campy or shimano

Which drivetrain system is better?

Welllll, I'm certainly no expert, but if I had it to do all over again, I
might say neither. I always wanted to get a top of the line bike and did so
last year. I decided to go with Dura-Ace over Record (too expensive for me
and liked the Shimano shift system better) over Chorus (no Triple) over
Ultegra (too cheap, or so I thought.) Looking backward, I think Ultegra is
probably BY FAR the most bang for the buck of the four, but I can't afford
to do a test. At least not for a while anyway.

Overall, I've been satisfied with the performance. Nice shifting and it was
a breeze to build because the craftsmanship was, well, pretty darn
exquisite.

However, as it turned out, my gearing needs changed as I rode and I didn't
have a lot of choice with my Dura-Ace group. (I'm being nice; I had almost
no choice.) Incidentally, I would have fared no better with any of my other
three considerations, so next time I think I'll get a TA Crank. Both the
Alize and Zephyr models have many gear options to choose from and they look
just as good as DA or Record, maybe better. I would probably try the Campy
Racing Triple front derailleur because the DA front der. has a hump built
into the cage that seems to be made especially for the 30-39-53 chainring
combo. I did try a 48T outer ring with the DA der. and it seemed to work
okay, but not great.

And whatever you do, don't throw money away on an expensive chain like I
did! Get the cheapest chain that will work, keep it clean and lubed, and
change it every 1000 miles. Another area where I threw money away was on a
Dura-Ace cassette with 3 titanium cogs. Oooooo. Stoooopid. The titanium
cogs wear exponentially faster than steel. I finally replaced the DA
cassette with an Ultegra model. I find, pleasantly, that I can still lift
my bike with one hand AND the chain doesn't skip anymore. (The chain
skipped occasionally from Day One with the DA cassette, but got
progressively worse with wear.)

I might still buy the DA brake calipers, not because they'd be any better
than Ultegra, or anything else, but they're just sooo purty. I love to look
at 'em.

I'm not a racer, just a rec rider, but I love to ride a bike and I'm a
sucker for really nice stuff. However, in my world, if it doesn't last it's
junk, regardless of how light it is or how much it costs.

So, do your homework and don't be in a hurry. The search is half the fun.
I've learned a ton by reading the posts here on this NG. Sometimes the good
stuff in life really is free...

Enjoy,

Trevor Taylor

get a TA Crank.

I would agree. Get a 110/74 crank, and whatever group you like.
I would, however, get Shimano wheels. You can use either group with these.
B

(remove clothes to reply)

You trying to start a flame thread? LOL!

May you have the wind at your back.
And a really low gear for the hills!
Chris

Chris'Z Corner
"The Website for the Common Bicyclist":
http://www.geocities.com/czcorner

Hope so! Love to watch the fireworks. Especially when they're good enough
to light up the sky.

"Chris Zacho "The Wheelman"" wrote in message
...
You trying to start a flame thread? LOL!

May you have the wind at your back.
And a really low gear for the hills!
Chris

Chris'Z Corner
"The Website for the Common Bicyclist":
http://www.geocities.com/czcorner

Seems to me the biggest issue is which brake/shifter hoods you like
best. They have different shapes, and which is 'best" is personal
preference. In addition, the way the shifts are actuated varies..again
preference. Beyond that they are functionally the same.

On Sat, 12 Jul 2003 23:17:26 -0400, "Dennis Vaughn"
wrote:

No. I am looking to purchase a new bike and wonder what is best. I was
told today that Shimano parts are not rebuildable and Campy bike parts are
(I'm sure that will start quite an argument). I'm sure there are plusses
and minuses to each component make, I just want to know what the general
consensus was. I think based on where I live and what's easiest to get
Shimano is more readily available.


Dennis L. Vaughn
7076 Delisle Drive
Jacksonville FL 32244 United States
(904) 619-5443
(904) 563-0502





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"Chris Zacho "The Wheelman"" wrote in message
...
You trying to start a flame thread? LOL!

May you have the wind at your back.
And a really low gear for the hills!
Chris

Chris'Z Corner
"The Website for the Common Bicyclist":
http://www.geocities.com/czcorner



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trevor- I decided to go with Dura-Ace over Record (too expensive for me
and liked the Shimano shift system better) over Chorus (no Triple) over
Ultegra (too cheap, or so I thought.) BRBR

Should have looked at Centaur triple...most bang for the buck, same innards and
bits as Record w/o the titanium and carbon and cheaper than ultegra.

Peter Chisholm
Vecchio's Bicicletteria
1833 Pearl St.
Boulder, CO, 80302
(303)440-3535
http://www.vecchios.com
"Ruote convenzionali costruite eccezionalmente bene"

Should have looked at Centaur triple...most bang for the buck, same
innards and
bits as Record w/o the titanium and carbon and cheaper than ultegra.

Yes, I should have. For some reason I couldn't see past Record and Chorus.

-Trevor

On 13 Jul 2003 01:22:19 GMT, lothes (B) wrote:

get a TA Crank.

I would agree. Get a 110/74 crank, and whatever group you like.
I would, however, get Shimano wheels. You can use either group with these.
B

(remove clothes to reply)

I have a Stronglight Grafondo which is prettier than the TA and also
high quality.

"Dennis Vaughn" wrote in message
...
Which drivetrain system is better?


Dennis L. Vaughn
7076 Delisle Drive
Jacksonville FL 32244 United States
(904) 619-5443
(904) 563-0502





Add this card to your address book



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I'm an old 19th century Clif-bar-eating rider, who
is a weak climber. I recently bought a new Trek
5500 with a Dura-Ace triple drivetrain. I had the
LBS switch the rear to an 11-32 Deore XT
cassette and XTR rear derailleur so I could manage
the long steep climbs (I know it's dorky, but this
64 year old doesn't race). I've never used Campy,
but have been told you don't have those kinds of
flexibility and options with Campy. One couple
I know put high end campy shifters on their
tandem and the same Shimano rear set-up that
I described above, but I guess they had to deal
with some kind of adapters. I didn't want to even
think about those kinds of compromises on a new
bike.

On Mon, 14 Jul 2003 21:44:37 GMT, Paul Kopit
wrote:

On Mon, 14 Jul 2003 14:12:22 GMT, "David Storm"
wrote:

I've never used Campy,
but have been told you don't have those kinds of
flexibility and options with Campy. One couple
I know put high end campy shifters on their
tandem and the same Shimano rear set-up that
I described above, but I guess they had to deal
with some kind of adapters.

With a Campy 3x10 rear derailleur and either Ergo 9 or 10 sp, you can
shift any Shimano 9sp cassette. If you didn't have a DA triple
crankset, you could use a smaller cog than a 30t as well.


Paul..so you're saying 10sp Campy shifters/campy derailer will operate
a 9 speed Shimano Cassette? I have one bike set-up wirh Record 9sp
shifters, Recing T derailler, and Shimano wheel cassette, and it works
great.

Bob