My dad says Shimano makes the only bike components worth anything. Is that true?

dont forget sram :)

Hello Campagnolo.
Shimano are made to feel sweet in the shops, but wear out more quickly. They change standards every year, and spares for older components (eg correct cones with seal) can be very difficult to get. Their systems are designed to work well, but not to last.

Campy are built to wear in and work better after a bit of use. Their support for spares is much better, and their gear lasts longer. In the top of the range hubs, for instance, the cups are replaceable, so the hubs never really wear out.

Campy has a special place in the hearts of true roadies. Shimano: they make really neat fishing reels.

NO! I disagree! When it comes to road components Campy gets the thumbs up over shimaNO. When it comes to MTB SRAM works real good. I am currently using Suntour XC PRO components on one of my MTB's. I like the way the Suntour stuff works over shimaNO. I have used SRAM components and they work very well. Bottom line is that there are other manufacturers that bulid components that work just as good or better than the shimaNO stuff. Like a previous poster said they build good fishing reels.

Ok, very cool
This is probably a stupid question, but can I replace a 7 speed cassette with an 8 speed? I would have to get a new rear shifter, but that is ok because the brake and the shifter are seperate.

yes, you can change your back cassette from 7 speed to 8 speed but you also have to change the hub on your bicycle. The 8 speed cassette is wider than the 7 speed so your hub will need to be changed to a shorter one i will suggest leaving this to your bike shop as it can become very difficult to spoke the new wheel with out the proper tools. The offroad cassttes all use the same spacing between the cogs except for the 9 speed which the spacing is narrower than 8 speed or 7 speed.

presently i am using a shimano dura ace sti, and i find its a very good gruopo, but if someone will give me a campy record 10 groupo, well i will not hesiate in getting it, i might be lucky who knows, just asking