Campag vs Shimano

[slowpokerodriguez]

I just put this thread here so any non TT'ers looking at the list of threads will think we take our gear seriously.

No gear thread list is complete without this question.

I use neither. I have spray painted a shoe box silver and tied it to my chainstays with bailing twine and written "Ultegra" on it in black crayon. Unless you looked really closely you couldn't tell it isn't the real thing.

[veganpower]

Nice one slow peke , that'll fox'em

[trex]

I'll stoke the argument:

Heavy with carbon where not needed and Italian vs Pretty Japanese functionality

Good availibiilty of bar-end shifters.

Better priced...

Need there be more said?

[doug]

Veganpower - I thought you were a pacifist instead you are
encouraging a war

[jamiemcp]

Don't forget SRAM very very good IMHO

[whisk]

All we need now is for some beardy to come along and tell us that we should all be riding fixed instead of these new fangled gears!

[chris]

all a load of over priced toss really.

[dirtydavey]

campag is best, and anyone who wants to argue meet me in the play ground after school!

[fatty]

Campag v Shimano is like Ducati V jap bikes

Italian is sexy but unreliable and Jap is as always funtional

[foggy]

Best ones are the ones you used to have on Raliegh Choppers, 2nd best being the twisty handles on the grifters!!

[mercury68]

Nah, Campag beats Shimano hands down for reliability - once you've set campag up it stays set up unlike shimano which needs fettling all the time. Only good thing about shimano is price for equivalent weight and there's loads of it about 2nd hand.

[younggun]

I think those "organic" Shimano chainsets ming.

[doug]

Shimano spinning reels are much better than the Campaq ones

[trex]

doug said:

Shimano spinning reels are much better than the Campaq ones

Does it come in carbon?

[explorerjc]

whisk said:

All we need now is for some beardy to come along and tell us that we should all be riding fixed instead of these new fangled gears!

d**n, I'd better go and shave......

Shimano.....I get it cheap.....

[flyingelephant]

It all works. So whatever is available at the time at the right price.

[simonm]

I've had veloce on my winter bike for 4 years, never adjusted the gears once, ultegra on my summer bike adjusted the gears 4 times this summer alone

[sjr]

Always preferred Campagnolo, like many roadies turned triathletes. Bought a Specialized with Ultegra groupset for racing this year. I agree with the comment above. My Cinelli's Veloce/Centaur mix never needed fiddling with and once 'bedded in' changed as smooth as a baby's butt. The Ultegra on the other hand has needed constant tweaking.
On a slightly different note I've discovered it's no use matching the frame/bar geometry of the two bikes precisely if one's Campag and the other's Shimano because those HUGE levers on the Shimano seem to stretch my reach a little. I also find them less comfortable for things like 'steep hill pedal dancing'
On balance, if I bought my race bike again, now I've used both? Chorus/Record.

[bernard]

Good thread!!

I've ridden both - was a devoted campag man as a roadie, then bought a litespeed with ultegra, did use dura ace 8spd before though. I've got to say (and this might upset a few people) - there's hardly any difference! How different can a shimano ultegra vs campagnolo chorus mech have? The biggest difference is the levers - ergopower is more asthetically pleasing, and the thumb shifter is great....but that's it. They work just as well as each other. I've never had to tweak my gears / brakes etc on either....

My conclusion is that they're both just fine. It's a personal reason for preferance....

[foggy]

I couldnt tell a massive difference when I test road both. For me it was all down to the shifters - I preferred the way the shimano ones worked to the campag so went shimano.

[dirtydavey]

To be honest there really is very little difference, I've got shimano on my winter bike and campag on the summer. I prefere the campag shifters though

[sonofthefrogstar]

sjr said:

On a slightly different note I've discovered it's no use matching the frame/bar geometry of the two bikes precisely if one's Campag and the other's Shimano because those HUGE levers on the Shimano seem to stretch my reach a little. I also find them less comfortable for things like 'steep hill pedal dancing'

Interesting you should say so - a bike-fit takes that into account just as it does the type of cleats you use.