Originally Posted by
jan nikolajsen
There's practically nowhere for a prospective buyer to test ride a Campy outfitted bike. It you're lucky your LBS might have a Dogma with SR 11 sitting on a pedestal for show, but they're not gonna let you spin it around the parking lot.
But if you want to take a chance with that 11 speed carbon wonder, albeit sight unseen, it can be between your legs two days after handing over the credit card to any LBS. The QBP distribution house, available to practically every bike store in this country, have all Campy groups and wheels in their catalog, as does BTI and I'm sure others.
Unless you happen to ride occasionally with the owner.
He's been trying to sell me a carbon bike for ten years, and was astonished when I purchased a friend's Colnago Extreme Power recently.
In general though, most shops in town here don't stock Campy equipped models.
I can count on one hand the shops that do.
The racing shop in my neighborhood has a Wilier with Campy Super Record 11, a Basso with Super Record 11, and a Colnago C59 Italia, also with Super Record 11.
All in the front windows.
Other than worrying a little about smash and grab, I admire his strong statement about state of the art performance machines.
...and his belief in Campagnolo as a viable, and sought after mark for racing machines.
You go into the shop and you soon discover "performance" bicycles are his niche, and Campy is everywhere to be seen.
These niche shops will sell you whatever you can dream up, as long as you bring your credit card.
The only area that Campy misses the mark for me is in off-road components, but they seen to be making strides.
http://www.campagnolo.com/jsp/en/groupset/catid_16.jsp