SRAM and CAMPY users give me your feedback

[FreshNewbie]

Hi,
I am trying to learn more about SRAM and CAMRY components. Does anyone know a good educational site? I am looking to buy a bike next year and already trying to research everything I can. The reason I am insterested in SRAM and CAMPY is because I am looking at Bianchi bikes and higher steel models come with SRAM or CAMPY. So let me know what you know about them, how they feel, and how would you comparet them to Shimano?
Thanks,

FN aka Marina

[mimitabby]

I started out on Shimano and a year ago I got my bianchi with veloce components. I'll NEVER go back. I love my campy stuff.
Now if you don't like the sound it makes while you are coasting, you might not like campy. But I love it. i love the way I can shift easily, the way it fits.
On my shimano geared bike, it always seemed counter-intuitive. It's hard to go back and forth for me.
There is a Campyonly fan club, there is lots of good info there.

[KnottedYet]

I love my Campy, too. It's much easier for me to shift than the Shimano I had on my (years ago) steel Trek. I don't have to reach as far, and can break the chainring shift into two small pushes rather than one big push.

I also LOVE that I can trim the Campy almost as nicely as trimming a friction shifter.

If I ever build-up a bike and can't get Campy I would likely get friction shifters instead.

[Pedal Wench]

Now if you don't like the sound it makes while you are coasting, you might not like campy. But I love it. i love the way I can shift easily, the way it fits.

That noise is specific to your hubs. There are some Campy-compatible hubs that don't make that noise.

[teigyr]

Campy fan here. I know there are some Shimano fans out there but I really love the fact there are variables in shifting. If my front derailleur is making noise, I can tweak it so it isn't. I'm not a mechanic so I don't know a lot of the mechanical differences but I do believe Campy is meant to have parts replaced or repaired instead of having the whole unit replaced.

[alpinerabbit]

Another happy campy-er. Chorus with a Centaur compact double crankset for me.

I had Ultegra on a rental bike and perhaps this was only due to the triple crankset but when I got back home, I thought I noticed it was much smoother, easy-going.


I read that only Record and Chorus allow to downshift several gears at once with the thumb levers. I don't know what your Bianchi would come with but it is an asset.

[Ninabike]

I have Campy on both of my bikes, but have ridden Ultegra also. I much prefer Campy: easier reach; shifting with thumb and index finger; easy to trim. I know nothing about SRAM so can't help you there.

[Popoki_Nui]

Shifting issues aside, there is the matter of durability and longevity. I think Campagnolo is still the king of durability. "Campy breaks in while Shimano breaks down" is a phrase that is likely still as true today as it was "back when". (I'm still riding on 30+year old Campy gear which has required almost zero repair)
FWIW, the local talk is that a lot of SRAM gear breaks prematurely. Many local roadies and MTB'ers are waiting for the next gen SRAM in hopes they're built stronger.

~Sherry (wishing SunTour was still alive and well... )

[Kathi]

I love Campy, too! Very comfortable for my tiny hands.

One disadvantage of Campy cranksets is that there is no 165 mm crankarm. I use the Specialities TA Carmina crankset instead. It works just as well but my LBS said I could have shaved a few more ounces if I could use the Campy crankset.

I'm not a weight weenie and my bike weighs 15.4 lbs so I don't care about shaving off more weight.

And Campy is repairable. When I had my Aegis tuned last year the springs in the shifters were bad so the LBS replaced them. It cost less than $15.00 for the repair.

[FreshNewbie]

So, I see a lot of Chorus fans, however all of Bianchi's women's bikes or their steel models come with Veloce components. Are they also good or Chorus is much better?
Right now I have all 105 on my bike, if I were to buy a new bike I wouldn't consider anything below Dura from Shimano family. However, if I went with Campy on my new bike, which groupset should I be looking at ?

[mimitabby]

Centaur gives you the most bang for your bucks according to all the experts I spoke to. I was going to get Centaur until i fell into an amazing deal with some slightly used Campy Record stuff for my bike that is currently being built.
On the other hand, folks with Veloce (like me) seem to love what they have!

[IFjane]

Right now I have all 105 on my bike, if I were to buy a new bike I wouldn't consider anything below Dura from Shimano family.

I cannot speak to either Campy or SRAM because I have only ridden with Shimano on both mountain and road bikes. I have Ultegra on my new bike. I swapped the drivetrain over from my old bike. I have had zero problems with it and it is about 7 years old now. Regarding upgrading to Dura, when I asked my LBS about doing just that, he told me that he would stick with the Ultegra because I would get more bang for the buck with it. In his opinion, the upgrade is not worth the money I would spend. He feels ultegra is the workhorse of the Shimano group. I have confidence in what he says because he rides with all three (Shimano, Campy & SRAM) on various bikes of his own.

[Batbike]

SRAM: I know nothing about it because I have never used it.

Shimano: have used 105 and Ultegra. Both fine. If keeping witb Shimano I would stay with Ultegra because it is a good groupo. Shimano is very smooth.

CAMPY: I LOVE my Campy. I have a full Campy Chorus drivetrain with a carbon 53/39 crank. I like the hoods -- not the big "ditch" as in Shimano, giving me more confidence and better reach/grip. The shifting is wonderful -- can drop from lowest to highest in one quick shift (great when going down hill after a steep climb!) or go from high gear to low gear, jumping to multiple gears in with just one shift (great when climbing or need to increase cadence real quick). I don't think it is as smooth as Shimano, it is more crisp and quick. As for maintenance, if Campy breaks, you can fix it. Shimano needs to replace. Don't know about Sram. One more thing, when putting the cables on your bike, Shimano is very visible at the front of bike, needing only one groove on your handlebars for one cable to wrap under tape (all else visible). Campy is "hidden", using two grooves on handlebar, but if bar only has one groove you can make it work, wrapping cables under tape and making a cleaner appearance and keeping shifts crisper. Sram needs 2 grooves on handlebars and you have to have a 2 groove handlebar to wrap cables -- 1 groove won't work.

[indysteel]

So, I see a lot of Chorus fans, however all of Bianchi's women's bikes or their steel models come with Veloce components. Are they also good or Chorus is much better?
Right now I have all 105 on my bike, if I were to buy a new bike I wouldn't consider anything below Dura from Shimano family. However, if I went with Campy on my new bike, which groupset should I be looking at ?

According to Bianchi's website, the female line that are Campy speced use Campy Mirage, which is one of the lower-end groups. That's not to say that there's anything wrong with it but it's not on the same level as Shimana D/A. As far as comparisons go, it's a little bit like comparing apples to oranges, but Record and Chorus are on reportedly on the same footing as D/A. Veloce is somewhere between 105 and Ultegra. Centaur is comparable to Ultegra. But I say that believing that all of Campy's groups perform well.

I have a 2006 Bianchi Eros Donna that came stock with Mirage. I changed a few things out to Veloce because I didn't love the plastic on the Mirage brifters and wanted smoother shifting in the rear. I don't race so I don't really need ultra-quick shifting, and everything on the bike works suits my purposes. I have about 3,000 mile on the bike, and she's needed very little maintenance.

I'm curious as to why you wouldn't go with anything less than D/A. I know a lotta happy Ultegra users out there.......

[FreshNewbie]

Indysteel,
I want my next bike to be steel, my dream would be titanium but that's really out of my pocket right now. As for your question regarding Ultegra, I don't really have any particular reason not to go with Ultegra. I road a bike with DuraAce and it was so much smoother than my Shimano 105 (2005). If I find a well fitting steel bike with Ultegra I would definately go for it. When it comes to test riding next year I will have to try both and decide what I lilke best. So far Campy sounds attractive because of durability aspect. I have my bike for about a year now with 1400 miles on it so far, the shifting is not very smooth, especially on a hill. I don't have any complaints, so far I didn't have to fix anything but I think I will outgrow 105 pretty fast.