mkane77g

Any preferences? Are sram components Made in America, Japan, China?

tjspiel

I like SRAM chains. I'm fine with either SRAM or Shimano cassettes. I like Campy shifters largely because of the way the left shifters work. I've only used Shimano derailleurs but they seem to work well so I'm not eager to switch.

khearn

Campy brifters because they are rebuildable, logical (push to the right, chain goes right, push to the left, chain goes left), and have aero routing for both cables so they work with handlebar bags.
Shimano derailleurs & clusters because they support wider ranges.
J-Tek Shiftmates to make them work together.

DArthurBrown

I'm a Shimano guy for the moment, though SRAM stuff is pretty slick. For brifters: The Shimano lever functionality is nicest for me, and I prefer the wider hood than SRAM. The new Shimano lever design (6700) is really neat. It incorporates the best of all worlds, IMO, and shifts very smoothly. My only complaint with Shimano stuff is the saddle shape of the 5600, 4500 hoods, and the fact that the finish they use doesn't stand up to whatever chemicals are in some people's sweat.

For other components, aside from derailleurs, which have to along with the brifters, I'd go with Shimano. Their cranks are more cost effective. Their cassettes and chains run quieter, and their hubs are unparalleled (save for Phil Wood).

I find Campy stuff overrated, overpriced, and resistant to innovation. At one time they were king of quality, and I think they're still living in that era, before Shimano and SRAM stepped up their game. That isn't to say Campy stuff doesn't have benefits or fit preferences for many, but I think they could do much better.

layedback1

Right now Im sold on Sram. My 27 speed set up with twist grips shift almost flawlessly most every time. By that I mean the shifts are quick and quiet.

DaveSSS 

I think you're a bit behind the times. Campy made major changes to their brake/shifters last year, greatly improving ergonomics and introducing an entirely new internal mechanism. They came out with three 11 speed groups and added a fourth, late last year. The new shifters are also used on their two remain 10 speed groups. Campy shifters start at $120 and go up to $320. Compare that to Shimano prices.

In contrast, Shimanos lame effort to update their shifters reduced their function and it was only offered in one groupo, not five. This year they trickled down the new shifters to Ultegra, so they're on two groups compared to Campy's current six.

It's Shimano and SRAM that have the catching up to do.

mkane77g

Tough decision deciding which way to go. Currently a Shimano person, 8-9-10spd. Dura Ace, 8spd. XTR, 6-7spd.XT.' Never a failure'. Sram is light but not proven over the long haul, and I don't know where it's made. I understand the new 7900 stuff hates grime and needs new cables every 6-9 mos. but so what. How is the Super Record's quality? As good as shimano. All that carbon stuff looks fragile. One more point on the way Shimano levers work. In the event of a crash they are less prone to breakage.

HillRider

Bring popcorn. This thread will hit three pages by tomorrow.

well biked

SRAM road bike components are made in Taiwan. A lot of Shimano's stuff is made in Japan, more of their stuff all the time is made in Malaysia, maybe other places as well. All Campy components are made in Italy.

DaveSSS 

I've been using Campy carbon brake levers since they first came out, over 10 years sgo. I've crashed a number of times and never broken a carbon brake lever. They have hit the pavement and scrapped the clearcoat off in a couple of places, but never broken. Tose scrapes wre easily fixed with nail polish or clear lacquer.

I had a car/bike accident with my nearly new 11 speed shifters in November of '08. That was the first time that I really broke a shifter after 15 years of using Campy. Another rider next to me got broadsided first and pushed sideways into me. I've got no idea what hit the shifter, because the brake lever and brake hood were undamaged but the whole upper part of the ergo body broke off. Campy used to sell new ergo bodies, so you could replace one for $30 or so. They recently quit that, so I had to buy a major assembly that includes everything except the brake lever, brake hood and band clamp. That cost a $100, but it was worth it to fix $280 shifters. I also had a good use for the spare internal parts - converting a Centaur 10 shifter to 11 speed at no cost.

SR is in no way better in quality than lower level shifters. The only difference between SR, Record and Chorus is one titanium part and cutouts in the brake lever. Those two tings only drop about 10 grams per pair of shifters, so you pay a lot and get little for it. It pays to analyze what you're getting for the money before selecting a groupo. You can always mix levels to get just what you want. I'm using all Record except for cassettes and chains. Chrous cassettes cost 1/3 what SR does and last twice as long.

Kimmo

I much prefer Ergo to STI for its relative simplicity, rebuildability and cable routing myself...

If you don't need the extra range that Campag can't handle, I also recommend their rear derailleurs - so much beefier... they resist wear much better.

And once more, I'm gonna piss all over Campy rear hubs; they're not a sensible design at all, with that silly floating cassette body and unsupported spindle.

operator

It won't.

Just start a, "Do you build wheels with a tensionmeter", or a "Do you use a torque wrench" thread instead. That will guarantee you multi-page lame fest.

mkane77g

Will an 11spd. SR rear der. handle a 12-28 chorus cassette? And thanks for the heads up on the rear hubs. I don't like all the flashy print on there wheelsets anyway. BTW, this is for a frameset made in Italy if that makes a difference. My LBS says go Campy on an Italian bike.

ultraman6970

+1

HillRider

Me too, even (or particularly) when matched with Shimano cassettes and rear derailleurs via a Shiftmate.

That their response to Shimano's patent on the integral freehub body with it's outboard bearings which, admittedly, is a superior design. However, Campy's oversize axle and good choice of materials, makes their hubs very reliable despite this design "weakness".

Also, Campy's bearing adjustment method, which uses a cone that can be adjusted while the wheel is clamped in the frame, and then clamped in place with a set screw is truly a better method.

well biked

They're all good; Shimano, SRAM, Campagnolo. So this is strictly a subjective statement: if it really is an Italian frame, go with Campy. The fact that you've asked twice in the thread about where stuff is made means you're thinking about it enough for it to mean something to you. Sounds like you'll be happiest if you put Italian parts on your Italian frame.

The one and only Italian bike I've ever owned ('97 Pinarello Vuelta) was equipped with Shimano 600 when I first saw it. I traded for the bike, and knew immediately that despite the fact that the Shimano 600 parts were nice, I had no interest in keeping them on the bike. Again, it was strictly subjective, but this was a special bike to me. The deal I eventually ended up making didn't even include the Shimano parts, I just wanted the frame and fork. I put Campy on the bike, and I'm very glad I did.

operator

+1 billion, on both

operator

Yawn, put some effort in come on

Jeff Wills

You forgot chain lube.

Kimmo

Haven't other hub manufacturers licensed the design?

Why can't Campag...? Pride?

HillRider

Or, they waited until the patent expired. Campy could use the design by now but pride may indeed be a factor. The NIH syndrome perhaps.

Then too, as I mentioned above, Campy's current hubs have no real weaknesses so there is no incentive for them to "fix" them with a redesign.

DaveSSS 

And once again I'll remind readers that every brand, other than Shimano, has a design similar to Campy's with the inboard axle bearings on the right side. Shimano's patent ran out long ago, so their is no restriction against others using this design, but you don't see it in other hub brands. There are many other brands, other than Campy.

There are absolutely no problems resulting from this design. Shimano has the design with the problem. Their shallow splines won't hold up if made of aluminum, so you end up with a heavier hub. The new DA model is still heavier than the design that Campy came up with in 1999 and much more expensive.

The only difference is the Shimano design reduces the bending moment on the axle. That's a good thing, but not if it restricts the spline design. If the Campy design was really flawed, you'd be reading reports of bent axles and/or prematurely failed bearings. Campy's axles don't bend, even though they are made of aluminum. The large OD takes care of that problem.

mkane77g

Thanks, I'll go with campy components. Mabey give Rolf Elan RS wheels a go. Bike is a 2010 Bianchi S9 Matta.

HillRider

The only real problem with Campy hubs is that they seem to be getting out of the hub business. They offer only "Record" hubs as a separate component and all of their others are only available as part of pre-built wheel sets.

davidad

When is the great campy going to go electric. They went with 11 speed to try to seem to have an edge.
their rear hubs are little more that glorified freewheels. Even Joytech makes better hubs.