Road Cycling - Campagnolo V. Shimano

Let's make this official. What's your preference?

This isn't a religious debate over which is better, or a poll about what you use, this is all about your preference.

I have Shimano on my both bikes, mainly because the other is hybrid and the other was a roadbike with Dura-ace bought used.

If I got to choose from Dura-ace and Record, I would take Record. From DA vs. Chorus I would take DA, simply because DA is the best from Shimano while Chorus isn't the best from Campy (I know Chorus is almost exactly like Record blahblah but still...). Any lower gruppos, Campagnolo.

I just luv my Nuvo Record components, 19 years on and they
still do exactly what they were designed to do.
I plan on building up my Serotta frame with Centaur/Daytona
(or Chorus if I win the lottery :lol: ) when I finally get
around to it.
And that doesn't mean I think Shimano is crap, its just a
preference.
however I do believe
"Campagnolo wears in, Shimano wears out"

Marty

I have Record on one bike, Chorus on another and Veloce on a third; also Dura Ace on one, Ultegra on another and 105 on yet another; AND there is some top of the line SACHS on my carbon fiber AEGIS (made here in Maine). I also have a '72 Concord that is Record equipped and still is as smooth as a baby's bottom when it shifts. The rest of my bikes are a mixed bag of compatible components. They are all a joy to ride, because I give them all regular maintenance.
But the one I like riding best is the Aegis/Sachs.

hmm no preference really. although both my bikes are shimano, I think that if I were to build another road bike it would be campy just for the sake of being different ;)

Hmmmnn..

1980s Basso: Campy Super Record
1990s Colnago Master Campy Record/Chorus Ergo 8 mix
1999 Univega Modo Whatever Campy Veloce/Mirage Triple
English 531 framed "Harding" restored for my wife: Campy Nuovo Record. (actually has a DA front der. as the Campy item was pitted beyond aesthetic repair)

I wonder :D

Now however when I rode in the days when friction shifting was shifting I had a real love of higher end SunTour components and looked somewhat disdainfully on "Campy snobs" who paid $50 for an N. Record that didn't work as well as my Superbe.

Did I mention my old, old Schwinn LeTour converted to a fixie has a Campy crank?



:beer:

Suntour! Just kidding.
Shimano is what I use, but I've never tried Campy. So it isn't really my preference, but rather what I've got. Campy Chorus will probably go on my "someday" bike.

Since I have only used Shimano, I'm afraid I can't even vote intelligently. I am very satisfied with my two DA setups, but I have that Campy itch, and I know some day I will HAVE to scratch it, even if just with maybe Chorus shifters and ders.
Rainman

I was reading in another thread about Campy not being as smooth shifting as Shimano. What is this about?

Originally posted by roadbuzz
Suntour! Just kidding.

I still like the old higher-end SunTour rear derailleurs and use them on everything except the Bianchi, but their advantage evaporated when the slant planograph patent expired and everyone else copied it.

I prefer Campy over Shimano because of durability. I am sure the difference has narrowed, but twenty years ago, a metallurgist friend demonstrated quantitatively that Campy Record hub bearing races and cones were harder and machined to tighter tolerances than anyone else's.

My bike has Campy so that's what I prefer.

It’s easier to prefer what I have over what I don’t have.

Originally posted by fubar5
I was reading in another thread about Campy not being as smooth shifting as Shimano. What is this about?
It's about tactile feedback.

Campagnolo requires a litlle more force to shift than Shimano, and when you do shift, there's an audible and tactile click. Shimano requires a little less pressure and doesn't click in quite the same way. I personally prefer Campy's shifting for a couple of reasons:

1. It provides more feedback -- I know I've shifted up even if I'm on a descent and still spinning.

2. It's harder to shift accidentally. The way Shimano's STI levers are set up, it can be easy to shift when you're trying to brake. This happens to me occasionally when I do a running dismount on my cyclocross bike.

3. You can shift down multiple gears in Shimano with a sweep of the brake lever [but you can't sweep up, go figure], but the shifts are so smooth, you're not always totally sure how many cogs you've jumped. Not so with campy -- when you sweep down, you get a loud click and tactile resistance for each cog.

Once again, it's one of those preference things.

It's been alluded to elsewhere, but I've heard you can buy parts and repair Campy stuff. I know from experience that if any piece of a Shimano goes, you replace the whole item. Financially, a few Campy parts might cost as much as a whole new Shimano component, but I dislike the principal of tossing something out (or stowing it forever in my collection of semi-operational bike junk) just because the manufacturer won't sell me the right chewing gum/bailing wire.

Essentially all the component parts are available, and often for many years back. There is a very active classic bike community, and they seem mostly to use Campa. Of course for many years, there essentially was no Shimano.

Take a look at www.campyonly.com for an example of repair - they have an article on rebuilding, and upgrading in fact, Ergopower levers.

Cheers...Gary

I've voted 'No Preference' simply because I've never sampled the benefits of Campag.

Maybe I'd vote different if I'd ever ridden something apart from Shimano.

Just to be awkward I'll fit a flat-bar and go with SRAM :)

Richard

Regarding the relative smoothness of Shimano vs Campy I have heard that Shimano is smoother initially, but Campy gets smoother over time. I believe the saying goes something like:

Campagnolo breaks in. Shimano just breaks.

ONE of these days I'll get some Campy. sniffle

Of course we could all say Campagnolo, but since it's twice as much as Shimano, it doesn't have any bang for the buck

Originally posted by MediaCreations
I've voted 'No Preference' simply because I've never sampled the benefits of Campag.

Maybe I'd vote different if I'd ever ridden something apart from Shimano.

Ditto. :D

I have only used Shimano because it came standard on every bike I have owned. The reason I would go to Campagnolo is for the 10 speed cassette, to have an 18 & 16 tooth in the back, as I still run an 8spd. I would like to have a 10spd bike so unless Shimano release a 10spd, I will have to get Campagnolo, anyhow.

CHEERS.

Mark

Originally posted by RoAdRaGeR
Of course we could all say Campagnolo, but since it's twice as much as Shimano, it doesn't have any bang for the buck

Campy and Shimano stuff is priced comparably across the range. The only pricey gruppo is Record and that is just in a class by-itself.

centaur and ultegra are priced just about the same, so is DA and Chorus. Campy just seems more expensive because it's so much better:p

As many have said, Campy vs Shimano is mostly a personal preference (If you've had the good fortune to use both). I've owned or still own bikes with Campy Nuovo Record, Super Record, Ergo Record, and just upgraded to a Record 10 Triple on one of my road bikes. In the past I've ridden/raced Shimano Dura Ace equipped bikes (And though it's irrelevant, I even have a track bike with a 10-Pitch group on it). Over the years I've wrenched on lots of Record & Dura Ace stuff (At the risk of sounding like a jerk, I've always opted & saved up for and used Campy's & Shimano's - and Suntour's and Sach's Ergo - top groups, so I don't have much personal experience with Chorus, Ultegra, etc. - though I will, like others, say that, in its day, the Suntour Superbe stuff was, in my experience, equal to or better than Super Record or Dura Ace, and the Sachs Ergo stuff is fantastic / I run it on my 'cross bike).

The quality, reliability, durability, and rebuildability (Is that a word?) of both Campy's and Shimano's top groups are better than most of us need or deserve.

Anyway, back to modern times and the "Which Do You Prefer" poll. I voted for Campy Ergo over Shimano STI - along the lines of what Velocipedia wrote. But a big reason for me, and I'm surprised no one else mentioned it, is Campy's Ergo makes for a much cleaner look (I don't like Shimano's shift cable set up - it's just too busy / like that of bar-end shifter cable routing).

Pretty picky, eh?!

Gruppo

We actually started this topic in another thread so there was more written about it there. I think everything good/bad has been mentioned!:p

Here is what I wrote in a different thread a while before this offical campy vs. shimano was started...maybe someone else can do the link thing to get to that thread?

"Alot of Campy stuff is rebuildable (tho I have never needed to). There is no way DA shifts better than Chorus. I will say it maybe preference in feel but that is as far as one can honestly go. They are equally efficent. I like Campy because I can drop 1,2,3 gears with one push of the lever (instead of flicking 3 times with DA). When you crest that hill and hit a slight descent...BAM, from the 21 to 16 with one push, you are gone baby! I also prefer the hoods and the fact all the cables are hidden and routed through the bars.

10 speed is great. A 12-25 gives you that extra 25t that helps on real grinders. The 11-23 feels like a straight block! Perfect, fast sync shifts to keep your cadence peerrrfeect!
They are even comparably priced but the long term value and durability belong to Campagnolo. People value Campy parts and even seek old Campy stuff. That kind of passion fails to muster for Shimano parts.
Don't even start with the bottom bracket either! It takes alot more skill and $ to manufacture the square post than it does the splined Shimano. Besides the fact it works wonderfully.
You can't compare Record to DA. Record is in its own class and if you put a Record bike next to a DA bike you will understand why.

But I don't think that Record performs better than Chorus. It is lighter and more chi-chi, but in that arena, that is what you are paying for.

Anyway, DA is no slouch and you don't loose with it. I like it fine. I just think Campagnolo is all about superior feel, beautiful presentation and durability. You buy and use Shimano. You INVEST in Campagnolo. "

Since this thread is being resurrected by this thread (http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?s=&threadid=10269), I'll post here...

All the Campy freehubs (or whatever they're called) have awful loud ratcheting mechanisms compared to Shimano. I suppose from an implementation standpoint, there's a good reason... more pawls or more tension on the pawls. Anybody know?

More pawls (three vs two, I think).

Cheers...Gary

Ok, I haven't been here in a while and I see you guys are still doing all right.
Well, I'm in the business of chosing between Shimano and Campy myself. I bought a bike recently and I am already in the market to upgrade.
I was chosing between a Bianchi Eros and a Lemond Tourmalet. The former has campy mirage/veloce and the latter has shimano tiagra. I ended up with a
......Lemond Nevada city!!!!! Because... they were on sale. $700 bucks. Sora components!!! The frame,
Reynolds 853 designer select double butted, is what made my decision.
I thought Sora was entry level but still decent and if it would hold up for one season or maybe two I could always upgrade later.
I was wrong!!!
The BB already shows a crack and sweat stains the cranks beyond cleaning. Now, hardly 1 month later I'm going to upgrade to probably Campy Veloce, or should I get Shimano 105?
Am I stupid or what?

I can't help you with the decision of which gruppo to go with, but in the meantime, I think Shimano should replace your BB, no questions asked.