As a newbie who has only ever used my own old bike, what differences are there in groupos? What makes one better than another. How is one cassette better than another? etc etc Is there a difference that you can actually tell? Be gentle if this is a stupid question

Welcome to Bike Forums, Duckson!

The first and most important thing about any gruppo is function.The component must execute the operation that it was designed to perform. Next, would be reliability. The component must consistently execute that very same function that it was originally designed to carry out.The next feature of importance would be durability. We all expect for our components to last longer than for just a few weeks. The longer our components operate for us, the more durable they are considered to be and the more value we place upon them. Finally, when it comes to the road bike drivetrain, we expect our drivetrain to be lighter, be faster, to shift smoother, and to do it all quietly. The lighter, the faster, the smoother, the quieter, the more consistent, and the longer they last, the more value we attach to our gruppos.

Of course, durability is also related to the duration of time, in which our gruppos are in service too!

A professional road racer's drivetrain will be used much more than mine or yours. He might go through his gruppos five to ten times faster than the average club roadie.

Major difference, other than the cost of each group is the quality of manufacture and weight of the components. The good stuff is better built, weighs less, and costs a lot more. Some say that the better stuff lasts longer also. Within each manufacturer is one group that hits the sweet spot in relation to cost/performance. It is usually an upper mid-grade group, for example Ultegra in the Shimano line or Force in the SRAM line.

p.s. Yes, one can tell the difference between groups. Not necessarily between two adjacent groups, for example, (I'll use Shimano groups), between 105 and Ultegra or between Ultegra and Dura-Ace. But, between 105 and Dura-Ace, one can certainly tell a difference, or between Tiagra and Ultegra.

If you are looking at mid level and above all of the groupos are good. The shifters are different and personal preference will determine which one you should get. There are some debates on the quality of shifting. I have heard from some that say that SRAM shifts quicker but Shimano shifts smoother. You can't reallty go wrong with Campagnolo, SRAM or Shimano.

Two things to consider in a cassette is the gear range and weight. The down side of a lighter cassette is that it probably will not be as durable. If you are racing, weight is more important that longevity but if you are a recreational cyclist, then you want your stuff to hold up as long as possible.

I am a Campy user and I like that it can be rebuilt. The down side to Campy is that it isn't available at every bike shop and you may or may not like the thumb shifter. Also, Campy will not come on a new bike. You will need to add it to a frame. Shimano and SRAM are available on new bikes.

By "can be rebuilt" do you mean the individual cogs come apart?

I say cost. They are consumables so expect to replace them. Rebuilding seems a lot of hassle.

Pick a price range, which ever brand fits your hands and enjoy.

By "can be rebuilt" we mean that Campagnolo sells small parts for many things.

If your hub cups wear out you can buy new ones.

Historically this was also true for shift levers. After you wore out your right shift lever you bought $20 worth of parts and were back in business. This has changed (perhaps because people were continuing to run 15 year old shifters, perhaps because Campagnolo did not want people upgrading to 11 speeds using a $40 index cam) although they do sell the shift assembly (everything but brake blade, hood, and mounting hardware) for a reasonable price ($90 is typical) if you break one.

With Campy you can also buy the small parts for a cassette. For example on 12-29 cassette, if you wear out one of the clusters, you can replace it and not replace the entire cassette.

The big advantages for Campagnolo are

1. First generation ergos (1992-1997), second generation (1998-present), and Ultrashift (2009-2010 Centaur and Veloce 10 speed (you can still buy NOS Veloce shifters; be sure to get 2010) and all 11 speed; 2011 - present 11 speed Chorus and up) levers can all shift three cogs bigger and at least five cogs smaller with one lever operation.

Moving to the next gear on the small ring with a tight cassette and compact crank happens when you push both thumb buttons simultaneously, thus moving the front derailleur and going up to five cogs in back. On my compact setup that meant 50x21 -> 23x15 passing 19,18,17, and 16 cogs along the way.

With Shimano or SRAM you need to move both levers, release, press the right lever, release, press the right lever, release, press the right lever, release, and press the right lever to get there.

2. Pretty much all Campagnolo levers run triples and they sell matching triple cranks. It's been my experience that compact cranks do not work well (except for the marketing department, which likes the profits which go with SKU reduction). You might want a full-sized double if you're strong enough to spin a 39 x 21, 23, or 25/26 up anything you'll encounter (depending on whether you prefer an 11, 12, or 13 starting cog; with 11 speeds you can have an 11-23 or 12-25) and manage the rest since that nets one tooth jumps through your 19 cog past which their absence is notable. Otherwise you want a triple to avoid the compact problems. It won't look "traditional" although the compact crank with pie-plate sized cogs is also a failure in that department.

https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...=#post14610808

3. Campagnolo sells 11 speed groups. You can have a 12-25 with an 18 cog or 12-28 wide-range cassette that's not missing the 16 too.

4. Aesthetics. The components look like they were designed by Italians. You do not get abominations like cranks that look like dead octopuses.

5. Campagnolo is a religious experience which makes colors brighter and hills less steep.

It's a "group" (preferred) or a "gruppo" if you're Italian. Groupo is an abomination to both languages.

You wrote what I was thinking, except you forgot "groupset", which I might argue is as preferred as "group". Groupo is the missing Marx brother.

As to how reliable and how well the different groups function, and for the vast majority of enthusiasts I don't think the differences between most groups merit arguing about. Increasing cost really only gets you lighter components, not better performing or more reliable, and the differences in weight between the most and least expensive are less than a pound.

Great advice. This is how I decided on mine.

For me operation was important. I do not like using the brake levers to shift as is the case with lower end Shimano and other no-name brands. I have SRAM Force and Apex on my road bikes.

Try Campagnolo next

All current Shimano road groups use brake levers to shift.

Ha! Right, 'cept Di2

Decision is based on p point and preferred ergonomics (which determines the brand). Everything works adequately, yes even Sora.