Road Cycling - Centaur versus Ultegra (Not a C v S debate)

I'm familiar with Ultegra and I like it. I have never ridden a Campy bike other than a test ride (Veloce which I thought was just OK) . I want to build up a bike and I'm weighing (not literally) Centaur versus Ultegra.

As I understand them them the differences are:

Campy v Shimano

Ergo v Sti
Rebuild v Replace
"Old" crank system v "New" crank system
Better Hubs v Worse Hubs
10sp v 9sp

If I missed something please let me know.

for years i rode the older version of ultegra. then in 99 i got new bike with veloce - i thought it was sooo much better than the shimano i had been riding. i just got a new bike with ultegra - i looked at a bunch of bikes, some with ultegra and some with campy (veloce & centaur). honestly, i thought the shimano drivetrain was smoother and more precise. plus the exchange rates are favoring shimano right now. another thing to consider is that ultegra isn't too far behind dura ace, but centaur is two full notches below record - you'd probably see a bigger difference riding chorus but i'm guessing you don't want to drop that coin.

i'm interested to see what everyone else thinks too.

Ride a 5 year old Ultegra group and a 5 year old Daytona group (Centaur replaced Daytona a few years ago) and compare the precison and smoothness. The Campy may feel a little notchy and stiff when new, but it breaks in to be butter smooth.

Just my opinion

for one, '04 Centaur is 10 speeds...

I've always heard that Shimano is easier to shift under stress than Campy.

I'd suggest going for an ISIS crank, like the Truvativ Elita or Rouleur, with a Campy groupo.

That way you get the new tech crank (much stiffer) combined with an excellent Campy groupo. For the record, I have both Shimano and Campy.

I'd suggest going for an ISIS crank, like the Truvativ Elita or Rouleur, with a Campy groupo.

That way you get the new tech crank (much stiffer) combined with an excellent Campy groupo. For the record, I have both Shimano and Campy.

Well that's a why didn't I think of that moment. Great idea. Is Truvativ or FSA (non carbon) better?

I've been very happy with my Truvativ Elita. Very stiff and lighter than Ultegra. The Rouleur gets you lighter than Dura Ace and even stiffer than Elita.

I currently use an FSA ISIS bottom bracket with Truvativ Elita crankset. Really good stuff!

I've never tried something stiffer (nothing out there is stiffer, except the new Dura Ace 10 speed crank)

BTW, if you want to get really exotic, you can pick up some Stronglight ISIS cranks and Stronglight ISIS Bottom Bracket. (Works of art, especially with red and blue chainrings, and made in France)

You can order them from www.giroposte.com in North America, along with other very hard-to-find European-made bike stuff.

A couple of more differences I forgot:

Campy can shift multiple cogs up and down, Shimano multi cogs up shift only. Down shifting is a click per cog.

Also Shimano has a quick release brake for easy tire removal. Campy doesn't.

Also Shimano has a quick release brake for easy tire removal. Campy doesn't.
No, Campy has the quick release in the shifters instead of the brakes. (At least in the Record version.) If you forget to reset the quick release, you still have full braking power. Also, it's easy to reset while riding.

Another thing worth mentioning perhaps is that Campy brake levers seem to have a shorter reach and their hoods seem to fit riders with smaller hands better. I currently ride with Shimano but am looking to upgrade to Campy. I am not unhappy with Shimano but I think Campy will fit better.

The entire campy line has the brake release on the shifters. Also, the shifting is more intuitive (in my opinion). The lever behind the brake lever moves the chain in the same direction the lever moves- always towards the opposite side of the bike and the direction your fingertips point as you shift, and the thumb lever moves the chain towards the side of the bike it is on and in the direction your thumb points towards as you make that shift. Plus, you will never accidently brake while shifting, since the levers are separate.

Another thing worth mentioning perhaps is that Campy brake levers seem to have a shorter reach and their hoods seem to fit riders with smaller hands better. I currently ride with Shimano but am looking to upgrade to Campy. I am not unhappy with Shimano but I think Campy will fit better.

I have larger hands are these going to be too small?

I have pretty good sized mitts myself. The controls feel just fine.