motoring analogy, Campag Xenon is a Ferrari 412.

To be fair I have Sora on my winter bike and I like it, it does a job and apart from a snapped chain hasn't needed any fettling since new. Prefer the thumb shift for a smaller cog on Campag though, love the feeling and sound as it drops down a few cogs.