Originally Posted by learnmedia

Mr. Dopolina,
Is there not a touch of hyperbole in your assessment of Shimano's current market position and where, even, Di2 sits in the market? Lemme ask you this: do you view Campy 11 as an innovation? Might it be said that the improvement in their 11speed over 10 actually speaks to the substantial room for improvement there was in their 10 speed offering? Also, looking at the past 20 years where have most of the innovations in component group/drivetrain technology come from? Seems to me that Shimano has been at the top in terms of innovations due to superior engineering (ironic given that they can also be accused of being quite conservative in their approach similar to the Japanese auto makers). Last to the party with shifter cables routed under bar tape? Simple. Form follows function. Thus, a firm philosophy governing engineering (functional, durable) necessarily implies slowness to adopt new materials (carbon). Are Campy's carbon cranks better than Shimano's alloy ones? They certainly look beautiful and adhere to a decidedly Italian aesthetic in terms of design sensibility. Who would say they outperform them though?

I dunno. The talk of Shimano getting their butts kicked by SRAM while Di2 represents a limited response to Campy 11 appears overstated.