New to Campy. Ultegra vs. Centaur
 

Hi guys. A sweet deal on a centaur equipped bike has popped up, but as a long time Shimano Ultegra user I want to know how Centaur compares. Aside from the basic mechanical differences in shifting systems what should I expect?

Years and years of enjoyment. The '07 centaur looks like an amazing groupo, carbon levers and plate on the derailers, the ultra torque crankset and the skeleton brakes. Both are good groups and can't go wrong with either. Just go with what feels better for you.

Both are amazing groups, coveted by road cyclists of all types. Can't go wrong with either one.

Expect one not to be like the other.No Shimano will be like Campy and vise versa

Is it 06 or 07 Centaur? I have bikes with 06 Centaur and 6600 Ultegra, and can compare if it's relevant to your question. I have no experience with 07 Centaur. I'd prefer not to take the time to answer if it's not helpful.

You might find that you'll never buy another Shimano bike again. That's what happened to me.

Gotta agree with Terry on this one. I had full DA on my LOOK and built up another bike with the new Centaur and like it so much I have started selling off the DA stuf and have a chorus Centaur mix soon to be all chorus. I am about to list the shifters and derailers on Ebay this moring.

OK. The Ultegra that I am riding right now is 06', the possible Centaur is 05'. I'd appreciate any info. One mechanical question, is it possible to downshift on campy (you use the thumb lever on the right shifter right?) while in the drops? I know, I know, I should just test it out, but this question just popped up...

Well I can shift the Ergo lever from the drops but my hands may be different than yours....the position of the thumb shifter is much different than the Sora thumb shifter position.

There is no difference between 05 and 06 Centaur...for 07 they changed a lot and IMO not in a good way. Sure they added CF to the Ergo levers and the RD but the escape mechanism is just a step back from where the components were. The good news is that you don't have to worry about that though since you are looking at the older model...which works just like Record and Chorus. The thumb shifter will allow you to go from the biggest cog to the smallest with one big push...while you will never go that far, ,going 2-4 at a time can be useful when changing rings or working on your bike.

I run Record on my Roubaix and am building an older Eddy Merckx up with 2005 Centaur...I don't expect to be able to feel any difference in the performance of the group...only the finish level is different...and a bit more weight because of the use of different materials.

You should be able to downshift in the drops no problem. I actually like it better than Shimano for shifting in the drops as with Campy you aren't putting any lateral force on the handlebar, a benefit when sprinting in the drops.

I shift all the time in the drops with Campy brifters. Unless your hands are really small or you set it up really weird, you should have no problem.

In all but one aspect, I prefer Campy, and that's for me, sprinting in the drops, shifting is less error-prone with Ultegra. Everything else, I prefer Campy, including

Durability
Ergonomics of the brifters
Ability to open the brakes from the brifter while riding
Multiple up and downshifts
Ability to rebuild brifters

Crispness of the shifts is equivalent - at least to start

There is a good reason why the world's most successful sprinters all use Campy.

The Centaur FD is trimmable. Or is it micro-indexed? Whatever you call it, it allows you to put the cage precisely where you want it, eliminating chain rub. If you don't think this is a nice feature, you've never tried setting up an Ultegra FD.

I've an '01 Ultegra 9 sp w/ triple and an '06 Centaur 10 sp w/ compact crank. They are different and my preference for the Campy is prejudice: it feels better to me. 9 vs. 10 sp is no big deal but triple vs. compact crank can matter to you.

I love my 05 Centaur gearing setup, but can't multiple shift upward...only downward.

Once you start using Campy you won't go back to Shimano. Part of the reason it that you can FEEL the shifting on the Campy stuff a lot better than with Shimano. The other is that the shifting using your fingers in one direction and your thumbs in the other feels a bit more natural.

My EXPERIENCE is that Campy wears all hell and gone longer than Shimano as well.

I am a Campy fan too, and I ride a full Chorus setup. However, the one piece of Shimano I'm beginning to appreciate is the freehub. It is much quieter than the Campy, almost silent. I only tried putting my Shimano wheel on my bike last weekend and didn't remember it being so quiet, but with my Vento wheels there is no comparison. And in comparison to the very positive feel of the Campy shifting, the shifts are smoother on the Shimano wheel and you almost don't feel it. I'm still playing around with this, as I just replaced my 9speed Shimano cassette with a 10 speed tonight, I haven't even tried it yet. I want to see if the spacing will work better. I'm doing this without resorting to a shiftmate or conversion cassette, so there is no guarantee it will all work. And just to reiterate, I'm doing this with an otherwise all campy setup.

I'll basically agree with everything else said here. I've already rebuilt a brifter after a crash, the multiple shifts make it possible to easily go from small to big chainring with one smooth motion in each hand. The trim works. And I can downshift (or is it upshift? from the drops even though I have small hands.

Granted, Zabel might be past his prime, but doesn't he ride DA?

Because their teams are Campy equiped?

Yes, you can (with photographic proof to back up my BOLD claim)



http://img177.imageshack.us/img177/6...79smallrl8.jpg

GO CAMPY!!!

Funny-- Isn't SRAM advertising the all-new technology that allows you to pull the shift lever to the drops for easier shifting? Hmm....

The shift on the SRAM is a small click to downshift so it is far easier while riding in the drops than the larger shift (throw) of the lever on Campy. The SRAM allows you to hold the lever while in the drops and just flick your wrist to shift. SRAM wins hands down while shifting in the drops.

True.

Centaur is priced more like 105.If they are the old square taper cranks,I doubt they're would be as good as the hollowtech II for stiffness,and shifting from small to large ring.

+1

he couldn't sprint worth a damn

http://grahamwatson.com/dublin/misc/images/image33.jpg

that guy from tashkent, not for his life...

http://www.geocities.com/Colosseum/Rink/3498/paris.jpg

him either

http://grahamwatson.com/gw/imagedocs...o/$file/33.jpg

what idiot gave this guy a pro contract

http://grahamwatson.com/gw/imagedocs...s/$file/20.jpg

this guy isn't a top sprinter

http://www.mcewenrobbie.com/foto/2002/foto18.jpg

who's this guy?

http://grahamwatson.com/gw/imagedocs...0/$file/10.jpg

and this one?

http://grahamwatson.com/gw/imagedocs...5/$file/14.jpg

ale who?

http://grahamwatson.com/gw/imagedocs...4/$file/13.jpg

not these guys...

http://grahamwatson.com/gw/imagedocs...o/$file/31.jpg

you're right, with their inferior track record, no sprinter in their right mind would ever use shimano if they had a choice.