"Cat Dailey" <
[email protected]> schreef in bericht
news:[email protected]...
> <lots snipped>
> > I would like to hear some thoughts from a few riders who have made the switch to Campy after
> > having ridden Shimano for some time (or even Campy riders that may have converted to Shimano).
> > Any regrets ?
> >
> > I'll hang up and listen, thanks.
> >
> > Randy
>
> Randy,
>
> I started with the old Shimano 600EX (which I thought was quite nice, actually) with DT shifters
> and eventually upgraded to Dura-Ace, which I've used for the last 10 yrs or so. I had a Mavic
> group (it was a partial group) and a Suntour Superbe Pro group in there as well, so I've used a
lot
> of stuff.
>
> I recently bought a new custom Havnoonian for my 40th birthday and decided to try Record for the
> first time. I had never even shifted Campy before, but I was really peeved after having to replace
> 2 right hand STI shifters because the damned things just STOP WORKING (rant over ;>).
>
> All I can say is, is that I am thrilled with Record. I love the way it looks and the fact that you
> can shift down the entire cassette by just holding the shift button down (and I love the sound
> that the return spring makes....I know, that's too weird, no?....but one of the things I love
about
> cycling are the sounds...) Another great thing is how easily it
installs.
> I always go to my framebuilder's shop and help build out my new bikes
(kind
> of a bonding thing) and it was easy to build w/Campy. (I actually got to watch the whole frame
> being tig-welded, too, which was totally cool.) I was also very surprised that I have more
> usable gears. I don't know if it was as a result of fat chainstays on my old frame, but I always
> got a lot
of
> chain noise in the small sprockets on my old bike w/Dura Ace. With my new bike I could actually
> cross-chain if I really wanted to and there's no
chain
> "dingle." The chain runs quietly and smoothly across the entire gear
range
> (I use the Connex chain connector w/Campy chain.) From time to time, I still mis-shift thinking I
> am using Dura-Ace (old habits die real hard),
but
> I suspect this will go away as I rack up more miles on the new bike (the weather quickly went to
> **** here near Philly shortly after I took
delivery,
> so I only put about 500 miles on it so far.) Finally, I took to heart
some
> of the gurus on this NG's opinions about the serviceability of Record. I hope that in the event of
> shifter failure, that I will be able to service the shifters without having to replace them.
>
> One thing that I do miss on the Shimano group is the shape of the grips.
I
> think that the Dura Ace hoods are slightly more confortable than the
Record
> hoods because they provide a larger platform for your hands. If we are to believe the pictures
> we've seen of Lance and the new 11 speed group (I
think
> the new Shimano levers are hideous looking), the shape issue might not matter anymore depending on
> what Shimano did with the shape of the hoods. Also, Record cassettes are very expensive, so if the
> wear factor becomes
an
> issue, I may up buying Chorus cassettes.
You can make the Record hoods more broad (larger platform) by putting a piece of steerlint (kurk) in
lengthdirection (parallel with the steer) at both sites of the tube, under the rubber of the hood.
After that put the steerlint back again, and it is getting more confortable.
>
>
> Anyway, I chose a 39 x 52 with a 13-26 cassette, which gives me a
fantastic
> range. I like it much better than the available Shimano cassette option. It's basically a straight
> bolock from 13 to 19 with a 21, 23 and a 26 at
the
> back end. I won't have to swap cassettes anymore when I travel to hillier climes because the range
> is great. And here at home, I find this setup allows me to stay in gears closer to the center of
> the cassette. I think
I
> was always slightly overgeared. I had previously changed my Dura Ace to a 39x53 with a 12x25
> cassette, which was a bit better, but after running
some
> calculations, the 52 seemed like a better choice for me than the 53.
Also,
> I never used the 12 and ended up having to swap cassettes if we traveled
to
> Montana or Canada or Colorado to ride.
>
> Hope you find this info helpful, Cat