I'm loving my campy too. The thumb lever is really easy to get to - I've not ridden with Shimano, but it SEEMS to me that pushing the Campy thumb lever is a lot easier than pulling in the inset lever on the Shimano. I also like the slimness of the hoods - they feel like the hoods on my old bike that had the shifters on the downlube. I don't really have small hands though...