Originally Posted by
bragi
I like Sram chains; the whole Power Link thing makes changing them pretty trivial. Everything else, I like Shimano; you can't argue with 40+ years of experience and pretty good engineering. They clearly dominate the market, and I personally think it's because they make decent stuff for a (usually) decent price.
I've read that Campognolo components are very good, but I can't afford them, and don't actually know anyone who uses them, but maybe you should check them out as well.
Campagnolo components are fantastic and they have less expensive lines - stuff at similar price ranges to 105 and Rival. They don't really go under that level and not many bikes come equipped with campy groups. In terms of pricing, I think centaur and Veloce are FAR better values than what you get from Shimano or SRAM. Shimano's STI front trim is primitive compared to Campy, Shimano is less durable and they don't support their past products. Campagnolo is rebuild-able.
Some of this is preference, but I thought SRAM's double tap stuff was annoying and shifted poorly in comparison. I've also heard of durability concerns. There is no better value in cycling than a Veloce gruppo.