Campy Mirage?

[DughlasArgyll]

how does this group compare to 105?

i am shopping for my first road bike, i'm a noob and i'm looking to get the best value in a complete setup. narrowing it down to pinarello galileo w/ 105, orbea volata w/ mirage, or a felt f55 w/ 105. i am leaning towards the orbea because it it about $350 cheaper and it seems a better value/performance combo, but i'm unfamiliar with the campy setup.

 

[kdelong]

Campy Mirage is a slight bit better than Shimano 105 as far as I am concerned. It seemed to shift just a bit more smoothly than the 105, and the braking was a little better. There was not that much of a difference unless you werre able to check them out side by side. I have been told that the Mirage Group needs more frequent adjustments because there is more cable stretch in them than the 105, but that shouldn't be a big problem.

 

[rwinthenorth]

how does this group compare to 105?

i am shopping for my first road bike, i'm a noob and i'm looking to get the best value in a complete setup. narrowing it down to pinarello galileo w/ 105, orbea volata w/ mirage, or a felt f55 w/ 105. i am leaning towards the orbea because it it about $350 cheaper and it seems a better value/performance combo, but i'm unfamiliar with the campy setup.

FWIW, I have Campy Mirage and have had to do zip to it in over a year. In fact it gets nicer every time I use it. My wife has 105 and it's nice but I like the feel of the Campy better. I will also say that Campy has "trim" on the front derailluer, allowing you a flexibility in your shifting and the barrel adjuster is a little more sensitive in the rear. This could be why I don't really need to adjust anything.

Other things you'd need to get used to: ergo thumb levers. Some guys hate them, but it's all I've ever used and I really like it for dumping gears on hills. Also, the hoods are smaller and a lot of folks don't like that either. I would say if Campy gave you a choice, the larger Shimano hoods are more comfortable. Small hoods, small hands, small d... kidding. (But really, why the mini hoods?) I don't use the hoods often enough to care. Aero bars are God's gift to long distance riding. My 2¢.

 

[DughlasArgyll]

FWIW, I have Campy Mirage and have had to do zip to it in over a year. In fact it gets nicer every time I use it. My wife has 105 and it's nice but I like the feel of the Campy better. I will also say that Campy has "trim" on the front derailluer, allowing you a flexibility in your shifting and the barrel adjuster is a little more sensitive in the rear. This could be why I don't really need to adjust anything.

Other things you'd need to get used to: ergo thumb levers. Some guys hate them, but it's all I've ever used and I really like it for dumping gears on hills. Also, the hoods are smaller and a lot of folks don't like that either. I would say if Campy gave you a choice, the larger Shimano hoods are more comfortable. Small hoods, small hands, small d... kidding. (But really, why the mini hoods?) I don't use the hoods often enough to care. Aero bars are God's gift to long distance riding. My 2¢.

Well so far the setup is sounding pretty good. I have no problem with the thumb levers, i use them on the clunky sora group i'm riding now. Thanks to all for your input!