Equipment Questions

Chris,

Basically, its good to start off knowing if you want Shimano or Campy.

You talk of Shimano , so I'll assume Shimano for now.

Personally, you'll get great bang for the buck with 9-speed(shimano or Campy).

The new 10-speed Shimano, improves on the 9-speed by: 1. having the out-bering BB design... thus improving bottom-braket/crank stiffness. 2. 1-2 more gear ratios to choose from. I'm sure there is a bit of a weight difference between 9 - 10 speed , Ultegra or Dura-ace.... but probably minimal, like 2-5 oz.

Ebay can be a good venue to pick up used parts, but be careful :o 😉
I do have some Campy 9-speed(mainly REcord) component parts for sale right now...... so if you choose to go that route, just let me know if I can help out. On my two road bikes, I'm still sticking with Campy 9-speed(I mainly have Record....... but also have some Chorus pieces in there- Cassette, a Rear-Der. . I personally cannot justify going 10-speed , given the cost right now - If I was racing like a mad-man, I'd probably go 10-speed.

Ok, in my OPINION, I went with ten speed because it was the newest. Plain and simple. I went with Ultegra for better bang for the buck than Dura Ace. This, on a full-custom carbon fiber commuter bike. I could have chosen any gearing I wanted. I chose the ten speed Ultegra. Compact front crank (FSA Gossamer). I'm 53 and the extra gear is just convenient, not necessary, just convenient. I am more likely to find the right gear for my mood, depending on how hard I am pushing that day.

If your concern is also not building an obsolete bike, then I would opt for 10 speed. Relatively soon things will become more difficult in terms of sourcing 9 sp replacement parts.

I am partial to Campagnolo (comes with the passport 😄 ). if you are concerned about bang for the buck, consider groups such as Veloce or Centaur (the latter is better).

Shimano I am not as familiar with, but I assume the equivalents are in the 105/Ultegra range.

Honestly, you cannot go wrong with any of the groups I have proposed. Go to shop and try them out (if you do not have a preference in this religious war go with what you fancy more, and/or for the brifters that fit your hands better).

If you are coming back to cycling I would also encourage you to look at compact cranks - FSA and Truvativ make some rather good ones for reasonable prices. Shimano and Campagnolo also make them, but they tend to be a bit pricier.

Happy shopping!

I do plan on going with Shimano. I have had Campagnolo in the past and liked it, but over the last 10 years, it seems they are not innovators any more, but merely trying to keep up.
That could be totally wrong, but that is my perception.

I am currently watching many items on E-Bay. Problem seems to be that some of the stuff is selling for more than you can buy it from the Online Cycle shops. But, I am going to keep looking. There has to be deals out there, I just have to find them.

It would all be so much easier if I were rich. I would just go down to the local bicycle shop and tell them I want a bike with titanium everything. Tell them to deliver it to my house when it is done. Of course that titanium seat could be a little painful.

Thanks for the advice. I am building a check list with the parts I want and am going to watch for them on flea-bay.

Chris

Powerful Pete said:

If you are coming back to cycling I would also encourage you to look at compact cranks - FSA and Truvativ make some rather good ones for reasonable prices. Shimano and Campagnolo also make them, but they tend to be a bit pricier.

Ok, that brings up a good question. Can someone explain to me what is a compact crank? Just smaller bolt pattern spider? Do you still have the same size Chain rings? Such as 52/39? Or are they smaller?

Do they come in a triple? I am considering going with a triple chain ring crank. Any reason I shouldn't?

mrr1150gs said:

Ok, that brings up a good question. Can someone explain to me what is a compact crank? Just smaller bolt pattern spider? Do you still have the same size Chain rings? Such as 52/39? Or are they smaller?

Do they come in a triple? I am considering going with a triple chain ring crank. Any reason I shouldn't?

Compact refers to double crankset with 110mm bolt circle diameter allowing a small chainring as small as 34. Usually they are configured as 34/50 and occasionally as 36/50. The idea is to provide a lower gear range without the weight penalty and complexity of a triple since they use the same BBs and RD's as standard doubles. There are now compact specific FDs but most standard FDs work OK with compacts. What will work best for you depends on the terrain you ride and your riding style. There are numerous threads discussing compact vs. triple with good points on both sides. If you ride flat terrain, stick with a conventional double. If you do lots of climbing, consider a compact or triple. For really big hills or climbing with a load, I think a triple is better because you can get a lower low end.

[quote="mrr1150gs"]I do plan on going with Shimano. I have had Campagnolo in the past and liked it, but over the last 10 years, it seems they are not innovators any more, but merely trying to keep up.
That could be totally wrong, but that is my perception.

10spd Campy 1st.
10spd on lesser component gruppos Campy 1st
Ergo (STI) shifters multiple gears at one time Campy 1st
Dual pivot brakes and differential rear brake Campy 1st
An Ability to rebuild tired components Campy Only
An ability to convert shifters up in gearing (low cost) 8 to 9 or 9 to 10 Campy only.

Shimano parts are good, but to discount Campy because of innovation is rather short sighted. The best bang for the buck would be the Centaur Gruppo 10 spd from Campy. Works like Record, is rebuildable if you ride enough, and you can get a compact chainring for less. If you wanted to upgrade to Record you could do it a piece at a time and suffer no compatibility issues in swapping out parts.

The Japanese (and Shimano USA) are wizzards at marketing. They spend tons of bucks on marketing and giving away gruppos to the Peleton. And their parts are good as I have ridden both, but I do have an Italian bias and could never get used to the floating brake lever on the STI. Check out Centaur if you want bang for the buck.

Chris:

First off, welcome back. I rode crits in college back in the 70's, quit riding, and took it back up a few years ago. You get back in shape quickly enough. I'm 49 now, can hold a 20mph average over rolling hills for 40 miles, and know two women in their mid 50's who can outlast me. I look forward to hillclimbs now. Give me a nice, long grinder any day.

Bike stuff... I'd suggest that unless you're on a really tight budget, buy a new group from an online retailer and enjoy the trouble free cycling. I put my bike together back in 2002: a Trek Y-Foil carbon frame with new Campy Chorus 10 group, and have had hardly touched it since then. Very solid. ebay can be a bargain, but you can also get worn out equipment too, if you aren't careful.

I won't touch the Campy/Shimano debate, they're both quite good, and the cost is about the same. Nice thing about Shimano is that if it breaks, your LBS can usually find replacements. Nice thing about Campy is that it doesn't break.

Also, be prepared to go on an extended saddle search. I squirmed in discomfort until I found two saddles that worked for me - Selle TransAm, and Fizik Aliante. But everyone is different in the end, (pun intentional) so you may find different saddles work for you.

One other thing - invest in a couple of decent cycling jerseys and shorts. They make a huge difference over a t shirt, you're much drier and fresher.

--John

[quote="Deanster04"]

mrr1150gs said:

I do plan on going with Shimano. I have had Campagnolo in the past and liked it, but over the last 10 years, it seems they are not innovators any more, but merely trying to keep up.
That could be totally wrong, but that is my perception.

10spd Campy 1st.
10spd on lesser component gruppos Campy 1st
Ergo (STI) shifters multiple gears at one time Campy 1st
Dual pivot brakes and differential rear brake Campy 1st
An Ability to rebuild tired components Campy Only
An ability to convert shifters up in gearing (low cost) 8 to 9 or 9 to 10 Campy only.

Shimano parts are good, but to discount Campy because of innovation is rather short sighted. The best bang for the buck would be the Centaur Gruppo 10 spd from Campy. Works like Record, is rebuildable if you ride enough, and you can get a compact chainring for less. If you wanted to upgrade to Record you could do it a piece at a time and suffer no compatibility issues in swapping out parts.

The Japanese (and Shimano USA) are wizzards at marketing. They spend tons of bucks on marketing and giving away gruppos to the Peleton. And their parts are good as I have ridden both, but I do have an Italian bias and could never get used to the floating brake lever on the STI. Check out Centaur if you want bang for the buck.