is it all the bike?

[Peter@vecchios]

The differences in the way the different brands of gruppos function is essentially personal preference, so long as you compare equivalent levels between gruppos.

I've got no stake in propping up Shimano. I'm a Campy guy. Everytime I've tried Shimano STI, I've been severely unimpressed, but that's only because it didn't match up well with my preferences.

I can't speak to exactly how others in the forum set up their drive trains--no matter the brand--but I've heard it also said in forums that Campy drivetrains are hard to tune. I don't believe that one, either.

Agree. They are all a wee bit different but essentially the same. Many that have never taken an ERGO lever apart don't understand the symptoms when either a spring carrier or shift spring breaks..so they say it's 'hard to tune'.

Front ders are the most challenging, particularly shimano and sram and 2007/8 Centaur/Veloce.