campagnolo vs shimano

arz said:

im currently looking at a new bike, something with either shimano ultegra or dura aces. However ive been quite seriously looking at some other brands (orbea, cervelo, bianchi etc) and some of this have campagnolo gear sets. What ones should i be looking at that will have the same quality as the shimanos ultegras or dura aces. Also what does everyone think is better campagnolo or shimano?

Geeezzzzzzzzzee! Don't start this again.If you have to ask,just flip a coin.

meaning? ive only been in the sport 3 years and this is my first bike ive bought on my own...my dad shopped for last one.

Arz, do a search and you'll find several threads on this topic as it's already been beaten to death. However, it's doubtful that you'll find anything useful as the overwhelming majority of posts are highly opinionated and offer little in the way of factual representation. They mostly turn into flame wars. There are Campy people and there are Shimano people. That's about the short of it.

ok thanks for ur help. i know its a very controversial topic but was just trying to compare bikes. im bit of a newbie to this whole bike buying thing.

Try both out and see what you're most comfortable with. The two shifter types (Campag Ergo and Shimano STI) feel different, and have paddles in different locations.

arz said:

ok thanks for ur help. i know its a very controversial topic but was just trying to compare bikes. im bit of a newbie to this whole bike buying thing.

Yeah, it's kind of like "which is the better video card - nVidia or ATI?" It can get pretty ridiculous as it will sound like some of the poster's entire lives revolve around playing Quake or some such thing.

Personally I'm a Shimano guy because I can obtain higher frames per second while playing Final Fantasy X. 🙄

thanks 4 ur help. its pretty crazy the world of bikes. so many brands on the market at the moment. i dont even know where to start.

Well I've just come from Shimano, and am now on Chorus - and to tell you the truth - I'm having trouble adjusting to Campy. You do need to seek out a couple rides with either and test it out for yourself. Although they both do the same job, its rather a matter of how it gets the job done. And then there's style to consider: Its artsy characterful italian style or efficient and effortless japanese style.
For a start Campy is dearer than Shimano (although centaur is excellent value compared to Chorus). Then you could argue that Campy is more precise because of the ratchet approach (expecially on the front derailer), and then look at the finger position for gear changes to happen (campy is distributed into 2 locations - on brake hood and on brake lever). Shimano on the other hand takes a more economical and efficient approach by integrating the up and down shifter into the brake levers, and does not offer extra clicks to adjust the fron t derailer (handy if you cross your chain alot, as it reduces friction angle).
SO anyway, that is the closest I will ever get to offering a superficial view of the two players. Go try for yourself.

And if you're looking for a new bike - check out www.bikesoul.com they offer really good value road bikes. (ok so thats my plug).and they sell campy - heck you can try mine out.

arz said:

thanks 4 ur help. its pretty crazy the world of bikes. so many brands on the market at the moment. i dont even know where to start.

Doctor Morbius said:

Arz, do a search and you'll find several threads on this topic as it's already been beaten to death. However, it's doubtful that you'll find anything useful as the overwhelming majority of posts are highly opinionated and offer little in the way of factual representation. They mostly turn into flame wars. There are Campy people and there are Shimano people. That's about the short of it.

Old school sunTour all the way !!!!

In all seriousness get the group set that has the fetchers that you like best. Like for example Campy shifts differently to Shimano. You have to decide what shifting you like better.

Pete

The decision is made a bit easier in Australia, where Shimano is outrageously expensive and Campagnolo is unbelievably outrageously expensive. This is certainly true for individual components and groupsets, but may be less so with regard to the whole new bike. I would never buy Campagnolo simply because it is no better than, but more expensive than, Shimano in this country.

artemidorus said:

The decision is made a bit easier in Australia, where Shimano is outrageously expensive and Campagnolo is unbelievably outrageously expensive. This is certainly true for individual components and groupsets, but may be less so with regard to the whole new bike. I would never buy Campagnolo simply because it is no better than, but more expensive than, Shimano in this country.

AU prices less hubs.

Record $2369
Chorus $1630
Centaur $995

Dura-ace $1985
Ultegra $1245

Personally I would choose Chorus over Ultegra. Centaur also looks to be good value, given that it is lighter than Ultegra.

xbgs351 said:

AU prices less hubs.

Record $2369
Chorus $1630
Centaur $995

Dura-ace $1985
Ultegra $1245

Personally I would choose Chorus over Ultegra. Centaur also looks to be good value, given that it is lighter than Ultegra.

I personally would choose Centaur over Ultegra - and it's cheaper.

Record with Al cranks: 1,348.47 USD

Dura Ace with HollowtechII: 1,161.29 USD

Go for the Dura Ace for the reason of the HollowtechII alone. Its FAR superior.

These prices are from Total Cycling and yes, they ship to the Land Down Under.

Regarding which Campag groups are roughly equivalent quality-wise to Ultegra and Dura-Ace: it's a rough, subjective comparison at best, but most people would say Centaur is roughly on a par with Ultegra, and Chorus with DA. Record is lighter and fancier still (although not so much in 2005, as Chorus now has more of the features of Record than it did last year).

Regarding which is "better" out of Shimano and Campag: as others have said, this is an old, dead, useless thing to discuss. Try both types out and see which you like best. The main difference is in the shifting so do test-rides that require a lot of shifting, e.g. ride in a heavily built-up area. I personally was going to buy Shimano but I tried a Campag bike out and loved it and have never looked back. All that matters is what works for you.

One way in which Shimano could be said to have a genuine advantage is the cost of accessories. Things like BB tools, chainwhips, chain tools and so on made by Campag are often wildly expensive. But you can often make do with other brands, so this isn't a huge concern. Just something that is good to know.

thanks all for your advice..was very much appreciated! Thanks for putting up with me and discussing a very controversial and much discussed issue!

boudreaux said:

Geeezzzzzzzzzee! Don't start this again.If you have to ask,just flip a coin.

Too true , try a mate´s and see what you like - also see what your local shops handle as waiting for spares is a pain .