can someone explain the different campy's, please!

[caligurl]

i understand the differences in shimano (105, ultegra, durace)

but i know nothing about campy... can someone give me either a quick rundown of the differences (and approximate costs if you want) or some sites that explain it?

i'm actually off to do some research on the net after i post this! but it seems that a lot of you like it and i do like the clean look.. so i need to get educated on them!

[SadieKate]

That's like asking for the Encyclopedia Britannica to be summarized in a few short words! Go check out www.campyonly.com, Brankford Bike and www.campagnolo.com.

Generally, in the road gruppos, Record is the lightest and most expensive, Chorus is next and on down. Campy has them in order on their website. Depending on just how high a cool factor you want to pay for, Chorus is a gorgeous, light group that you can get with a triple crank. It will get you plenty of ogling on the road without the expenses of Record. I have it on a Litespeed Tuscany and always get comments.

[caligurl]

so... not meaning to make a major faux pas here... but trying to put it in a way i can understand

record is more "compared" to dura-ace (price/cool factor)

chorus is more like ultegra?

i definitely need a triple! i still go into my easiest gear climbing hills! (i'm such a baby!)

(campy's site just confused me more! but i'm still looking around including online stores and getting the idea... record sure is pretty in the black though!)

[SadieKate]

Yep, you got it, but true Campy geeks don't ever think of it in camparison to Sh#*mano!

However, since I ride the "other stuff" on my mtb bike I'll let it slide this time. We're so geeky, our tandem is even Campy!

[caligurl]

Originally posted by SadieKate
Yep, you got it, but true Campy geeks don't ever think of it in camparison to Sh#*mano!

i know i know! lol!

[MightyMitre]

The difference between Campag & Shimano?

'Campag wears in, Shimano wears out!'

Campag is the orginal and best! It's designed and manufactured in Italy with all the flare and passion the Italians have to offer. Shimano on the other hand is efficiently churned out in Japan by a company who also make fishing tackle reels!! ( You might be able to tell I'm in the Campy camp.)

Seriously - there are some differences in the operating of the two. Shimano gears are indexed - this means that you can only move up and down one gear at a time and get a solid click to let you know you've move up/ down a ring. Shimano gear shifters are also incorporated into the break levers, so you only have one lever and have to shift the entire thing to change gear.

Campag on the other hand is less ridged. You can move between several rings in one go - so you can drop down into a smaller ring just by shifting the lever once, rather than clicking through all the ring. You can also 'feather ' Campag. This means if you hear your gears grating a little - eg if you've just shifted between the big and small ring on the front, you can gently tweek the lever till the grating stops.

When you change gears with Campag you don't have to move the entire break leaver, there's a smaller leaver tucked beneath it. You also change down again using a smaller thumb leaver.
I prefer this. I've got Campag on my best bike & Shimano on winter hack and don't always feel confident having to moving the whole break leaver - especially going up hill when I'm out of the saddle. I sometimes worry I'll pull the breaks on when I don't mean to.

Eek - a little more involve than I intended.

I agree there is a certain snobbery regarding Campag & Shimano. Some people tut if they see a beautiful Italian frame with crude Shimano groupset. However, Shimano entry level stuff is generally cheaper than Campag and does a good job. Shimano also seems to be more popular with triathletes over here. Not sure why.

Phew - hope that sheds some light....

[caligurl]

yes... that helps! all the posts have so far!

i don't plan on getting entry (well.... at least if i was getting shimano i wouldn't get entry...i would get at least ultegra... and would look into dura-ace, but i believe i can't get a triple with that!)

i assume i would get something mid also with campy (campag)... it appears chorus is middle of the road... but the record in black sure is pretty!

i also guess i need to find a bike shop with a bike with campy on it so i can give it a go...

on thing i absolutely hate on my bike... is the shifting! i've had issues since day one (which ultimately, in my frustration of not being able to shift onto the big ring... caused me to force it enough to break it! *gasp*! you may have read my thread about that!)

it seems that campy is much easier to shift and much smoother... already a big plus in my book considering we're having wonderfully warm days and my part is at shimano right now so that i can't ride

[MightyMitre]

If you like the Record carbon but not the price then they're now doing lots of Campy in black, fake carbon look. Don't know the full details but I'm sure you could order a catalogue or something. Haven't looked, but it might also be on the website.

[Trek420]

caligurl sez " it appears chorus is middle of the road... but the record in black sure is pretty!"

this years chorus....is last years record! You can get both in the tripple. I have campy record with the granny, I know, probably going straight to h**l for that.

"i also guess i need to find a bike shop with a bike with campy on it so i can give it a go..."

The thumb shifting took a little getting used to but I like it now. On Campy is you can "feather" the gears there probably is a correct term for this but you know how when you're gears just sound "off", not quite sitting right in the gear? With Campy you can just flick the gears and dial it in. Shimano it's either there....or not. It's like analog vs. digital if that makes sense.

Campy has a break in period, I had ghost shifting, adjustments for the first 3-500 miles, I cursed it on hills would pop in and out of gears. Then suddenly .... it's like buttah ;-) Just make sure that 3-500 mile break in period is NOT during a race or important tour.

Also if you like the Flightdeck computer...stick with Shimano, Flightdeck is not compatible with Campy. And Campy version called the Ergobrain I have heard it's not as good.

[MightyMitre]

My BF has the Ergobrain. He really likes it. He also heard it was a bit unreliable but he got it all the same and it's turned out to be fine. It's opperated through little buttons built into the rubber on the hoods and the only time it gave him grief was after he's put new bar tape on and he accidently taped over one of the sensor pads!

[caligurl]

jumping gears... i've been living with that for 3,000 miles on my current bike... i HATE it! the more i read these threads on how smooth campy is.. the angrier i get at my bike and it's shifting problems!

i don't have a flightdeck.. i have a polar 720i and don't plan to replace that anytime soon (ya.. famous last words!)

[Trek420]

MightyMitre advises "My BF has the Ergobrain. He really likes it."

hmm, I'll check it out. I miss knowing what gear I'm in. Cadence I've got a feel for when I'm grining my knees to a fine powder but knowing that I've got one more gear left, or looking down and "cool, I've never taken this hill in THAT gear before" .... I miss that.

[emily_in_nc]

Originally posted by caligurl
so... not meaning to make a major faux pas here... but trying to put it in a way i can understand

record is more "compared" to dura-ace (price/cool factor)

chorus is more like ultegra?

Sorta kinda - but last time I checked pricing, Record was higher $$ than Dura-Ace, Chorus was around the same as DA, and Campy Centaur was more equivalent to Ultegra in pricing. I have heard that Centaur is very good. It's a bit heavier than Chorus, but not by much.

Emily

[bikerchic]

I love my chorus groupo!

I remember when I was having my bike built making the decision between Shimano or Campy. I did my homework and to be honest the quality of either seemed to me to be the same only Campy was a bit higher priced.

I asked a trusted cycling friend what he thought about the difference between the two and his reply was:

"Campy is just breaking in when Shimano is wearing out."

That pretty much settled the debate for me as well as some advise from the guy who built my bike and owned the bike shop. He said that when a part say a little spring or something breaks on Shimano you have to replace the whole part, whereas with Campy you can buy and replace just the spring. So in the long run with one break down you can re-coup your cost by buying Campy.

Oh and for us girls the extra plus is in the size.......the shifters and levers are smaller and a better fit for our hands compared to the size of Shimano shifters and levers.

Now I've used both Shimano Ultegra and my own Campy Chorus and no noticeable difference in performance of either for me it all boiled down to what one would be less repair and less expensive upkeep. Campy won hands down.

Whatever you decide I'm sure you'll be happy with it, just enjoy the ride!

Kate

[Dogmama]

I said this on another thread - but it bears repeating-

I've had Campy Chorus on my road bike for 10 years, 50,000 miles. It's still original. BTW, I never had a 1-300 miles break in period. It was perfect from the first pedal stroke.

Keep the groupo clean and lubed. You'll ride forever - or sometimes it might just seem that way