BoSoxYacht

It's time for a new group set, and I can't decide which one is really the better one.

I'd like your thoughts on why one is better than the other.

This is NOT a Campagnolo vs Shimano thread. I like both companies, but I can't decide which to buy.

SRAM is not an option, so don't waste the bandwidth telling me to "use the Force".

Homebrew01

Pick whichever levers fit your hand better.

Barrettscv 

6800 has a better selection of cassettes, including an 11-28 and an 11-32.
11-23: 11-12-13-14-15-16-17-18-19-21-23
11-25: 11-12-13-14-15-16-17-19-21-23-25
11-28: 11-12-13-14-15-17-19-21-23-25-28
11-32: 11-12-13-14-16-18-20-22-25-28-32
12-25: 12-13-14-15-16-17-18-19-21-23-25

Athena has 11-23, 11-25, 12-25, 12-27

Homebrew01

I have read posts from reliable BF members that Campy 11 and Shimano 11 cassette spacing is so similar that you can mix them up a bit. So you could run a Campy drivetrain with Shimano wheels & cassette. I have not tried it personally.

BoSoxYacht

Right now I use a 12-23 10spd cassette with 50-39 chainrings.

I'm probably going with 11-23 or 12-25, and a 50-34 chainrings(maybe 50-36).

It's pretty flat in AZ, and a 50 big ring with tight ratios works great for me. I almost never use the 39t ring, so a 36t little ring would be less than I'd ever use(34t is almost insane for me).

thirdgenbird

Im not a fan if sti levers so it would be Athena for me. I also think it is a little nicer looking. All that said, 6800 has a great price point and looks better than I originally thought.

rpenmanparker 

Why wouldn't you put 6800 up against Chorus? It's (6800) awfully good.

BoSoxYacht

Thanks. I've heard the same, but my Campy using friends have never tried it, because my Shimano friends are all still 10spd.

MajorMantra

Athena = Power Torque. There are several downsides to it.

Also, 6800 has exceptionally nice front shifting.

So go 6800.

BoSoxYacht

I have heard the same thing, and it is my first concern.

Thanks for that link.

If anyone here has anything to add on this, I'd love to hear it.

BoSoxYacht

Chorus costs a great deal more.

I'd love to go Chorus, but it's out of my budget.

link0

I agree that the 6800 is comparable to Chorus, not Athena. I would pick 6800 over Athena any day.

rpenmanparker 

See, that's my point. When you make the right comparison, the decision is obvious. Why accept a less good choice, just because it is closer in pricing. Group set product lines should not be aligned by price, but by performance and features. Let the prices fall where they will, but then use them to decide what to do.

BoSoxYacht

There's only so much $$$ in the budget, so Chorus is out.

If Chorus was a hands down better groupset for me, I'd make it happen(but then 9000 comes into play). Is Chorus better than 9000?

rpenmanparker 

We're saying the same thing. Don't consider Athena, because it is inferior although similar in price. Don't consider Chorus, because you can't afford it (your information, I don't know this personally). Ergo: 6800. Done and done!

As far as 9000, I wouldn't put Chorus above it. I can't believe the two company's top of the line offerings aren't very similar. Chorus isn't the top of the line.

Carbon Unit

Athena an also accept 12-29 although it isn't mentioned on the Campy website.

link0

6800 is hands down better than Athena and 9000 is far better than Chorus. Unless you are basing it off looks or ergonomics.

If you don't have an extreme preference for Campy, 6800 is the obvious choice.

halfspeed

I've only got a couple of thousand miles of winter riding (snow, ice, gravel and salt) on a PowerTorque crank, so maybe I don't know what I'm talking about, but mine works fine. If a gear puller seems exotic to someone, maybe that someone should put down the wrench and let a competent mechanic handle the work.

halfspeed

Which Campagnolo groups have you ridden for more than 100 miles?

rpenmanparker 

That's a loaded question designed to put me on the defensive; sort of like a cross-examination. As if all posters here have to qualify to participate. Not so much I think. Much better in my opinion would be this: if you don't agree with me (that's totally fair), tell me what your belief is so we can compare and discuss. Do you think Chorus IS better than 9000 and higher Campy gruppos even better yet? Do you think Athena is as good as or better than 6800? Please note, I am not asking which ones you like better, but which ones you think are higher performing. Or is it the pricing references OP has made that you think are inaccurate, because I am just following his lead there. I have no position on pricing now that goods from the UK can be obtained so inexpensively. What do you think?

Campag4life

OP,
Will just share my opinion all with the others and I ride Campy Centaur with Chorus UT crank.
I don't like the Power Torque crank either but the article that is linked doesn't really address why.
I will tell you I personally hate the aesthetic of the Ultegra crank so I wouldn't own that either although the design of the Ultegra crank is infinitely better than PT but not Campy UT which is great if you have a threaded BB.
So what to do. There has never been a better time to mix and match.
Choice of crank should be based upon type of BB so get any one of many great cranks out there....Sram Red, Rotor, Canondale etc.
Groupset then really comes down to ergonomics which is hugely important to me...and how you like the shifting system....thumb button + lever versus two levers. As to wheelset, they are pretty interchangeable. Probably makes most sense to get a new Shimano wheelset with cassette even if you build with Campy 11s because of the variety of Shimano cassettes available and they tend to be less expensive than Campy 11s cassettes.
You surely have a choice of what kind of shifter you prefer. Some love the button and some hate it. Me, having ridden both DA and Campy, I prefer the separate button on the side, but others will prefer the dual lever shifting of Shimano. A great time to be a cyclist with all the great bike components available.

PS: if you live in flat country, you will hate the 50/34 because of the huge hole in shifting in front. Much better to ride either 50/36 or what I ride which is 50/38 and if you need the climbing inches, go to a bit wider cassette in back.

Campag4life

Sorry, you can't say that dude even though you just did. I concede the Ultegra crank is a better overall design than the Athena PT crank but after that is all about preference. There is no so called better.

Campag4life

Can't go by that Robert. Campy Centaur 10s was and is vastly superior to DA 7900 and I owned both. DA 9000 is a watershed groupset for Shimano and changes things quite a bit however. FWIW there is no functional difference between Record and Chorus....maybe a handful of grams and a small cosmetic difference. Smart money goes for Chorus.

BoSoxYacht

I've used NR/SR for more miles than most on the 41 have ever pedaled, and 9spd Chorus for at least 30k miles.

In 2006 I started using a mix of 7800&6600.

For the last 100k miles I've been using Shimano, but I just don't want to overlook Campagnolo.

BoSoxYacht

The SO uses Ultegra Di2 on her TT/Tri bike, but I just can't spend that cash on me.