Help me decide the group for mine new roadbike

Triathlon Forum
1

it’s time for a roadbike to join the stable that currently consist of a tribike and mtb.

for rougly the same price i can have

shimano ulterga SL (triple)
pro: known stuff, match spdsl pedals of tribike (don’t want to buy new shoes)
cons: boring and ???

Campagnolo centaur (compact)
pro: beatifull
cons: will serieus collied with spdsl pedals, had mirage (low end stuff) that i had the feeling the tumb shifter could break off any moment (ofcourse it didn’t)
unknows are the lower end campy wheels vento better than low end mavic stuff ? i could just take mavic wheels with campagnolo.

for 120 euro’s more sram force (compact)
no expirence with this one. got some shifting concerns as it is done with the same lever
pro: kinda exclusive

so your opions
(the bike is the same bar groupo or wheels i might choose)

2

I don’t understand why pedals come into this, You can always get whatever pedals you want. Do they come with the Groupo?

3

i’ve got centaur, and am very happy with it.
got it in 05, so i can shift all i want at a time; my understanding is that that’s not the case anymore w/centaur, so if you can get them to throw in chorus shifters (or even just rear shifter) you should.

never had ultegra.

4

the problems with the pedals is that i have shimano spd-sl on mine tribike.
i don’t want to buy new shoes or 2 pairs of pedals. so the pedals will be spd-sl.

now i think it’s not done to fit shimano pedals on a campag group cause of estetics :wink:

5

ha. you think that’s bad, on my tri bike I have:

Campy chorus crankset
record BB
dura-ace bar end shifters
ultegra brake calipers
ultegra read derailleur
chorus front derailleur (I think, it might be record)
Ultegra SPD-SL pedals
SRAM cassette
integrated headset (cane creek I think)
Campy cables

My road bike is a little less of a mix, but I still have mostly dura-ace (FSA crank with shimano chainrings) and a campy record headset.

6

I havent owned it yet, but I just ordered a Force group for my tribike. I’ve ridden it on the road, and I love the way it shifts. I first got turned on to the Sram components after my new (in '06) mountain bike came with full X-0. I was absolutely astounded at how well it shifted. If you can afford it, I say go for the Sram. I don’t have any campy experience at all, but my road bike is mostly Ultega (with a little DA and FSA thrown in) and you certainly cannot go wrong with it.

7

now i think it’s not done to fit shimano pedals on a campag group cause of estetics :wink:
No, you put on whatever pedals on that are on the rest of your bikes. SPD-SL pedals on Campy bikes are everywhere, just go to a USA Cycling event some weekend.

8

i have narrowed the choose to sram and campagnolo.

shimano is too boring :wink:
or am i missing out some major thechnical points that could speak in favor of the shimano?

9

Technically, there isn’t too much of a functional, performance based difference. All 3 work, I’d say SRAM and Campy are the nicest looking. I’d say to go with whichever group you like the feel of the lever best. e.g. I hated campy levers, because I’d have to tilt them so far back that I couldn’t easily reach the brakes when in the drops. Shimano, no such problems.

10

might be diffucult to try out the sram levers where i live.

shimano and campag (i had a bike with these) should be less of a problem.

i’m just wondering of the newer and more expensive campag groupo centaur vs mirage. the tumb shifter won’t feel like it is going to break?
any one experience with that?

11

I love that mix. I just love broken themes it says, “I’m here to ride not impress you.” It’s just bad ass.

12

Can’t go wrong with Campy! I think the centaur stuff is pretty good and not low end, more like middle of the road. I have no experience with SRAM, but it would be the trendy choice. Go with the shifters you like best.

13

well with lowend i meant the mirage stuff i had on mine old roadbike.

centaur should be close to ultegra right?

i must say i like the looks of the campy stuff best :slight_smile: and it’s a safe choice.

but i keep getting attracted to the sram stuff (i must admit i like stuff nobody else has)

for example mine tribike is QR caliente (never saw another one in a race in the netherlands)

but you do like the tumb shifter for going heavier at back?

14

My bike is setup with a mix of Campy stuff to include Chorus shifters, Centaur Fr Der., Centaur brakes, Chorus Re Der and Record cranks and BB. Personally if I were doing it over I’d go with Chorus shifters and everything else Centaur since the Chorus levers will allow multiple gear upshifts and downshifts in one movement. I replaced Dura-Ace components when I put on the campy parts and will likely never put Shimano on another bike again. One other interesting note, I ran my Rear Derailleur cable around the tab instead of under it and the thing functions flawlessly with a Dura-Ace 10 speed cassette. I’d surely go this route since Shimano wheels are easier to find and you could then swap wheels among your bikes.

15

I love my SRAM. I ahd Rival on my cross bike and Force on my road bike. I didn’t like the hoods on Shimano, and Campy on a Cannondale didn’t seem right to me. So I went SRAM (American company on an American bike!) and I don’t plan on ever going back.

With that said, I like Campy as well. It shifts great and I like the shape of their hoods as well.

Can’t go wrong with either.

16

Nobody will ever notice your pedals don’t match your group :wink:

With that being said, I’d get the Campy or SRAM. For me, roadbike components come down to the shifters. Which shifters are most comfortable and usable to you? buy that group.

17

Centaur is about the same as Centaur with Chorus (what I ride) on par or close to Durace. You can’t beat the beauty of campy! Nothing comes close.