TexasTriathlete said:
Whats the point of Campagnolos EPS system if its still so prone to mechanical failures and calibration issues. Is it just a case of buying the name rather than the actual performance. Ive seen too many riders suffer from dropped chains, mis-shifted gears and general unreliability during critical moments of a race. And before anyone jumps to the defense of Campagnolo, let me make it clear that Im not talking about amateur hour fiddling with the system, Im talking about professional mechanics and experienced riders who know the ins and outs of the EPS system.
For those who swear by the EPS system, what makes it worth the hassle and expense. Is the claimed precision and reliability really that much better than the competition. And whats with the limited compatibility with other components. Is Campagnolo really the only game in town, or are people just drinking the Kool-Aid.
And lets not forget about the cost. Is the EPS system really worth the premium price tag, especially when you consider the additional cost of maintenance and repair. Ive seen riders go through multiple EPS systems in a single season, and the cost adds up quickly.
So, EPS enthusiasts, convince me that Im wrong. What makes the EPS system so special, and why do you put up with the reliability issues and compatibility problems. Or are you just stuck in the past, clinging to a brand name rather than embracing innovation and progress.
As a long time Campagnolo user and someone who has worked with the brand for many years (currently as their lead tech in the UK), I'd ask - what issues are you referring to?
For sure, you can go back to EPS v1 with some problems that were quickly fixed, just as Shimano had issues with their first version of Di2 - they suffered waterproofing issues that Campagnolo avoided having found them in pre-launch testing. Campagnolo at least came into the market with 11s from the get-go, rather than having to do a slightly uncomfortable "switch" after less than 18 months from 10s to 11s - where inter-compatibility was zero.
Campagnolo's approach was to make levers, front mech and rear mech that didn't change all the way through the 11s era and worked with every iteration, v1 to v3 of the control systems. It was only, after close to 10 years, when they changed to 12s, that reverse-compatibility was lost.
No one suggests that Campagnolo "is the only game in town".
Yes, it is precise and smooth and yes, it needs setting up by someone that knows what they are doing - and I'd agree, that techs who are familiar with EPS are harder to find in some markets, than those who are truly competent with Di2 and e-Tap (I have worked with all 3 at professional and amateur team level and find them pretty much interchangeable for ease of build and set-up) ... but yes, all 3 are different and all 3 need someone who is well-versed in the system to get the best out of it.
I doubt riders have gone through multiple systems. Components, maybe - but that possibly needs some examination. There are some documented and recognised issues that occur ... but they are fairly evenly split between errors in the system that come from firmware updates (sometimes hard to tell where user knowledge plays a part in this and where it's an intrinsic problem, as the same version of firmware I have had customers ask me to fix, I've used trouble free from pre-release versions) and issues that come from hardware damage.
Hardware damage can come from a variety of sources - very common are things like pinched cables which can happen just as easily with Di2 (although not e-Tap, obviously). Those latter, pinched cable issues, can be from build errors (hoses squeezing cables against edges inside the 'bars, stem or inside the frame) or from bars being stripped and then badly reassembled, following transport and the like.
I see a lot of damaged Campagnolo - it's part of my job - but generally, the systems are robust. I think issues with Campagnolo possibly get more airplay because they are a smaller company and at the top of the market - I mean, I'm not going to mention any specific competitor - but there are some issues out there in the market today, that had Campagnolo had them, would have attracted a lot more prominence.
On the subject of compatibility, the bottom line is this - there are lots of things that work. There are lots of things that work well, lots of things that work acceptably and lots of things that really are to be avoided. The better trained, skilled & more experienced a mechanic is, irrespective of whose system they are setting up, the more likely it is, that they'll persuade two things that were never design to work together - to work together and to do so as well as they can.
Campagnolo recommend that users utilise their equipment as a groupset - remember, they invented the groupset concept in the 1st place, back in the 1960s. Shimano make the same recommendation, so do SRAM.
Why?
Because they have tested it that way. What is not viable, is to make something and test it in every way that it might "possibly" be used (or mis-used) in the market, with every other product in the market.
To say "why can't I use a Campagnolo system crossed with a Shimano system?" is like saying "why won't these Audi parts fit my Ford?"
Third party parts are even more of a minefield ... if a crankset maker decides to set their chainrings closer or further apart, say, yes, you can build in a compensation (as EPS has had since v2) but ultimately, Campagnolo have no control over that & unsurprisingly, their basic set up, designed to be quick and easy, doesn't include that - but a competent mechanic, or someone who goes to the Campagnolo website or contacts a SC can have the compenstion system explained to them.
So - probably not enough to convince those that don't want to be convinced but it can't be that bad a system given that Rui Costa won the Worlds in 2013 on v1 of EPS, Nibali won his TdF in 2014, also on v1, Tadej Pogacar won on Campag EPS v4 (12 speed, 3 years ahead of Shimano) in 2019 and 2020 (even before he became the winning machine he is today) and in between were also victories in the Giro, Tour de Suisse, Tour of Romandie and many of the one-day classics.
