alancommike

I'm looking to upgrade my drivetrain. Visited a few shops and can easily find Shimano and SRAM, but not too much Campy. I'd like to test ride (indoor trainer is fine) to get a feel for the differences in hoods and shifting styles. I'm riding downtube shifters now, so there's little bias in selecting a new gruppo. Any thoughts?

Backstory....

Been sitting on my butt doing the valley workaholic thing for way too many years. My Trek 5200 sat in the garage long enough for the brifters to freeze up. No amount of WD-40 or other solvent has gotten them working again. a) I liked the feel of the frame, b) I can't afford a whole new bike anyway. c) Ooh, shiny new 10/11 speed drivetrain.

I've put back together my first bike. SunTour 6-speed downtube and I've been slowly getting my cycling legs back. I even tried Hicks on a 42/28. Boy, was that a mistake. I'm itching to get a new drivetrain with lower gears to tackle some of the bigger hills.

bigbossman 

Call around and see who sells Bianchi's. They'll have some Campy spec'd bikes.

https://www.bianchiusa.com/dealer-search/search-results/

Dchiefransom

Maybe give Shaw's a call.

https://www.shawscycles.com/mission.html

bam

you could try crossroads in los gatos, they carry Bianchi. i'm not sure what their selection is like right now because they're closing soon but it also means everything is 25% off.

alancommike

i haven't been to Shaw's in a long time, i'll stop by there. i'll also try Slough's, i live within walking distance of them.

i don't have the time and skill to do the rebuild myself, so would rather buy from an LBS that'll be around. though good to know about crossroads, i'll stop by to help them clear out inventory.

fastev

Slough's has a few. Careful though, if you bring up the 11-speed stuff George might beat you with chain whip. He isn't a fan, says it's a passing fad...

JTGraphics

What size is your Trek 5200 thinking of selling it as is?

SteveE

Give The Bicycle Outfitter in Los Altos a call. They might have some built up.

- SteveE

uspspro

If you want the new stuff, this shop in Morgan Hill had a bunch:

www.conceptcyclery.com

alancommike

@JTGraphics - it's a 54. No plans on selling though, I'd rather upgrade. It's only worth a few hundred, that won't get me anywhere close to a new frame + build. Budget dictates upgrade.

Nice list growing here. Thanks guys.

roguedog

visit tom @ velotech in pa. good mech too.

Dchiefransom

We might deliver your mail. Our office does the 95128/95126 zip codes.

alancommike

@dchiefransom - yep probably, 95126. on hanchett. i'm the project foodie delivery. i'm into cooking too. biking let's me eat more!

Mhendricks

Slough's is my LBS and they service and sell Campy as that's what my Orca is equipped with. If your looking for a fast turnaround then you might look elsewhere but if you want quality then it's worth the wait.

SClaraPokeman

I was intrigued enough by this post to call Sloughs shop. Apparently he carries prior year’s leftover stock from manufacturers’ warehouses. I don’t care if the bike isn’t the most au courant in every respect however. He described a Bianchi carbon Chorus bike that might be right for me.
Basic question I have is as someone who has ridden Shimano stuff for 25 years, would I really notice a different moving to a Chorus group? I’ve used a Lemond Zurich for several years and it’s a good bike but hey at 52 I’ve never had a mid life crisis that necessitated getting a BMV convertible so this may be the next best and far cheaper thing. At least I don’t really see the point of waiting much longer in life to get a new ride. If I clean out the garage some, my wife probably won’t even notice a bike for at least six months, so I won’t have to do any explaining there.
Any opinions welcome. Thank you.

bigbossman 

I think so. I made the switch on one bike, and now all 5 are Campy equipped. Both systems work well, but I like the Campy for the following reasons - it is asthetically more elegant, I prefer the one lever/one thumb button operation, less visible cables, smaller more ergonomic hoods, and the ability to drop several gears with one sweep of the thumb button.

Dchiefransom

I used Shimano on my bikes, but liked the Sora shifters with the thumb lever. Big Campy thumb levers are even better. I never rode in the drops.

t4mv

You might also want to try Bici Bike on Cottle in south SJ. Gary seems to be a fan of Italian.

squirtdad

Just don't get him started on fixies....... and watch for the bunny on the floor.

Just went there today....found crankbolts for an rx100 crank and ordered a 26.4 seatpost.

and if you go there you might not believe this, but it looks neater and more organized than the last time I was there, but this is an extremely relative sense.

I like the place!