Hi All

I'm in the process of trying to determine what to get as far as a group set. I have decided to go with a Waterford RST-14 frame but trying to learn more on what group set to get. What is the Campagnolo group set equivalent to the Shimano Ultegra. I would like to go with a triple instead of a double. I would like to hear your comments, help or ideas. Any feedback would be appreciated


Thanks
Art

Aaaaagh!!!!!!!

Centaur or Chorus would be the equal to Ultegra, except that both Campy groups are 10sp. Find bikes with both and ride them along with Ultegra and see which you like best. Make sure that you ride triples o all the groups, since the shift quality with a triple is different due to the long cage derailleur and wider span on the front derailleur. I am a BIG Campy fan, but YMMV.

Oh-oh... here we go again...

Many people consider Centaur to be the equivalent of Ultegra. Chorus is Dura-Ace equivalent and Record stands on its own.

make it stop! make it stop!!

Here we go again

Just so you know if you go with campy you may not need a triple. Campy offers a 29 tooth rear cassette while the largest shimano is a 27 tooth.

Oh yeah, as for the campy or shimano thing.....it is a personal thing. Having said that I love the record components on my bike, however I also have no problems with the Ultegra that I have had on previous bikes. As far as that goes I am even happy with the Tiagra on my cyclocross bike and the XT on my mountain bike. In my opinion having the components adjusted properly is much more important than which components you go with.

This is true although you'll have to give up the 12 if you do that. To be honest, I think going with a triple is one of the better reasons to pick Campy as Campy front shifting on a triple is much less error-prone than Shimano and can be trimmed better.

The Great Debate, part 1,248!

And don't forget compact cranks.Campy has one now.

Neither, Sun Tour is the way to go Just kidding. Ride both, go with your gut and wallet.

oooooh i was thinking FSA...... am going to need a compact crank for my gearing to be good for my half/full Ironmans..... I think this justifies the upgrade to Campy what model/level are they?

I'd personally go with FSA, Ritchey, Specialties TA or IRD over Campy for compact cranks.

Thanks to those that responded with the help and answers. I really appreciate your feedback and thank you for your time. I haven’t been up to date on this hobby as far as the new equipment that’s available. I have been away from this hobby for about just under 30 years and now trying to get back into it. I have left it and have been into the car scene since I started driving since then. As I mentioned I’m in the process of ordering a new bike and plan to enjoy some of the road on two wheels instead of four.

I recently joined this forum to try to meet new people and to learn more about the equipment in this hobby. I understand some of you aren’t interested in answering some questions I have. Well that’s not a problem. This isn’t the first forum I have been in. I’m also an owner of a Corvette ZR-1, which I’m a member of, the Corvette Forum. As a forum member through out the years in the Corvette Forum, we had a lot of help on the parts, and tech issues, also lot of fun doing car show and built a lot friendship through out the country. Seems to me that’s a little different here. Asking a simple question here I’m already getting sarcastic replies from a few. Sorry if I offended you by posting this thread. But if you don’t want to answer the thread then don’t. I’m not asking you to answer it if you don’t want to. Also I’m not looking for any sarcastic answers just the facts, the pros and cons answers. If you want share some of your knowledge by answering them to help me then that’s great. But the ones that do want to answer my questions and want to help me I do thank you very much and do appreciate you time.

sarcastic replies are because this is one of the most debated (tiresomely so) subjects, along with double vs triple and shaken vs stired.

Do a search and find tons of threads on the topics.

As I said, if you don't want to answer it then don't reply, simple as that!

I'd suggest trying both and deciding.

I have both Shimano and Campy, but like the Campy more...

I was explaining to you why you got non-responsive replies. You seemed lost. But hey, if you wanna be a difficult, that's cool too.

I have 2 bikes, once with Campy and one with Shimano, and all I can say that they are different.. What ever you will get, you will get use to and love. No big differences between the two, each has its advantages and disadvantages, and I like them both for different reasons.


DON'T MAKE YOUR BIKE DECISION BASED ON CAMPY VS. SHIMANO!! get a bike that you like riding on, and never mind who made the groupo!!!...

Life is not vanilla and there are many issues to consider between the two. I use and prefer Campy primarily because I think that the ergo levers are more comfortable and intuitive than the shimano dual controls. The flat hood top fit my larger hands much more so the the scooped shape of the Shimano. I also prefer the button - tab style lever for shifting to a harder gear. It provides a nice thumb / fore fingers action. Buy the best group that you can afford. The old addage, "buy the best and cry once" probably best applies to bike stuff.

The triple crank will provide you with a bail out range of gears, but unless you are chugging up very steep grade or carry weigh (on you or the bike) or are not yet as fit as you would like to be, the triple could be a good choice but discussion about the compact crank with 110 mm crank spider is "spot on". I have been using a Ritchey Logic for 6 years now and it was a good investment. It's actually made by Sugino, a qualtity Jap manufacture. Back in the 70's, I rode one of their cranks and they are well made and affordable. I think that I recently saw the newer Ritchey Logic crank with the Isis style bottom bracket in Bike Nashbar for a very nice price.

Having just moved to Utah, there are some real hills out here and I removed the 42 smaller chain ring and replaced it with a 38, but I think that this thing can accomodate down to about a 34. For 10% grade and greater rides, I go with the 38 / 26 or 38 / 28 which gives me a fast spin for the steepest grades. Keep in mind that large jumps, say from the 34 to the big ring which will probably be a 53 don't really pose mechnical problems as much as you will find yourself trying to find that sweet spot which always seems to be in between. ANYWAY, a compact crank with a 38 or 37 small chain ring and a rear cassette with a 26, 27, or 28 large gear will give you plenty of hill climbing ratios. And, if you end up spending time in flatter territory, it's very easy to swap that cassette and change that small chain ring vs. pull the crank to put a double back on, take out some chain length or change the long cage rear derailure, fuss with the front derailure, and so on.

bla bla bla

I am sure with your "corvette" forum, if someone posts an old and tired thread, there'll be people telling him/her to "do a search".

BTW, has your "corvette" forum figured out how to beat a Viper stock?

NO NO NO No more Campy vs. Shimano! Even the insane don't want to debate this anymore.

Speedemon-as a member of another forum you should know how these thing work, just give it some time and the humor will grow on you (or not).

It is exactly because of all my years on www.nasioc.com that I did a little search on this very topic before posting a similar question (like you, I am in the process of ordering a high end steel frame too). I also knew from my years on car boards how to take my lumps for not doing a search. So as a longtime car board guy yourself, surely you can understand their reaction. Especially if you search it!
So take yer lumps, shake it off, and welcome to the club. I haven't autocrossed once this season because of my rediscovery of the joys of cycling.

So anyways, here's my input as a person new to bike boards and therefore not totally jaded on this massive debate:

Through the search function, and a poll I posted over on cyclingforums, I am leaning toward Campy. I intend to get a double, and the 10sp cassette on Centaur is a selling point, as is the repairability of the parts. Also, since it isn't indexed, shifting can be fudged a bit if your cables get stretched out between tune-ups. Emotionally, I feel the tug of Campagnolo since I am ordering a steel bike (Axiom) in a retro color (mint). Lastly, I like the look of the stuff. The Shimano is cheaper and works quite well. But I have a baby on the way, and probably won't get to spend big money like this on myself for another couple of decades. So knowing I can't upgrade my bike until I'm 54, I'm going to spring the cash on what I really want. Nothing against the Shimano stuff, this decision is equal parts technical and emotional.

I and many others have had good experiences with FSA cranks. I know people who have had good experiences with IRD and Specialties TA cranks. A friend of mine just got in some Stronglight Pulsions (yes, I know that they're not compact). All in all the track records for those cranks and the manufacturer that make them are pretty good, they play nice with Campy components, they're probably more durable than Campy and they're much cheaper than Campy.