Originally Posted by
Bob Dopolina
These mix and match threads seem to come up all the time here. There are plenty of combinations that will work "just fine". But my question is what is "just fine"?
If I am spending the money to buy a new group and wheels, I don't want a bike that works "just fine', I want my bike to work "BEAUTIFULLY", "LIKE A DREAM"... I want it to be smooth and quiet and shift so well that I sometimes have to glance down to make sure it even shifted. I don't want to have to fiddle with it or listen to annoying chain rubbing or chain wanting to shift noises in some gears and then have to over shift in others. I also don't want to ride behind someone who is satified with "just fine" and listen to their crappy shifting, noisy, clattering drivetrain. If that is what "just fine" means then I want none of it..
Well, my mix-and-match bike with 10-speed Ergo brifters/Shimano 9-speed cassette and rd/Shiftmate does work "damn fine" and is every bit as quiet and precise shifting as my other bike which is 100% 10-speed Chorus. So, other than additional cost I see no reason to go all Campy on it.
Sure, if you are starting from scratch and building a dream bike with little concern for cost buy a completely consistant set of components but don't tell me the expedients don't work. Properly adjusted they work damn fine and a poorly adjusted all-Campy Record set-up can be noisy and poor shifting.