Mattttt

I'm building my first bike from scratch. It's going to be a touring bike, with the goal of bikepacking this summer. I have the frame, a '79 Fuji America. I know it's a bit heavy but I really like it.

The America originally came with bar-ends which I'm not super comfortable with so I want to use brifters.


Two complete groupsets with triples are on my local CL. An Ultegra 6500:

Shimano Ultegra Triple Groupset in great shape

And a mixed Campy:

Campy Mirage/Centaur road bike 10 spd (triple crank) build kit

The Campys a but cheaper and comes with Mavics and bars. The Shimanos an Ultegra. I'm torn. Which set do you think is the better option? Thanks much!

Carbonfiberboy 

I've always used Ultegra. The question I'd look into is: how available are cassettes and chainrings for the group? For any non-current group, maintenance/parts is always the issue. What are you going to be able to find out in the field?

tedder

the other two posts from OP about this:

touring: https://www.bikeforums.net/touring/10...ra-triple.html
road cycling: https://www.bikeforums.net/road-cycli...ra-triple.html

Probably easier to centralize the discussion.

clasher

I don't think there is a lot of value in buying used cassettes and derailleurs... they might have a lot of wear on them. The shimano shifters might gum up in the future. I don't think the brakes will reach your rims if the original bike came with 27" wheels and medium or long reach brakes. The front derailleurs probably won't fit without a shim or braze-on adapter in the case of the campagnolo. If you're travelling light and aren't a clyde the mavic wheels might work for a while but who knows what kind of shape they're in. Spare spokes for mavics aren't as common as a standard spoke. There are a lot of little details that'll make using modern parts on vintage frames more costly than just buying the parts and slapping them on the frame. There's a Classic and Vintage forum on here that is full of bikes that have been modded with new parts so it's not like it's impossible but it can be a lot of work and money. I've retro-modded two bikes and it was a fun experience but it wasn't any cheaper than buying a new bike in the end.

HTupolev

'79 America came with 700x28c.

Road Fan

I really like the way Ergopower levers work, and I don't think there's any real problem in getting new replacements on Ebay or real-world stores like Lickbike. The 10 speed triples work very robustly (reliably), and we have an 8-speed Mirage that is dead solid. We also have an 11 sp triple, and I'm a little less certain about that. But, I like the way the levers feel in Campagnolo, and can't warm up to the different Shimano shapes. Campy would be my preference, in any grade or level that you might find.

Road Fan

Yes, you have to make sure all your parts are compatible with the bicycle configuration (wheels, threading, brake reach, seat post, stem, et cetera), but I would not characterize the situation anywhere near as bad as it's portrayed here. Basically it means, know what you need, do not buy the wrong stuff for your frame/wheel combination, and do not buy parts that do not have sufficiently good condition to be useful going into the future. And buy stuff that you know how to service.

I've gotten a lot of excellent use from used Campy derailleurs, calipers, Ergopowers, and even cassettes. Shimano, not so much.

Drew Eckhardt 

I've been riding Campagnolo since 1997: 8 cogs through 2000, 9 through 2012, and now 10 with triples for 13 of 19 years.

As my own mechanic I wouldn't buy anything else - you can drop five cogs at once and end up in the next gear moving to your small ring, the ergonomics are great without a moving brake lever, and I like the positive feel.

Things would be more complicated if I didn't and ran "vintage" shifters. The G-springs used in Campagnolo ergo levers through the 2008 model year are a wear item (apart from Escape, limited to one cog smaller with plastic index parts) - the tips which engage the shift detents wear off, and the springs fail due to fatigue. The carriers also go.



Shifting like I have ADHD I never got more than 3 years out of them.

Replacement is not a big deal - parts are about $10 and I found re-taping my handlebar the most difficult part, but would be a headache if you don't do your own work and your LBS does not speak Campagnolo. They also don't fail suddenly - your shifter goes soft with one broken G-spring but will still stay in gear and a cracked carrier is barely noticeable.

You can upgrade to 2010 10 speed Ultra Shift levers, although that's become a hassle now that model year passed. With new parts you'd need to pair 2014 Chorus levers with a replacement right shift mechanism.