MrKawamura

I'm sure this will have been covered, but can't search at the moment and other forums I've checked mostly deal with the higher end. How, in your valued opinion, do Campagnolo XENON components fair against Shimano Sora? Better, worse, or about the same... Would Tiagra be better than XENON?

Or please direct me to an existing thread if you know where it is.

bassplayinbiker

I've got xenon on my training bike and I think it's worlds better than sora. It is up there with tiagra.

DevLaVaca

Kawamura, they're about the same quality. One may be nicer than the other, but I haven't personally noticed a difference. While others will (guaranteed) argue this, in my experience, shimano and campy components track each other pretty closely as far as price v. quality, though with campy, there's usually a "name premium" as well. There can be a difference in feel, but at this level, you probably won't notice it.

One thing to look for is that the Xenon (reportedly) comes in 10spd (though I've only seen the 9), while the Sora is 8spd, and you can find it in 7 (even 6, if you're lucky). That means that the Xenon will probably require more precise tuning and maintenance, and may wear your chain faster depending on how you ride, while the Sora will give you a stronger wheel (less dish). I don't see any real reason to have 10 speeds unless you're competing (and sponsored), but if you really want it, that could be worth the small price jump.

Stubacca

Campy Xenon 10 speed

I'd go for Xenon if only because it makes it easy to upgrade bits and pieces as you go, since I think the whole Campy range is now compatible. To me, the hoods are more comfy too.

MrKawamura

Thanks for the input.

MrKawamura

So, for example, if I have Sora on my machine, but I don't like the shifters or rear derailleur, I can't necessarily upgrade to Tiagra or 105 without changing the other bits as well? But with XENON 10sp I can upgrade any of the bits with any other from the Campag 10sp range? I could just put on Mirage shifters for example, while keeping the rest?

I don't know that I'd want to change anything until it wears out, but this sounds like it could be a big bonus.

Super Guanche

Yes. Campagnolo is all 10 speed.

DevLaVaca

The only time this is a problem is with the rear shifter; if you go from Sora to Tiagra, you'll have to change to a 9-spd cassette; if you go to 105, you'll need a 10-spd (although you can find Ultegra-level shifters all the way down to 8). All other Shimano parts play well together, as witnessed by my frankenbike with components from all over the place (but then again, I use friction shifters because I prefer a 7spd to anything).

With either, you can upgrade the derailleurs and any other hardware without any problems.