Deciding my new build...

london-red

So, I'm bringing my carbon Bottecchia 8Avio out of retirement, because I miss it (it's been in a box, while the Genesis has received all my attention for the last 3 years).

But now I'm confused to hell over what I should do, and while I know I have to make the decision myself, a poll to gauge your experienced views passes the time... So, I'll run both bikes (Rival on the Genesis) and can't seem to decide about either building her up using Campag or doing the sensible (and more cost effective) think and putting on Sram / odds and sods.

Bear in mind, I'm in the market for some bling (ish) wheels to go with it, meaning if I go Campag, swapping them between bikes becomes more complicated.

Help me decide Forum.

UndercoverElephant

Hmmm, which groupset would go best on a beautiful, Italian road-bike?

dhope

If you're only bringing it back because you miss it then makes sense to put on the group that you think should go on it, rather than just the most functional.
Seems you've made your choice and just need us to agree with you

asprilla

Sram.

It might not be as pretty but it does everything else better. Also, all the bits are interchangeable so it means you've always got a spare part.

Do I need to point out the need for Campag specific tools too?

Sorry to be all utilitarian and that.

You are going to buy Campag anyway because it's pretty.

london-red

UndercoverElephant wrote:

Hmmm, which groupset would go best on a beautiful, Italian road-bike?

This was the instinct.

dhope wrote:

If you're only bringing it back because you miss it then makes sense to put on the group that you think should go on it, rather than just the most functional.

Quickly backed up with this.

Asprilla wrote:

Sram.

It might not be as pretty but it does everything else better. Also, all the bits are interchangeable so it means you've always got a spare part.

Do I need to point out the need for Campag specific tools too?

And this is where I finished, but with severe nagging doubts...

veronese68

The old head or heart choice.
If you go with the head you won't feel guilty as you know you've done the right thing. But you will always wonder what it would be like if you'd gone with the heart.
If you go with the heart when you look at it you'll always feel that little bit more pride. The expense will soon be forgotten but you'll continue to enjoy it for longer.
With you and CJ building new bikes I'm going to get jealous so will have to get one too.

pblakeney

You already know the answer.

Your head says SRAM.

Your heart says Campag.

Will you be riding the bike for the emotional experience, or as a vehicle?

If we were all using bikes as functional transport the we would be riding Ribbles (or equivalent) with 105. But we don't.

london-red

PBlakeney wrote:

Will you be riding the bike for the emotional experience, or as a vehicle?

Nice.

Veronese68 wrote:

With you and CJ building new bikes I'm going to get jealous so will have to get one too.

Sorry Steve - I'm also in the middle of another build, as it happens, but that one cost me a bottle of red wine at Easter and was rescued from a barn in northern France

essex-commuter

I've just converted my CX bike from Shimano to Campy. Best move ever.

veronese68

London-Red wrote:

Sorry Steve - I'm also in the middle of another build, as it happens, but that one cost me a bottle of red wine at Easter and was rescued from a barn in northern France

That sounds nice. We'll have to go to the pub and discuss the details. I'll send you a text as CJ should be up for a drink now.
Forgot to ask, how have you found space for them. Have you sold a child?

rower63

I'm pretty sure it's illegal to put SRAM on a Bottecchia.

london-red

essex-commuter wrote:

I've just converted my CX bike from Shimano to Campy. Best move ever.

I'm feeling an inner calm begin to take hold...

And as for where I'm going to keep them :shock:

rower63

London-Red wrote:

So, I'm bringing my carbon Bottecchia 8Avio out of retirement....

we need pictures

Veronese68 wrote:

...With you and CJ building new bikes I'm going to get jealous so will have to get one too.

Don't leave me out. As it happens I'm also building up a Bottecchia, currently collecting contemporary Campag bits off eBay. Got cranks, BB and headset so far.

rolf_f

Probably deserves better than PT Centaur at least. Any UT will be fine though. (ie UT Veloce > PT Centaur)

london-red

Rolf F wrote:

Probably deserves better than PT Centaur at least. Any UT will be fine though. (ie UT Veloce > PT Centaur)

Is that only relevant on the crankset and BB?

rolf_f

London-Red wrote:

Rolf F wrote:

Probably deserves better than PT Centaur at least. Any UT will be fine though. (ie UT Veloce > PT Centaur)

Is that only relevant on the crankset and BB?

Naah, you want the Ultrashift levers as well |(actually, I'd prioritise those over the crankset which is only an irritation when you need to work on it - the Powershift levers are inferior to Ultrashift all the time!). And ten speed ones are tricky to source unless you go for the old shape (but you might prefer those anyway).

The Rookie

Of course the really sensible answer is surely Shimano......

Anyone seen my coat?

FoldingJoe

The Rookie wrote:

Of course the really sensible answer is surely Shimano......

Anyone seen my coat?

Don't worry, I'll go and find it for you!!

I echo what Asprilla said though. I love my Campag, even in it's lowly PT Veloce guise, but the tools to remove and service are extortionate, but I did buy them in the end.

tgotb

You're clearly going to go for Campag. Just remember that every time you shift the wrong way (on either bike) it's a direct consequence of your weakness for Italian bling. And remember that I told you so. Remember this exact post...
:twisted:

london-red

TGOTB wrote:

You're clearly going to go for Campag. Just remember that every time you shift the wrong way (on either bike) it's a direct consequence of your weakness for Italian bling. And remember that I told you so. Remember this exact post...
:twisted:

What's wrong with me, the head appears to be pulling back level after the heart's early break. This is going to the wire...

EKE_38BPM

I've never ridden a bike with Campag so I don't know what all the fuss is about.
I wonder if they are like Apple products (over-priced, over-rated and very well marketed).

dhope

EKE_38BPM wrote:

I've never ridden a bike with Campag so I don't know what all the fuss is about.
I wonder if they are like Apple products (over-priced, over-rated and very well marketed).

Neither have I, but London-Red is managing to make me rethink my next purchase with all this talk of lovely Campag :roll:

tgotb

EKE_38BPM wrote:

I've never ridden a bike with Campag so I don't know what all the fuss is about.

From a usability perspective, Campag is quite a different beast. It feels noticeably more clunky than the other two, but seems to be quite a bit more robust, in the same way the Kalashnikov rifle is supposed to be less sophisticated than others, but carries on working in hostile environments. If I was going to ride around the world I'd do it on Campag. It also looks nice; if I was going to build a beautiful bike and hang it on the wall, it would have Campag.

However, and this is key for me, I can't train my brain to switch between them. It's a bit like driving a car with the indicators/wipers on the "wrong" side, only 1000 times worse. I once did a cross race, switching between my own bike (SRAM) and a mate's (Shimano). In cross, the downshifts are the important ones, and every single time I tried to shift down a gear on the Shimano bike I'd hit the inner lever and end up shifting up. But then I'd jump back onto the SRAM bike, and try to shift down using the outer lever, it was a complete disaster. I ended up expending as much mental effort on getting the shifts right as I did getting the bike round the course. For exactly this reason, I very much want the OP to get Campag, so that I can watch someone else experience that pain...

MrSweary

I've never used Campag or SRAM but I've been told SRAM stuff is a bit flimsy due to various scrimping on materials - especially the front derailleur.

I vote Campag just because there isn't a Shimano option

Love the new Ultegra...

t4tomo

Your problem is the fact you have at stupid American system on the genesis. You can just about excuse shimano on an Italian bike (that's my excuse) but for your s it has to be Campag

london-red

TGOTB will be pleased. Predictably, I'm going for Campag. Watch out for the confused guy on a Genesis screwing up his shifting on the racetrack on a Monday morning

What swung it was this: http://www.jejamescycles.co.uk/pro-lite-free-hub-body-speed-id54495.html which, in theory, allows me to switch between Shimano and Campag wheels very easily.

The other factor was the emotional thing. The last time the Bottecchia was in play, I had it rigged with Sram and it just didn't seem right doing the same again. Like Rower says, it's probably illegal to put Sram on a Bottecchia...

Anyhoo, there we go. Happy with the result, just need to get building now 8)

london-red

t4tomo wrote:

Your problem is the fact you have at stupid American system on the genesis. You can just about excuse shimano on an Italian bike (that's my excuse) but for your s it has to be Campag

And that's another way of looking at it

veronese68

London-Red wrote:

What swung it was this: http://www.jejamescycles.co.uk/pro-lite-free-hub-body-speed-id54495.html which, in theory, allows me to switch between Shimano and Campag wheels very easily.

Head justification for a heart decision. Nice

rolf_f

EKE_38BPM wrote:

I've never ridden a bike with Campag so I don't know what all the fuss is about.
I wonder if they are like Apple products (over-priced, over-rated and very well marketed).

The prices are hard to compare because really there are only two Campag groupsets - Veloce and Chorus and the remainder are largely bling related upgrades (ie they look the same, function the same but weigh a few grams less - it's not like Shimano where they make everything progressively uglier the less you are prepared to pay!).

It functions just as well as Shimano but has the benefit (at least with Chorus and above) of being realistically repairable which is worth a lot IMO.

As for marketing - I don't think Campagnolo can be accused of great marketing!

Besides, what really kills your argument is that I like Campagnolo but I hate Apple!

london-red

Veronese68 wrote:

London-Red wrote:

What swung it was this: http://www.jejamescycles.co.uk/pro-lite-free-hub-body-speed-id54495.html which, in theory, allows me to switch between Shimano and Campag wheels very easily.

Head justification for a heart decision. Nice

That one was a real life saver

EKE_38BPM

Rolf F wrote:

EKE_38BPM wrote:

I've never ridden a bike with Campag so I don't know what all the fuss is about.
I wonder if they are like Apple products (over-priced, over-rated and very well marketed).

The prices are hard to compare because really there are only two Campag groupsets - Veloce and Chorus and the remainder are largely bling related upgrades (ie they look the same, function the same but weigh a few grams less - it's not like Shimano where they make everything progressively uglier the less you are prepared to pay!).

It functions just as well as Shimano but has the benefit (at least with Chorus and above) of being realistically repairable which is worth a lot IMO.

As for marketing - I don't think Campagnolo can be accused of great marketing!

Besides, what really kills your argument is that I like Campagnolo but I hate Apple!

I should have left out the marketing thing, really. Campag seem to go the Technics 1200 route of marketing and let word of mouth do the work (Technics never advertised the iconic 1200 deck).

I'm with you on the hating Apple thing. I've gone from pestering my Dad to buy me an iMac (the original Blueberry one) to turning away from everything starting with an 'i'. I don't even watch ITV anymore!!*
MrsEKE was an iPhone user and has recently got a Windows phone but now if an iPhone user sends her a text it goes to the iPhone but if a non-stupid phone user sends her a text it goes to the new Windows Phone. There are loads of webpages dedicated to how to sort it out, but you really shouldn't have to sort anything out. Its like a punishment from Apple for leaving the fold.

As for going around the world using Campag, as TGOTB mentioned, perhaps Campag components are less likely to break and need repairing. But if they did need repairing, you would have to find a bike shop with Campag tools, which I'm sure would be harder to find than a bike shop which has Shimano tools, or "bike tools" as they are generally known.

I'm not anti-Campag, I'm anti-hype.

*Apparently, Apple wanted to buy the URL itv.com but ITV refused to sell it to them, so they had to name their media server "Apple TV" rather than their first choice "iTV".