Personally speaking, if I wanted total bomb-proof reliability that's sealed against the elements, I'd go and stick a RaceFace Signature-series or FSA Platinum-series BB in there. Use the 108mm for double and 118mm for triple.

Yes it is.

Have you spent any time test riding both Campy and Shimano? The ergo levers v dual controls will feel very different in your hands. The hood profile is very differnt between the two. Campy is flat and Shimano is scooped. Campy tends to have a harder feel to how it shifts - not to say that it is hard to shift, but the spring tension feels stiffer - which I like. Some others perfer the very easy action of Shimano. Let that be the thing that motivates you to buy Campy or Shimano. There are a couple of other issues with regards to the Shimano dual control levers that I don't like, such as the shifter cable housings that come out of the side of the mechanism. They are there to get snagged in a tumble or on door handles, etc. The ferrel (sp?) can snap off and then you have to fix the stupid thing. The ergo levers tend to have a cleaner profile and the housings go underneath the bar tape, out of harm's way. However, the Dura Ace and it's cheaper brother Ultegra are flawless and pro racers love Dura Ace.

The price of a group between each manufacture may be similar but you will find that each component is not, such as derailures, cranks, brake shifters, etc. This can make for part by part upgrades based on your spare cash when replacement is necessary either expensive or "not too bad."

These days, the 10 speed groups have very expensive cassettes, in my opinion. These are wear-out parts and replacement can cost upwards of $100 or more depending on how much Ti is in it. If you can get a 9 speed group, do that. They work fine and there is good trickle down to the non flag ship (Record Dura Ace) groups making parts replacement affordable. The old 7 and 8 speed cassettes were very affordable at mid $20s.

Unfortunately these days, it's like politics - a two party choice. Suntour is long gone, as is Sachs, and Mavic although very good is best thought of for their wheel sets.

I'd say go with ten speed for Campy and nine speed for Shimano. Ten speed goes much further down the Campy line. Veloce is the highest groupset with nine speed available and it comes in ten speed too. I suppose there's always the chance of NOS Centaur/Daytona in nine speed, though...