Honestly, I'm pretty happy with my English bike, but then again, it's got all Campagnolo products on it.

Do you think that some of it might have to do with previous bias? Shimano and Suntour were originally lower quality and not as popular than Campy, so Campy is still generally regarded as better perhaps? I dunno. I personally know that 99% of my experience with Shimano and SRAM parts are from crappy department store bikes that wouldn't shift right, wouldn't brake right, and would crack my nuts on the top tube when the rear derailleur would suddenly shift while powering up a hill...