Campag or Shimano

mickeycav

Hi Guys
Am thinking of investing in my first serious road bike and have a choice available as to the groupset so was hoping for some opinions on whether to opt for Campag or Shimano?
Thanks a lot

Lumen

SRAM!

niceonetom

That would be an ecumenical question.




























Shimano!

Beasty

mickeycav wrote: »

Hi Guys
Am thinking of investing in my first serious road bike and have a choice available as to the groupset so was hoping for some opinions on whether to opt for Campag or Shimano?
Thanks a lot

Maybe if you let us know which bikes you are thinking of - it will probably come down to the price you (are prepared to) pay for the various options. You'll probably find you'll get better value with one groupset compared to the others

bcmf

Campag. You know its the right thing to do.

kumate_champ07

it doesnt really matter, pick which looks the prettiest to you/most affordable

Planet X

Suntour.

spyderski

Campagnolo - Beautiful
SRAM - Light
Shimano - Works

Shimano FTW

kumate_champ07

Planet X wrote: »

Suntour.

or sugino!

abcdggs

Campagnolo FTW!

JacksonHeightsOwn

campagnolo here to

better shaped hoods

longer brake levers for handier breaking while on the hoods

oh, and its campagnolo, thats all you need to know

Planet X

Simplex.

kumate_champ07

shimano is like honda
campag is like bmw

both have similar performance at the very top end but shimano has a wider range for all budgets

paddymacsporran

And using the car analogy, Sram is Aston Martin compared with shim-sham and camp.

Sram is way better than the other two, I've been lucky enough to use Record, Dura-Ace and Sram red over the past 5 years, and Sram red has given me completely trouble free reliable use over the last 3. Never even had to adjust a cable, only thing I've replaced is brake blocks and it still works as well as it did on day one. I had a new bike for a few weeks in the summer with a brand new red groupset and it felt no different to my own 3 year old set.

doozerie

Try to get your hands around the brake hoods of all three - Campag, Shimano, and SRAM. You may find that you instantly dislike or love some of them. The newer 11-speed Campag hoods are quite different, for example. Better still, of course, if you can try a trial ride as the actions involved in changing gear for all three are significantly different and again you may find that you love/hate some of them on that basis alone.

As regards reliability and longevity, I've never used SRAM but I've always found Campag to be longer lasting (and, on balance, more reliable) than Shimano so although it costs more initially I usually find that Campag is better value than Shimano in the long run. But that higher cost of Campag means that I have Shimano on my heavily used commute bikes and although I replace parts more frequently than I'd like I do still like Shimano stuff, just not quite as much as Campag.

petethedrummer

Hello.

mickeycav

cheers guys, plenty of great advice and experiences there. the bike i was looking at was a Stevens carbon for weekend rides and possibly for commuting, using a mtb on slicks at the mo for that.. http://www.stevensbikes.de/2011/index.php?bik_id=277&sect&lang=en_US&cou=DE

Biopace

Sram - clunk
Campag - click
Shimano - glide



I'd have Campag meself

ytareh

Well I dont know much about this new fangled SRAM stuff (been out of the scene a decade !) but Shimano has always suited the larger handed far better in my opinion...

Quigs Snr

I am lucky to have 3 bikes with Shimano Dura Ace, 2 with Sram (Rival and Red) and one with Campag Record.

They all work. They all work real well. I would rate them - based on experience rather than what I read on the web mind - with 1 being best and 3 being worst as follows.

Weight: 1. Sram, 2. Campag, 3. Shimano.

Smoothness/Engineering: 1. Shimano, 2. Campag, 3. Sram

Looks: 1. Campag, 2. Sram, 3. Shimano

Value: 1. Sram, 2. Shimano, 3 Campag

Durability: 1. Campag, 2. Shimano, 3. Sram

Euroness: 1. Campag, 2. Sram, 3. Shimano

None of them are weak in any category, the differences are subtle. Campag is the best if you like lots of black carbon, are interested in euro image, don't mind paying top dollar and also like the idea of almost every single part being serviceable and replaceable. On consideration is the thumb shift... not everyone gets on with that.

SRAM is for the weight weenies and is pretty decent looking, its not as smooth in the shift as Shimano but is very good all the same. It is also currently the best value for a top end groupset.

Shimano just works. I don't care for the new 7900 but the engineering is superb. The shift is like silk. Cheaper than Campag by some distance, but I hate that the levers are non-serviceable. That being said they can take a lot of abuse.

None of these will hold you back, there isn't any consensus on which is better, nor will there ever be. Just look at all 3 and go for whichever one makes you feel happy in your pants.

mickeycav

great reply Quigs, one thing's for sure, there is no simple answer!

DirkVoodoo

Campag is like an Alfa or a Ferrari, please don't compare it to some sterile Bavarian brand.

Diarmuid

DirkVoodoo wrote: »

Campag is like an Alfa or a Ferrari, please don't compare it to some sterile Bavarian brand.

You mean it looks great but breaks down every second spin?

bcmf

Campy levers are rebuildable (well 2010 and below).

niceonetom

For the love of Mario, can we stop with the car analogies? Please. It's fcuking unseemly.

You wouldn't go into the craft beer bit of boards and starting going on about how porter is the merlot of beers or go over to the religionists and start saying that buddha is the the L. Ron of Tibet, now would you?




















Shimano!

Signal_ rabbit

Sturmey Archer

Lumen

niceonetom wrote: »

For the love of Mario, can we stop with the car analogies? Please. It's fcuking unseemly.

You wouldn't go into the craft beer bit of boards and starting going on about how porter is the merlot of beers or go over to the religionists and start saying that buddha is the the L. Ron of Tibet, now would you?

Rolls Royce rant. 10/10.

niceonetom

Lumen wrote: »

Rolls Royce rant. 10/10.

/\ Maxwell House post.

Captain Havoc

mickeycav wrote: »

Hi Guys
Am thinking of investing in my first serious road bike and have a choice available as to the groupset so was hoping for some opinions on whether to opt for Campag or Shimano?
Thanks a lot

Your first post on boards and you come out with this, possibly spliting the forum and upsetting the harmony here. You're on thin ice and I will be under it when it breaks.


Shimano is the correct answer BTW.

mickeycav

i'll get my coat!

crumliniano

mickeycav wrote: »

cheers guys, plenty of great advice and experiences there. the bike i was looking at was a Stevens carbon for weekend rides and possibly for commuting, using a mtb on slicks at the mo for that.. http://www.stevensbikes.de/2011/index.php?bik_id=277&sect&lang=en_US&cou=DE

That Stevens bike looks to have pretty good spec options, so this comment may not be that relevant, but if you do look elsewhere think about upgrade compatibility which ever brand you go for. For example lower end Shimano (sub-105) tend not to be fully compatible with the higher end groupsets. For example a Tiagra 9 speed or a 2300 3x8 will not be compatible with 105/ultegra/dura shifters, derailleurs, etc. Many entry level bikes come with those and if you want to upgrade bits you might end up needing to upgrade the whole groupset. Similarly with Campy, the newer high end groupsets are 11 speed. If you go with Veloce or Centaur 10 speed (for example) you won't be able to upgrade many parts to Chorus/Record/Super record later if you wanted to. I don't know anything about Sram but there may be similar considerations. If it's Shimano I'd say minimum 105, if it's Campy I'd say minimum Athena.

... And I'd say Campagnolo.

kenmc

I don't like the little sticky out thumbshifter on campag, and it's on shimano sora too, but tiagra up has proper shift levers. The only time I used sram i found the doubletap thing a bit wierd. so shimano for me i'm afraid

paddymacsporran

Still Sram for me. Campag is too clunky and heavy, Shimano too light.

My Sram has been 100% reliable - Big plus is in the engineering, it uses what they call exact actuation - basically the cable moves the same distance as the mech, shimano and campag just aren't that clever. That means less lever wear, less cable wear, and less hassle.

And re the comment not getting double-tap, that is crap. I bet everyone got confused with the first time they used integrated lever shifters, If like me you have used all three brands, they all hav edifferent actions.

Best advice I could give would be just go with what suits you and your price range, there's not massive differences between the three.

doozerie

All this nostalgia and yet no-one has mentioned Mavic. Tsk. And in particular Mavic's electronic groupset from way back before any others ventured into that area. With that you'd look very cool (in the way that the original mobile phones looked "cool"...). Even as you grind your way home stuck in your highest gear 'cos the battery has died.

paddymacsporran

Mavic Zap and Sachs speedtronic were both early 90's.

Another reason for buying Sram in these dark economic times - It says on their website they have a manufacturing facility in Carrick-On-Suir.

(Unless like most foreign companies they have fecked off....)

justo

mickeycav wrote: »

Hi Guys
Am thinking of investing in my first serious road bike and have a choice available as to the groupset so was hoping for some opinions on whether to opt for Campag or Shimano?
Thanks a lot

I don't want to hijack the thread, so moderate this if appropriate, but is it possible to indicate which groupset is most appropriate for different types of cyling/ different types of bikes?

Perhaps it will help the OP (and me!)

for e.g. what would best suit a retro/ steel frame for long commutes and audax?

etc.

Lemag

*microSHIFT*

bcmf

doozerie wrote: »

All this nostalgia and yet no-one has mentioned Mavic. Tsk.

Ahhh yes Mavic.
The bike I had in the early 90's had Campy Delta brakes with the rest being Mavic. Shifters Front and Rear Mechs and ,in my mind anyway, still one the most beautiful Cranksets to be made. Were they not also the first to bring out the sealed BB?

bcmf

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.trophyoftexas.com/about/CSi_07%2520013.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.trophyoftexas.com/about/serotta_csi_w.htm&usg=__H5SjGtDO5l2r-7Sa_691KNLnlUQ=&h=405&w=709&sz=307&hl=en&start=0&zoom=1&tbnid=P0Un66_EOT-PVM:&tbnh=113&tbnw=197&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dmavic%2Bcrankset%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DG%26biw%3D1024%26bih%3D611%26gbv%3D2%26tbs%3Disch:1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=118&vpy=95&dur=2149&hovh=170&hovw=297&tx=144&ty=118&ei=qZrrTN7FCoqBhQeDrvGoAQ&oei=qZrrTN7FCoqBhQeDrvGoAQ&esq=1&page=1&ndsp=12&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:0
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.bikepro.com/products/rear_derailleurs/rear_der_jpg/b_mavic_840.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.bikepro.com/products/rear_derailleurs/mavic_rrder.shtml&usg=__alfLG1g1WdDNq03LoNNaLGoTgXw=&h=415&w=360&sz=21&hl=en&start=13&zoom=1&tbnid=t4pNVwf06LgUkM:&tbnh=142&tbnw=122&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dmavic%2Brear%2Bderailleur%26hl%3Den%26biw%3D1024%26bih%3D611%26gbv%3D2%26tbs%3Disch:10%2C534&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=774&vpy=206&dur=40&hovh=241&hovw=209&tx=166&ty=110&ei=HJ3rTPvuHYyqhAeX0OCLAQ&oei=B53rTNLBCYeqhAesiqClAQ&esq=2&page=2&ndsp=14&ved=1t:429,r:9,s:13&biw=1024&bih=611