Why so little Campagnolo?

Triathlon Forum
1

I’ve always been a DA guy. From the first 8spd STI on, I’ve like the feel of DA and it seemed to be a better price value than Campagnolo. Even when I was working in a shop, I still got DA gear. Now when it came to dropping down to Ultegra, up until the 10spd came out (maybe including, don’t know enough about it) I would never do it. Not worth the money. I’ve seen too many crappy Ultegra shifters out there.

Then I got a Cervelo R2.5 with Centaur and I was hooked. Centaur was soooooo much nicer to ride on than my DA levers. Beter fit in the hand, crisper shifting than was easier to do. From then on I was a Campagnolo fan. I know that I’m not alone.

So it begs the question. Why is there so little Campagnolo speced on new bikes here? I’ve heard about the BB and affordability, but lets face it, most bikes sold have aftermarket cranks and brakes and chains and what not. Why don’t we see a nice bike for around 2k with Chorus/Record shifters, AM cranks and wheels, centaur or veloce F & R der?

Even on ebay, I have a hard time finding a bike with campagnolo.

2

My guess is that it has less to do with the quality of the different equipment than with Shimano’s ability to saturate the market. They can produce a whole lot more parts than Campy, and have the clout to make themselves the de facto choice with bike shops, bike mfgs, etc. It’s an easy choice for bike shops and mfgs (and bike owners for that matter) if they can easily get any Shimano part with little to no effort or wait. Campy’s distribution network is not nearly as large and dependable.

3

In the past, Campy’s ability to deliver product has been inconsistent. That makes the folks responsible for speccing bikes at the major manufacturers a little nervous, so you typically see predominately Shimano, since the product managers know that they will be able to get everything they need to sell bikes. I don;t know, but I can guess, that Shimano’s throughput is a lot higher than Campy’s as well.

4

A possible reason? Our Shimano rep recently said ShimaNO produce as many raod groups in a day as Campag do all year. I’ll stick with the big C for the reasons you stated and 'cos it’s prettier.

5

Micorsoft/Apple, VHS/Beta, Ipod/pretty much the rest of the MP3 world, Labradore/weiner dog, there are lots of quality products out there that get overshadowed by the bigger fatter rival just because they cant afford the marketing.
Some are run out of business unless they can create a nich.

6

Like others said, I believe it is the price difference and the lower supply.

But with that being said I have campy record on my road and tt bike.

O

7

I went out of my way to build my dedicated tri bike with Shimano compatible parts; and I run Campy on all my road bikes. I bought some used wheels that had a campy hub and I paid to swap them out. You can’t buy Campy bar end shifters for under $140; I paid $60 for Shimano. Then try finding an LBS that stocks TT chainrings and cranksets. I don’t think Campagnolo ever got serious about the tri market. Therefore, the products they do have are very overpriced and hard to come by; especially used. I say it is path of least resistance – throw on the components that are easy to find and least expensive. And, IMO, Campy doesn’t deserve much of a premium over high-end Shimano.

8

I recently built a new bike. I wanted campy because I was just curious as to how it worked (never used it) and its so damn sexy looking. After trying to order a groupo from several different vendors who always seemed to be lacking in one component to fill the order I gave up and got Ultegra and it was in my hands in 2 days. Easy button.

9

Shimano vs Campy is equivalent to Toyota vs Fiat…!? Long term ability to provide quality reliable products in mass amounts, at the right price. Fiat couldn’t do it, why should we expect Campy to.

That being said, Campagnolo hs improved the quality over the recent years, however, quality and quantity, in Campagnolo terms, do not go together, thus they have tried to take a Farrari positioning…and they do a nice job.

As far as this forum is concerned, how do people like their Record TT shifting mechanism? I’m sure it is excellent.

Now Sram is on the scene, potentially more loss for Campagnolo, Shimano can respond because of size…

10

i love the campy tt shifting. never had a problem. i love my road bike campy shifting even more.

i’m anal and want my bike to look good not just function good. campy is just plain sexy when it comes to bike comp.

O

11

I also like the feel of the campy shifters. Its the only shifter on the market where you can dump most of a cassette upwards or downwards. I like that flexibility.

12

Back in the 80s, I used Suntour Superbe Pro. When Suntour died, I switched to DA (7 speed back in about 1988). It was great, as was the early 8 speed. I haven’t owned either 9 or 10 speed DA road groups.

In the mid 90s, I decided that my tri career was over, sold my QR (one of the really early ones - supposedly a custom frame from a small builder in California that cost a lot of money for those days) and decided to buy a good road bike that would last a long time. Having seen Shimano kill Suntour, I thought I’d do my bit to provide them with a little competition and bought Campy. I guess you’d call it a political decision rather than one made on the basis of attractiveness or function. 8 speed Chorus Ergo for my C40. I kept that bike for 11 seasons, upgrading something in most seasons from 1998 on. When I sold it, it was all Record 10 carbon.

Since 1995, I’ve bought a lot of bikes for myself or my two sons (more than a dozen). I’m a firm believer in the N+1 rule and am already planning next spring’s bike (and 2008 for that matter).

Except for my younger son’s first race bike and a couple of Cervelo TT bikes, all have been Campy. We all prefer it. In addition, we have had shifters rebuilt - two from crashes, three from age (>20,000 km). Much cheaper than replacement, which is what we would have required with Shimano.

We have one TT bike with Campy and one of the Cervelos had Campy shifters and rear derailleur since we couldn’t get the cassette body to convert our disc to Shimano. Both Shimano and Campy work well in this application.

Shimano controls the market in North America. That’s partially because of their size, partially because so many riders here are converted mountain bikers and think Shimano is the only make because of their previous experience. In Europe, you can buy Giants and Cannondales with Campy. Not here except for one very high end Cannondale.

Let’s face it. Both make really good products today. Some people have had a bad experience with one or the other, but Shimano and Campagnolo parts are light years ahead of FSA and the other parts manufacturers.

It will be interesting to see how SRAM works out. Compatible with Shimano wheels and cassettes so converting race wheels will be a cinch. Non-moveable brake lever so I wouldn’t be freaked out by the lever moving as I’m going downhill through a switchback. Might be worth trying.

13

CampagNOlo, like Alfa Romeo, used to have soul but now they’re both just odd, quirky alternatives to proven performers made in the US and Asia.

14

I have a road bike that is mostly chorus/record and a tri bike that is mostly dura-ace/ultegra. The differences I notice are mostly in the looks department, where I greatly prefer the campy. That and I have to have a second set of bottom bracket tools, cassette tools, etc.

If I were ranking my preference for new components it would be Record (no benefit over chorus except in name), Chorus, then Dura-Ace. I can’t compare below that.

I think the reason Campy doesn’t sell better is it has a (somewhat deserved) reputation for overkill…doing things that cost more but are of dubious benefit. When you think “Record” you think “expensive bike jewelry”. When you think Dura-Ace you think “highest precision.” I don’t think anyone really thinks there is a significant difference in performance or durability.

I find it interesting that even when Record is considered overkill, there are individual components available from other manufactures that are beyond Record in price. There are really enough guys out there that feel they need zero-gravity brakes, King hubs, etc, to make a market for them. Maybe that is just my opinion of it.

15

Another problem with Campy on a tri bike is that the button for to provide a little extra clearance at the brake calipers to remove a wheel is setup with their Ergo levers. On a tri bike you’ll have to spend a little time either twisting the barrel adjuster above the caliper or force the wheel/tire past the brake pads.

A small thing but it can be annoying to some people.

16

CampagNOlo, like Alfa Romeo, used to have soul but now they’re both just odd, quirky alternatives to proven performers made in the US and Asia.

I bet if you were to take a poll of CAT1-2 folks who buy they own gear you may sing another tune. Then again, when was it you knew what you were talking about?

For Tri…it is hard to put a line in the sand. In road racing Campy has a number of features that surpass Shimano, such as the number of gears you can throw in a single toss, the hubs (wheels), weight, and longevity,

17

CampagNOlo, like Alfa Romeo, used to have soul but now they’re both just odd, quirky alternatives to proven performers made in the US and Asia.

I bet if you were to take a poll of CAT1-2 folks who buy they own gear you may sing another tune. Then again, when was it you knew what you were talking about?

For Tri…it is hard to put a line in the sand. In road racing Campy has a number of features that surpass Shimano, such as the number of gears you can throw in a single toss, the hubs (wheels), weight, and longevity,

YOU of all people?! Oh, you make me laugh… at you of course :wink:

18

R10C, I agree that Campy is generally superior to Shimano, except for one thing. I have to tilt the brake hoods so far back that I can barely reach the brake levers from the drops. For me, shimano works better. For most folks, Campy is a better system. I do like to take a mix ‘n’ match approach. My P2SL i am building has Shimano derailleurs and bar ends, Shimano calipers, and Campy Chorus BB and crankset (square taper).

I have yet to see the SRAM group on a complete bike, only as components in the showcase. I would be interested in trying that system.

19

Dude! Have you ever actually owned a Campy-equipped bike?

Shimano stuff is great, but there isn’t much comparison to Campy in performance or durability. As one minor example, I changed my Campy 10-speed chain after about 8,000 miles of riding this year-- Even though we could not measure significant chain stretch at the bike shop. Meanwhile, my wife has been running through her Shimano chains every 1500 miles or so. I weigh about 80 LBS more than my wife and ride on hillier terrain, so Campy chains are actually giving better than the 5:1 durabiltiy advantage I’ve seen.

The techniques for dialing in Campy equipment are a little different from Shimano, but if you (or your LBS) take the time to read the Campy manuals and install and tune according to spec, it is out of this world.

Their one disadvantage for tris is the lack of a quick release on the brake calipers, but aside from that it’s top shelf.
-Marc

20

Not a dude… yes… not impressed…