Stev8del8

I have more than a dozen Shimano fishing reels but always have been a Campy bike guy. Campagnolo does not have an 11 speed flat bar shifter so I started with Shimano RS700 shifters and 6800 bits. I already had an Athena 11 speed compact crankset and 11 speed wheel set with Campy cassette. I have the Ultegra hubs but I will wait on building the wheels as I'm told that the Campy sprocket set is 100% compatible. All this is on a Battaglin Giro road frame.


Working with the Ultegra Bits, I'm really impressed. Every piece seems really solid, well machined and very smooth. Just like my Shimano reels. I especially like the 6800 brakeset. I'm just waiting on the 6800 chain and Brooks leather flat bar grips. Until then there is nothing left to do, except post this.


Anyone else care to chime in?

Aubergine 

I refuse to use Shimano. I just won’t.

I admit I am a bigot.

Scarbo

If we did, then we wouldn't be Campy guys.

CliffordK

I'll admit that I use Shimano wheels and cassettes, often somewhat customized to my own needs.

According to the notes, I'm seeing that Shimano sprocket pitch is about 3.74, and Campagnolo sprocket pitch is about 3.85. That approximately .1mm difference adds up over 10 sprockets to about about 1mm difference.

Nonetheless, most people tend to do quite well mixing Campagnolo and Shimano cassettes.

kansukee

Never. There's Campagnolo and then there's everyone else.

Stev8del8

If the chainline is over the 6th sprocket, there are only 5 sprockets in each direction, but thanks for the input.


One thing's for sure, Campy guys aren't shy.

jamesdak 

I use both, it's all good. I prefer many things about Campagnolo but have no real issues with Shimano either. On my 25+ bikes I've got all sorts of stuff and it all works.

pickettt

Sacrilege.

De Sisti

I use Campag 10s levers on my 3 bikes (with Campag front and rear derailleurs) paired with
wheels that have Shimano 9 cassettes. Shifting is fine.

jitteringjr

If Zinn say's is good to go then its good to go:

Drivetrain compatibility hidden in plain sight | VeloNews.com
I personally haven't tried mixing because my Campy is 10 speed still and my DA is 11 speed.

Marcus_Ti

As much as I love Campy stuff, it is too hard to get in a rush (always special order) and too high in price (compared to a similar part from Shimano) for me to bother anymore . A Chorus 11s cassette is $120-140USD on Amazon, a 105 cassette is $40. I can get a SRAM 11s chain at the LBS with quick link for $20USD, even Amazon I'll pay $40-60USD.

My Di2 hydro disc group costs less than the Chorus mech disc set.

jamesdak 

Well for one thing, you can't shop Campagnolo at the U.S. sites and expect to find a good price. You need to go the the U.K. and other European sites. Once you see the prices there you see it's still quite a good buy. My one groupset arrived in an amazing 3 days but usually it's more like 5 or 6. Still totally respectable when you figure that the shipping free.

Marcus_Ti

Believe me I know about the import game. That is the only reason my Seven got Chorus 11s instead of going to Ultegra when it did.

BTW...even with Campag Ribble pricing, a Chorus 11s cassette is still $90USD compared to $40 for 105. And a Chorus 11s chain is still $50USD in Ribble pricing compared to a SRAM at the LBS that is $20 and comes with a masterlink. FWIW I'll wager Campagnolo will soon put their foot down, just like SRAM did, and demand retailers may only ship to their own markets and not overseas to the USA or they'll not supply them. Only a matter of time.


BTW the catch about the import game--your only warranty support is via the retailer, so to get warranty service you have to pay to return ship anything back to the UK (wait 2-3 calendar weeks in mail alone, and lose $50USD+ in postage), as Campagnolo USA for example will not talk to you. And yes, I've done that dance personally with a 2015 Chorus 11 FD that died. Took 2 months to get it replaced--during which time I gave up waiting and bought another on Amazon on sale. Less hassle and price to just buy Big S. Sorry Campag.

jamesdak 

LOL, well you can cherry pick prices if you want. But come on Chorus vs 105???? Now points on warranty may be valid I've no clue as I've never had to seek warranty support for any of my stuff, Campagnolo or Shimano. It honestly is not a concern for me. Not to mention that with other 25 bikes it's not really a problem if one is down for awhile, LOL!

Of course we obviously see things differently. I know the last two new groupsets I bought wound up being Chorus for a whole lot of reasons. Could have gone Shimano but saw no real reason to. I've also pretty much given up on handbuilt wheels these days. The Campagnolo Zonda/Fulcrum Racing 3's are just too good and too cheap from the UK for me to justify spending more stateside for any of the popular handbuilts. Noticed a wobble today in my November Nimbus rear. All the Campagnolo/Fulcrums sets have never needed a spoke wrench.

Erzulis Boat 

Campy my whole life!

So, I get a CAAD9 frameset off of CL, and decide I am going to build a Crit bike. I go online, and get a full Ultegra gruppo (2016). I assemble the bike.

Holy smokes! I was super impressed, and remain so.

Had to change my "rules". Italian frameset still gets Campagnolo, but now I have an option for anything sans Italian.

To be perfectly honest with myself, I have known that top-shelf Shimano is great all along. I just always defaulted to Campagnolo because that was just my nature.

I also MTB, so of course my only option (to me) was full XTR (Shimano), and that gruppo is incredible in virtually all aspects. The incredible shifting and durability of the high end Shimano is undisputed.

In the MTB world, pure function trumps aesthetics and brand loyalty, on the road, I have a little wiggle room, so I identified as a "Campy" guy.

Now Sram......................that's another story.

So basically I am a convert. No more Campagnolo snobbery for me.

qcpmsame 

My two C&V frames are both Campagnolo, but my contemporary bike, a CAAD10, is on Ultegra 6800 (complete group,) a swap from its original SRAM Rival. Ultegra has been totally smooth as silk, and totally reliable oil its two years of use. The Tommasini and Medici were built to represent what they were offered as, and what I rode in the mid-late 70s. Horses for courses, and both Shimano and Campagnolo are fine with me, SRAM just didn't work well in its shifts, very clunky and never felt indexed 100%.

For vintage I will still build with Campag, but any modern bike I build will have Shimano components, I cannot afford the freight that Campagnolo costs now.

Bill

CliffordK

Oh, one other thing, I really like the Shimano 6800 brake calipers (with Campagnolo levers). They are tight and responsive, and I like the brake release lever down at the wheel. Plus, the ratcheting brake release lever allows quick adjustment of the brakes if needed.

Litespud

I've always been a Campag guy, and will likely remain so, but the times when I have dealt with Shimano - installing and using XT on my MTB, installing Sora on a friends bike, and using 105 on my sons bike - I have always been impressed with how well everything worked - just reasonably-priced competent stuff. I think Campag stuff looks better (at least up to 10 sp stuff) and I prefer my brake levers not moving side-to-side, but otherwise I would have no problem using Shimano gear

fietsbob

I only have old Campag stuff , Freewheel hubs, did not get sucked in to the upgradeitis, been opting for IGH instead, for my daily transportation..

Have Deore derailleurs on my winter bike, still 7 speed freewheel. not indexed..

N+1, rather than replacement... My Road Bike is old Vintage stuff..






....

jitteringjr

I had Ultegra and Sora 15 and 18 years ago and they always needed tuning. Then I switched to Campy and didn’t have to adjust anything for years at a time: Usually just when I recabled. Now with the new DA, it’s just spot on all the time like my Campy has been.

DMC707

I consider myself a Campy guy, but have no problems with Shimano from a function perspective . I'm just used to Campy's actuation - when I ride one of my Shimano equipped machines, it takes a few miles before everything feels smooth to me ---





I haven't tried Di2 yet, but i'd love to try that and I hear it is better than the Campy EPS system

pickettt

I have Ultegra Di2 and Super Record EPS. Not the same hierarchal range, but for this comparison it'll do. Having nothing to do with electronics, Campy ergonomics IMO are superior. EPS is quieter, MyCampy app is much more user friendly than e-tube, both shift flawlessly. That being said, Ultegra is a solid group. If I didn't have the means, I'd ride Shimano and not fret a bit.

cyclist2000

I've been a campy guy for years. The problem is that campy wasn't on my touring bike when I got it and my Gunnar came with Ultegra. It doesn't appear that Campy really has touring gearing, also when I tour (in the US) it will be easier to get replacement parts if at a LBS if I have Shimano components.

After using the Shimano equipment for a few years, I'm thinking of building up my next bike with a Shimano R8000 groupset. I like some of the features such as the brake can accommodate 28mm tires and the GS rear derailleur has the capacity for a 11-32 cassette. Using a compact crank with the 11-32 cassette the low gear of 28 gear inches. My Campy

jitteringjr

Feels like you have more to say here for some reason but we didn’t get it...

athrowawaynic

Have both. Like both. Prefer Campy.