I know that I am about to stir up a hornet’s nest and I know there is probably a hundred threads concerning this topic, however I would like to hear some real reasons why someone would choose one component set over the other. Let’s assume a couple of things: a. price is not an issue; b. we are talking about shimano’s best vs. campy’s best.
Let the games begin!
Ford vs Chevy, Stihl vs Husqvarna, Taste Great - Less Filling. Take your pick. Both are great. Both get the job done. Both have their Pros and Cons.
And some of us are still waiting for TomD to step up and opine on the merits of one over the other.
(I ride both)
Depends on the bike.
IMO, it’s sacrilege to put Shimano on an Italian frame. I just couldn’t do it. However, if it’s not from Italy, Shimano is no problem.
Bear in mind, this is not based on any objective reason, just my tortured view.
They both suck. Find some old Suntour and have at it.
RP
There is nothing like a good religious war to get the day started.
my thoughts precisely…
Comparing Record to Dura Ace is like comparing a Ferrari to a Ford Mustang…sure they will both get you where you want to go…but I would rather be on the Ferrari like Record kit, thanks. Shimano has no soul…none at all.
…there’s an article here from Bicycling magazine…talks about the ‘soul’ that Campy riders refer to…
But then, I have no soul . . . none at all. And would that be a Shelby Cobra?
Rule # 1 There is no room for shimano on an otherwise italian bike.
Shimano feels good out of the box. Campy does not feel as good, crisp, etc, but campy gets better with age, shimano gets worse. Eventaully, it’s a wash. Most people like the action of shimano and the ergonomics (lever shape) of campy. Shimano has it’s shifting cable shooting out in front of the bike, campy has it’s cables neatly tucked away. Nothing beats campy hubs and bb’s. Nothing beats shimano cranks/cassettes. (the cranks of the two groups are reverse compatible with each other). Campy is lighter. Shimano does not extensively use carbon fiber (this is a plus in my book). i think campy is lighter
Campy shifting cables get gummed up easier and cable tension is more picky. You can throw multiple (down to smaller cogs) gears in one shift with campy, you cannot with shimano. campy shifts while you press the lever, shimano after you release it. It is easier to trim the front deraileur with campy - resulting is less picky cable tension for campy.
I think putting DA on ANY high end carbon bike is a travesty. All things being equal, the carbon accents that record offers is the aesthetic icing on the cake of any dream machine.
it doesn’t matter. Both are fine. This crap about Campy having soul and Shimano not is bullocks. Parts don’t have soul; just cuz it comes from Vicenza doesn’t mean it was sprung from Tullio’s loins.
Both last a longtime. I don’t know anyone who’s actually worn out a Record or Dura Ace group. They’ve all been replaced with newer and better long before they wore out.
The biggest most noticeable difference is the shape of the levers. Some people swear one is more comfortable than the other. I doubt it. Ride whatever for a few hundred miles and it will be comfortable and intuitive.
I use Dura Ace now; I’ve had Campy in the past, but never Record. I’ll probably go with Record next time around … just because.
And this bit about Campy only on an Italian/Euro frame is simple euroethnocentricism. Mapei used Dura Ace on Colnago for almost a decade and did okay. The frame doesn’t care where it’s rear derailleur came from.
Cosmetic carbon and serviceable levers are not worth $300ish dollars (to me, at least).
Tom has a really nice photo of both levers mounted on a bar. IMO, that pix says it all…
As for Italian, blah, blah…since Cipo did a stint with Shimano, I think that argument is way overdone.
The real question is whether the top of the line of either of these groups are any better than the bottom of the line of either of these groups.
Other than weight I’ve yet to see any real world testing that would prove even that point.
Dropped chains, broken parts, worn out parts etc etc seem to be a problem with all of the groups and pretty much at a similar rate.
Some day I hope somebody actually does some testing, although I suspect this testing will not come from either Shimano or Campy.
~Matt
I switched my bikes over to campy merely because I was tired of buying new shifters every 18 months. Campy can at least be repaired. Shimano cannot, or at least you cannot get parts for them. I like the clean looks of the handle bar cable routing on my road bike. As a previous post said, the Shimano shifting action is very good out of the box, but from there they deteriorate to nothing. At least in my experience.
For me, Shimano is like an abusive relationship…I keep saying I’m fed up and I’m leaving but I never do. I worked in a pro shop in my college days and our Shimano rep admitted to us that the engineers at Shimano are masters of what he referred to as “planned obsolescence”. He even told me once that STI levers wear out but Ergopower lever break in. I like the fact that all (as far as I know) Campy is compatible across the line. The same is definitely not true of Shimano. That being said, all 5 of my rigs have Shimano guts.
Also, depending on who’s in charge of ordering at your local shop, they may have lots of Shimano parts in inventory and no Campy parts. Beware the small shop that has to special order everything, they may not have availability due to being a “slow pay”. Lastly, I second the emotion that Shimano on a DeRosa, Pinarello, Bianchi, Masi, Cramerotti, etc. is just blasphamous. If it’s Italian…it’s Italian. Vive Italia!
Miguel in the 'No…El Tribato.