headloss 

nah...

Brake levers that move too many directions, blah. I do like Shimano's MTB shifters though.

hueyhoolihan

OK, i'll bite, "Why is a Porschei more expensive than a Ford Fusion . . . ???".

GuyDebord

So You are claiming that Shimano's best mechanical is equal to Campagnolo's second best? Really?

D1andonlyDman

Why does a dog lick it's balls?


....Because it can.

gregf83 

No. That's only Campy's third best.

coasting 

I keep seeing this every time price comparisons are made on BF. The response will be the usual too...shimano top level is equivalent to Campy second level in quality so it is a valid comparison.

hahahaha. Usual sleight of hand nonsense.

Just say it is more expensive because it is better. That's at least an honest position.

Drew Eckhardt 

Third. Not necessarily equal (one cog smaller per lever actuation? That's like Campagnolo's fourth group and below. For over a decade not even Campagnolo's worst groups were so horrid), but comparable on price and weight. Shimano made great strides from 2009 when their finest (Dura Ace 7900) at best compared to Campagnolo's fifth group (Centaur). Everything higher from Campagnolo had 11 cogs versus Shimano's 10 which was so Y2K (when Campagnolo made the move to 10 speed). Dura Ace didn't compare well - Dura Ace levers went just one cog smaller per lever actuation versus five for Centaur, Dura Ace brake blades were bone-chilling aluminum not warm to the touch carbon, Dura Ace levers weighed a ponderous 379g versus 337g for Centaur - but that wasn't a bad comparison based on features. Come to think of it, Dura Ace was most like Veloce in sixth place without any carbon in key places.

Less facetiously relevant comparisons are around the same price point and same features/weight which cyclists care about.

Chevrolet's hottest sports car is the Corvette Z06. Porsche's is the 918 Spyder. Given a $100K budget that doesn't matter because although you can afford the $78K Corvette the $845K Porsche is way out of reach. You might consider an $84K base model 911 or a $75K Cayman GTS.

Historically Chorus and Dura Ace have been roughly comparable in price and weight with Record adding exotic materials like titanium and carbon fiber places Shimano didn't at any price.

Super Record is a fine marketing move - some people will spend more for pride of ownership with negligible incremental improvements like titanium rear shifter ratchets saving 7g over Record - but not relevant when you're just shopping on price and features.

OTOH if you just want to own the best a brand offers for not a lot of money, buy Shimano. With their OEM discounts you can almost get the rest of a cheap bike included for the price of the group alone.

coasting 

And there it is.

gsa103

Fair point, except you forgot to mention that the Z06 will leave those Porsches laughably in the dust. If there's a new ZR1 it will likely rival the 918 on most performance numbers. So basically you're paying 3x the price to get better ergonomics.

kbarch

First of all, it's only more expensive, not so expensive; we're not talking Ferrari vs Toyota

I'd be inclined to say it's because Shimano have more bean counters at the top and are more interested in selling commodities and dominating the market than making things intelligently or nice. SRAM just want to be competitive.

Up North

The only thing Italians make fast is Love. If they are paid by the hour you'll see why it is more expensive.

hamster

To be honest, Z06 is pretty unbalanced as is,, and ZR1 only makes matters worse. I actually did a calculation once proving that, under most realistic conditions ( street tires, no wheel spin), in a ZR1, adding 200 lbs of sand bags in the trunk reduces quarter mile time by 0.2 s. ( because extra weight is more than cancelled by higher traction.) It is impossible for a zr1 to come close to 918, because 918 is all wheel drive. Zr1 would have trouble keeping up with Tesla P85D and Acura NSX (both 100k range cars).

Maybelater

Ferrari can sell their cars for a lot less but they don't have to. I forget the model but a local guy was on a wait list for three years for a shiny new Ferrari. About two months before anticipated delivery date he was contacted by someone with deep pockets and sold his spot on the waiting list for 25 K....

Curtis Odom

The bigger question should be: Why are Asian/Chinese made groups almost as expensive as Campy?

coasting 

I really don't think Japanese engineering can be considered inferior to Italian engineering.

zvez

and all made in Italy Campagnolo components are loving packed by beautiful Italian virgins.......

Hiro11

Record and SR Campy is fetish product that survives because a middle aged guys dream bike isn't a middle aged guy's dream bike unless it has SR on it. I think Dura Ace and Red arguably have the same appeal: there's no real world benefit to these groups over second rung groups that cost half as much, people buy them because they want a bike with DA/Red/SR on it. Campy charges a super premium because people will pay top dollar for superleggera Italiano meccanica (or whatever). Also, the SR RD is undeniably a thing of beauty, if you're into that.

Chorus and below Campy is actually reasonably priced, just as good as the top end groups functionally and well made. This is especially true at European prices where Chorus is a completely reasonable choice for an everyday bike.

himespau 

Because people will pay them. If they sold them cheaper they'd have to make more of them, which means working harder. Why do that if you can work less hard and make the same profits?

Campag4life

A perfect response. Unbelievable how many ridiculous threads are started on this forum.
I ride Campy because it is less expensive not more...not to mention it is better in many regards most can't perceive based upon previous discussions here.
I am waiting for a Shimano going out of business thread...or why can't bikes fly under their own power.

Doug28450

BRB...

I've got some threads to start.

popeye

Is that your BB30 I hear squeaking?

coasting 

How is Campagnolo LESS expensive?

bt

there's more to driving a car than quarter mile times....

bt

the hardest part about owning campy is not the price; it's how to work it into every conversation.....

StanSeven

Yeah, sure