is campagnolo the best cycling parts you can buy or is it shimano?

Answer 1

Is Campagnolo the best cycling parts you can buy or is it Shimano ? I think it all comes down to what you can afford and what type of rider you actually are.
If you put the Dura Ace, the Records, Ultegras and a set of 105s on four different bikes and let people ride each, 95% couldn't tell you the difference, and believe me one isn't going to get you there any faster than the other.
I've rode for twenty plus years and in that time I can count the number of riders on one hand and have fingers left that could actually answer this question.
They are the riders who are or would be strong enough and good enough to ride a set of Records or Dura Ace into the ground or actually ware them out, so unless you can do that it doesn't really matter.
Most riders today that run a Campy Record group or Dura Ace group do it for the looks, it's a prestige thing ( the WOW factor ) and that's all.

Answer 2

Campagnolo was founded well before Shimano, and Tullio Campagnolo is the man responsible for both the quick-release skewer and the modern derailleur. Without Campy, all you could do with Shimano is FISH!

Campagnolo parts are all hand-made in Italy and can be rebuilt. They are aestheticaly pleasing as well as nearly indestructible.

Shimano parts work well, but when they break you throw them away and get new ones. They are mass-produced by cheap labor in Taiwan and shy away from carbon fiber and other advanced materials.

Campagnolo is an investment that will last years. You never see anyone bidding on a 1970's era Shimano crankset on eBay, but you can find Super Record there.

You make the call.

Answer 3

I have owned both. I prefer Campagnolo but it is not always better in all aspects. For one, Shimano STI hoods are super comfy perches for the hand. The far forward top section of the STI hood is a position that Campy does not offer. And Shimano dual-pivot brakes are a lot stronger but sacrifice precision modulation of Campy (not weak by any measure either). Other than that, Campy has been more solid. The Campy bottom bracket and cranks of my bike is solid, no chain rub. Shifting is not as smooth as Shimano but always positive and I've never missed a shift on Campy since I got it. Same cannot be said of Shimano. Campy is sexy! Period! Shimano just doesn't get that kind of emotional reaction from riders. And if the weight weenie websites are correct, Campy gruppos are quite a bit lighter than corresponding Shimano gruppos.

Answer 4

I use shimano because it is easier to get parts for because it is so common. I do charity bike rides and have always found shimano stuff at the mechanical support tents. The bummer part is if you break it, you replace it as there are no small parts.

campy - tends to be pricey and not very common on charity rides. Most of the shop near where I live stock very little or nothing at all. The plus side is that you can get darn near every little small part to fix it if you break it.

SRAM - it's new so it may not be that common yet, it's also not cheap either. I don't know how many shops keep this stuff in stock (none in my area but there's a couple I haven't checked). I don't think there are small parts available for repairing it, but I haven't looked into it either. Everybody I've talked to that has ridden the SRAM components likes it, I have yet to try it so don't even get me to lying about it. It also hasn't been around near as long as campy or shimano either but only time will tell.

Answer 5

Personal preference mostly, but here are some reasons I prefer Campy:

- the small internal parts are replace-able by a decent home mechanic. And they're in stock all over so you can get 'em quickly. This was handy when I crashed and destroyed my brake/shifter - instead of buying a whole new one for $100+, I bought 2 small parts for $15 and was back in business in a few days. Shimano doesn't do that.
- the "feel" is crisper - hard to describe unless you ride both.
- Campy shifters can do multi-cog shifts, up and down. Shimano doesn't.
- Campy's finish is a little bit more bling factor.
- Campy is priced quite a bit higher, if that's important to you. So in terms of value per dollar, you can get some great deals with Shimano.

Answer 6

There is no best, but Campy Record/Super Record is a very high end line, but then again so is Shimano Dura-Ace/XTR. In my opinion some shimano Dura-Ace parts are better then some Campy Record parts and vice versa. I think Campy has a better name though, in the sense that people see Campagnolo parts and know its probably a great product, whereas Shimano makes some really bad stuff.

Answer 7

Someone said above that you opened a can of worms which you certainly did.

Campy is to Shimano as Mercedes is to Lexus. They both have their good and bad points.

I saw something regarding to "crispness of shifting". There is no question that Campy has this over Shimano, but many call this "clunky precision" in that there is very little human feedback in Campy parts... some say that it isn't necessary because their stuff is so precise, something I tend to disagree with.

Nevertheless, I have several bikes, some with Campy (SR and Record) and some with Shimano (Dura Ace and Ultegra) and my favorite is an Ultegra equipped Bob Jackson Phoenix 853 frame (made with Reynolds 853 steel tubing) which happens to be one of my lower priced bikes... go figure.

Answer 8

what a can of worms you opened there. some people are campy people and some are shimano, it really depends on your preference. chances are if you rode bikes with full campy record and shimano dura-ace back-to-back you would have a hard time telling the difference.

also, SRAM has started to make some pretty good stuff too.

Answer 9

Campy Record stuff is the best. I have friends that used Dura-Ace vs. Record and everyone agrees, Campy Record is the best. Dura-Ace stuff is so cheaply made, I don't think that is really cool. You pay alot for a gruppo like that just to keep replacing parts. If I was going to go with Shimano, I would buy Ultegra over Dura-Ace. Better quality.

Answer 10

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