Which triple for road bike?

[EDS]

I'm looking at getting a new road bike in the not too distant future.
Usage will be mostly solo riding around the New England area, with
occasional group rides and centuries.

My tired old body is demanding a triple. Right now, my road bike has
an Ultegra double.

The price of Dura-Ace and Chorus are virtually the same. I've Googled
and read a bunch of discussions on the DA triple. It has not been
overwhelmingly positive. I've found fewer postings on the Chorus
triple. One theory would be that people tend to post about problems
and Chorus has fewer of them.

What do folks who actually ride bikes with these components think? I
haven't ridden a bike with Campy brifters. What is the difference in
how these operate v. the Shimano ones?

Thanks,

ed

 

[Terry Morse]

EDS wrote:

> The price of Dura-Ace and Chorus are virtually the same. I've Googled
> and read a bunch of discussions on the DA triple. It has not been
> overwhelmingly positive. I've found fewer postings on the Chorus
> triple. One theory would be that people tend to post about problems
> and Chorus has fewer of them.

Another theory would be that fewer bikes come installed with Chorus,
so there are fewer people out there to complain.

The Ultegra triple is only slightly heavier than Dura-Ace, but it's
much less expensive. The largest downside to the Shimano cranks I
see is the silly Octalink bottom bracket, destined to do the
"Shimano creak" in short order as the crank slips ever so slightly
on the splines. It's very annoying to climb next to a Shimano rider.

I decided to take the path less traveled and purchase an FSA triple
with ISIS bottom bracket. There are some pretty decent prices for
these compnents on ebay. The parts are on their way...we'll see how
well they work in due time.

Another option is the FSA compact crank double, with 50/34
chainwheels. You lose a little off the high end and a little off the
low end of a triple, but the low range is pretty darn low. And you
get to keep your current shifters.

> What do folks who actually ride bikes with these components think? I
> haven't ridden a bike with Campy brifters. What is the difference in
> how these operate v. the Shimano ones?

The Campy brake levers aren't used to do the shifting, only the
braking. There's a finger lever to shift one way and a thumb lever
to shift the other way. Campy brifters can be overhauled, Shimanos
can't. When the Shimanos stop working, you replace them.
--
terry morse Palo Alto, CA http://bike.terrymorse.com/

 

[hobby]

> What do folks who actually ride bikes with these components think? I
> haven't ridden a bike with Campy brifters. What is the difference in
> how these operate v. the Shimano ones?
>
> Thanks,
>
> ed
>

I am 74 and ride a LandShark (custom steel frame) with Campy Chorus triple
components and love it. Got it from GVH Bikes. I find the shifting to be
a lot easier with Campy than Shimano, plus you can repair Campy shifters
with parts if necessary. But repairs are rare. The LandShark steel frame
helps make my ride smoother and less jarring on the spine and wrist's.

If I were to buy a new bike now, I'd go with Gary's newest steel frame (made
by a famous builder). His email is [email protected] . Gary Hobbs
carries hundreds of frames and custom builds at a bargain price. Almost
any name brand is in stock. His web site is http://www.gvhbikes.com/


Tom Hobby

 

[Bert L.]

"EDS" <[email protected]> schreef in bericht
news:[email protected]...
> I'm looking at getting a new road bike in the not too distant future.
> Usage will be mostly solo riding around the New England area, with
> occasional group rides and centuries.
>
> My tired old body is demanding a triple. Right now, my road bike has
> an Ultegra double.
>
> The price of Dura-Ace and Chorus are virtually the same. I've Googled
> and read a bunch of discussions on the DA triple. It has not been
> overwhelmingly positive. I've found fewer postings on the Chorus
> triple. One theory would be that people tend to post about problems
> and Chorus has fewer of them.
>
> What do folks who actually ride bikes with these components think? I
> haven't ridden a bike with Campy brifters. What is the difference in
> how these operate v. the Shimano ones?
>
> Thanks,
>
> ed
>

I'm very happy with the Campa Veloce triple on the road bike and with the
Shimanoa XT on the dirt bike. Both Campa's Veloce and the Shimanoa 105
equivalent are very good and seem to fit in with the type of user you are.
You did consider to keep the existing bike and to change toothing on the
existing double?

Bert l.

 

[Jkpoulos7]

>I
>haven't ridden a bike with Campy brifters. What is the difference in
>how these operate v. the Shimano ones?

You haven't missed much. The hoods are much smaller so if your hands are man
sized they are uncomfortable. To shift to a higher ger you must use your thumb
like on the cheap sora group. This limits hand positions and makes it difficult
to shift in the drops Camp. copied the lowest shimano group for their brifters.

 

[LGF]

EDS <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> I'm looking at getting a new road bike in the not too distant future.
> Usage will be mostly solo riding around the New England area, with
> occasional group rides and centuries.
>
> My tired old body is demanding a triple. Right now, my road bike has
> an Ultegra double.
>
> The price of Dura-Ace and Chorus are virtually the same. I've Googled
> and read a bunch of discussions on the DA triple. It has not been
> overwhelmingly positive. I've found fewer postings on the Chorus
> triple. One theory would be that people tend to post about problems
> and Chorus has fewer of them.
>
> What do folks who actually ride bikes with these components think? I
> haven't ridden a bike with Campy brifters. What is the difference in
> how these operate v. the Shimano ones?
>

Stronglight and TA do excellent triple chainsets! Check out:

http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/

LGF

 

[David L. Johnson]

On Fri, 04 Jun 2004 09:34:15 +0000, Jkpoulos7 wrote:

>>I
>>haven't ridden a bike with Campy brifters. What is the difference in
>>how these operate v. the Shimano ones?
>
> You haven't missed much. The hoods are much smaller so if your hands are man
> sized they are uncomfortable. To shift to a higher ger you must use your thumb
> like on the cheap sora group. This limits hand positions and makes it difficult
> to shift in the drops Camp. copied the lowest shimano group for their brifters.

This is clearly a troll, but since you asked for information I don't want
this to masquerade as such.

The hoods are not smaller with Campy brifters. I have large hands, and
find them more comfortable than Shimano. The thumb shifter on Campy
levers is placed within easy reach whether you are on the tops, or the
drops. Seeing as how Campy shifters were around years before Sora, who
tried to copy whom should be clear, though Shimano's version is much, much
harder to shift.

There are serious differences between the two systems. The left shifter
on Campy Ergo is not really indexed, it has many clicks -- a ratcheting
friction shifter like the old Sun Tour, sort of. This allows easy
trimming of the front derailleur, and makes the design of the derailleur
simpler. You can also use any cranks you please with Campy, no worries
about compatibility. IMO Shimano front shifters are much fussier, because
of the need to have a one-click shift. They have recently added trim
capabilities to some models, but Campy had that from the beginning and IMO
it works better.

Another big difference is what happens 2-3 years down the road. All
brifters will wear. Campy ones have a particular part that wears out at
about this much use. Costs less than $5 to replace, and can be replaced
by a reasonably-mechanically-inclined owner. Shimano ones also break down
at around the same amount of use. They are not repairable, not even by a
shop mechanic.

--

David L. Johnson

__o | And what if you track down these men and kill them, what if you
_`\(,_ | killed all of us? From every corner of Europe, hundreds,
(_)/ (_) | thousands would rise up to take our places. Even Nazis can't
kill that fast. -- Paul Henreid (Casablanca).

 

[EDS]

On Fri, 04 Jun 2004 09:09:04 -0400, "David L. Johnson"
<[email protected]> wrote:

>There are serious differences between the two systems. The left shifter
>on Campy Ergo is not really indexed, it has many clicks -- a ratcheting
>friction shifter like the old Sun Tour, sort of. This allows easy
>trimming of the front derailleur, and makes the design of the derailleur
>simpler. You can also use any cranks you please with Campy, no worries
>about compatibility. IMO Shimano front shifters are much fussier, because
>of the need to have a one-click shift. They have recently added trim
>capabilities to some models, but Campy had that from the beginning and IMO
>it works better.

Thanks. This is helpful. It is the sort of info I was looking for.
>
>Another big difference is what happens 2-3 years down the road. All
>brifters will wear. Campy ones have a particular part that wears out at
>about this much use. Costs less than $5 to replace, and can be replaced
>by a reasonably-mechanically-inclined owner. Shimano ones also break down
>at around the same amount of use. They are not repairable, not even by a
>shop mechanic.

I did end up replacing my right Ultegra brifter, so I know about this
one. What I didn't realize was how inexpensively and simply the Campy
could be repaired.

 

[Mark South]

"David L. Johnson" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news[email protected]...
> On Fri, 04 Jun 2004 09:34:15 +0000, Jkpoulos7 wrote:
>
> >>haven't ridden a bike with Campy brifters. What is the difference in
> >>how these operate v. the Shimano ones?
> >
> > You haven't missed much. The hoods are much smaller so if your hands are man
> > sized they are uncomfortable. To shift to a higher ger you must use your
thumb
> > like on the cheap sora group. This limits hand positions and makes it
difficult
> > to shift in the drops Camp. copied the lowest shimano group for their
brifters.
>
> This is clearly a troll, but since you asked for information I don't want
> this to masquerade as such.
>
> The hoods are not smaller with Campy brifters. I have large hands, and
> find them more comfortable than Shimano.

A data point: the 2004 Shimano consumer catalogue makes much of the fact that
they have now reduced the size (circumference) of their lever hoods.
--
Mark South: World Citizen, Net Denizen

 

[Thomas Reynolds]

EDS <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> I'm looking at getting a new road bike in the not too distant future.
> Usage will be mostly solo riding around the New England area, with
> occasional group rides and centuries.
>
> My tired old body is demanding a triple. Right now, my road bike has
> an Ultegra double.
>
> ......
>
You may consider one of many quality triples with 110mm BCD. The
advantage being the the larger chainrings can go as small as 34 tooth.
With Shimano (130mm bcd) the smallest is 38 and Campy (135mm bcd) the
smallest is 39. A 24-36-48 combo can be done in 110 but not in the
others.

I suggesting it because I recently put together a quality old bike
with a 110mm bcd 36-44 double. I like it enough that if I were going
to purchase a triple I would go with it. (110mm BCD triples use the
same 74mm BCD small chainring as Shimano and Campy).

Tom

 

[Dave Smith]

On Thu, 03 Jun 2004 19:19:50 -0400, EDS
<[email protected]> wrote:

>I'm looking at getting a new road bike in the not too distant future.
>Usage will be mostly solo riding around the New England area, with
>occasional group rides and centuries.
>
>My tired old body is demanding a triple. Right now, my road bike has
>an Ultegra double.
>
>The price of Dura-Ace and Chorus are virtually the same. I've Googled
>and read a bunch of discussions on the DA triple. It has not been
>overwhelmingly positive. I've found fewer postings on the Chorus
>triple. One theory would be that people tend to post about problems
>and Chorus has fewer of them.
>
>What do folks who actually ride bikes with these components think? I
>haven't ridden a bike with Campy brifters. What is the difference in
>how these operate v. the Shimano ones?
>
>Thanks,
>
> ed
>
I have a road bike with Ultegra triple and my wife has one with Veloce
triple. I'm quite happy with my Ultegra set-up and it works very
well, but I think I prefer the Veloce.It seems to shift more
positively and the front shifting is more forgiving. A couple of
things you might think about:

Though I don't think I'd say that either is inherently better, the
hood shapes on each are quite different. You might find that you
prefer one over the other.

The shifting systems are different and if you have other bikes of
either make, you might find it confusing to go from one to the other.

Good luck.

 

[Rick Onanian]

On 4 Jun 2004 09:31:41 -0700, [email protected] (Thomas
Reynolds) wrote:
>You may consider one of many quality triples with 110mm BCD. The
>advantage being the the larger chainrings can go as small as 34 tooth.
> With Shimano (130mm bcd) the smallest is 38 and Campy (135mm bcd) the
>smallest is 39. A 24-36-48 combo can be done in 110 but not in the
>others.

Because it may not automatically occur to some who are reading this,
cranks like that are very easily found by asking for mountain bike
cranks.

For example, Deore FC-M761 = 48-36-26T. BCD isn't 110, though.
--
Rick Onanian

 

[Tim McNamara]

[email protected]topspam (Jkpoulos7) writes:

><missing attribution>
>>I haven't ridden a bike with Campy brifters. What is the difference
>>in how these operate v. the Shimano ones?
>
> You haven't missed much. The hoods are much smaller so if your hands
> are man sized they are uncomfortable.

YMMV. I'm not only a man, I'm 6'4" (1.96 m) and have big hands.
Campy's Ergo levers are far more comfortable than Shimano's for as-
mainly because they make a smooth transition from the top of the bar
onto the top of the hood, unlike Shimano's design. I never get numb
fingers on the Campy levers and quickly get them on the Shimano STIs.

> To shift to a higher ger you must use your thumb like on the cheap
> sora group. This limits hand positions and makes it difficult to
> shift in the drops Camp. copied the lowest shimano group for their
> brifters.

Vice versa, actually. Shimano copied Campy- not for the first time!

 

[Phil Brown]

Lots snipped

>> To shift to a higher ger you must use your thumb like on the cheap
>> sora group. This limits hand positions and makes it difficult to
>> shift in the drops Camp. copied the lowest shimano group for their
>> brifters.
>
>Vice versa, actually. Shimano copied Campy- not for the first time!
>
>
Please, Tim, don't feed the trolls.
Phil Brown
>
>

 

[Dick Durbin]

EDS <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> What do folks who actually ride bikes with these components think? I
> haven't ridden a bike with Campy brifters. What is the difference in
> how these operate v. the Shimano ones?

I have been using Campagnolo Centaur for the last couple of months. I
am particularly impressed with the quality of the front shifter. I
had serious concerns about going to a triple and losing quality
shifting on the crankset, but the shifting is very crisp and quick.

I much prefer the feel of Campy's shifting to that of Shimano. The
solid click is reassuring as opposed to the ephemeral feel of Shimano.
I also think that the cable routing on Campy is much more appearing
than the S brand.

I would buy the Centaur group again. Check with Excel Sports'. They
have really good prices on this group.

**** Durbin
Tallahassee

 

[Thomas Reynolds]

Rick Onanian <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> On 4 Jun 2004 09:31:41 -0700, [email protected] (Thomas
> Reynolds) wrote:
> >You may consider one of many quality triples with 110mm BCD. The
> >advantage being the the larger chainrings can go as small as 34 tooth.
> > With Shimano (130mm bcd) the smallest is 38 and Campy (135mm bcd) the
> >smallest is 39. A 24-36-48 combo can be done in 110 but not in the
> >others.
>
> Because it may not automatically occur to some who are reading this,
> cranks like that are very easily found by asking for mountain bike
> cranks.
>
> For example, Deore FC-M761 = 48-36-26T. BCD isn't 110, though.

Correct. Those are usually 94 mm bcd. One of my road bikes has an LX
22-34-48 combo. But one of the reasons I have become enamored with my
110 is because I also have a 52 tooth chainring that I can swap on at
anytime. Chainrings that big are kind of hard to find for 94 mm.

Tom

 

[Kyle.B.H]

"EDS" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I'm looking at getting a new road bike in the not too distant future.
> Usage will be mostly solo riding around the New England area, with
> occasional group rides and centuries.
>
> My tired old body is demanding a triple. Right now, my road bike has
> an Ultegra double.
>
> The price of Dura-Ace and Chorus are virtually the same. I've Googled
> and read a bunch of discussions on the DA triple. It has not been
> overwhelmingly positive. I've found fewer postings on the Chorus
> triple. One theory would be that people tend to post about problems
> and Chorus has fewer of them.
>
> What do folks who actually ride bikes with these components think? I
> haven't ridden a bike with Campy brifters. What is the difference in
> how these operate v. the Shimano ones?


If you'd like to pick your own chainrings, instead of having to use
Shimano/Campy's often too large 52-42-30 (some Campy's come in 50-40-30),
then I recommend a TA Alize crankset from Peter White Cycles. Its a nice
looking crankset, about same weight as Ultegra, good 'ole square taper BB,
and he'll put on any chainring sizes you choose. I did 50-40-28 and it
works perfectly on an otherwise all Ultegra setup.

www.peterwhitecycles.com

Kyle

 

[Dick Durbin]

[email protected]topspam (Jkpoulos7) wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> >I
> >haven't ridden a bike with Campy brifters. What is the difference in
> >how these operate v. the Shimano ones?
>
> You haven't missed much. The hoods are much smaller so if your hands are man
> sized they are uncomfortable. To shift to a higher ger you must use your thumb
> like on the cheap sora group. This limits hand positions and makes it difficult
> to shift in the drops Camp. copied the lowest shimano group for their brifters.

Poulos, are you totally incapable of being embarrassed at your own
ignorant statements? As I told you once before when you made the same
uninformed comment about the Campy hoods being too small, I am a grown
man (53 years old) and they fit my hands just fine.

Do your homework before you post. Campy's brifters were around long
before Sora. I have never had any trouble shifting from the drops on
my Campys.

Go back to the GI Joe news group since you seem to live in such a
fantasy world.

**** Durbin

 

[B]

> Camp. copied the lowest shimano group for their brifters.

I was wondering who was the type to fall for this ploy.
Now I know.
B

(remove clothes to reply)

 

[Dick Durbin]

[email protected]lothes (B) wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> > Camp. copied the lowest shimano group for their brifters.
>
> I was wondering who was the type to fall for this ploy.
> Now I know.
> B

And what ploy was that?