Groupset

sogood said:

So I wonder what Campagnolo Record 2008 will bring...

A price increase and otherwise no change. Already been said. In 2009 there is a predicted possible Ti Record replacing steel bolts with Ti so they can say they have made the group lighter.

And SRAM Red will be sub 2KG with plenty of possibility for tuning. It will be the true weightweenie group. They have already prototype tested it at the Giro, among other races.

Transitioning to SRAM from 10-speed 105 wasn't difficult, but you will miss the lumpy hood if you have big hands. Ouut of the saddle becomes a dream though.

Bobby has definitely been sold to the SRAM camp! 😄

Personally, I love my Campy however I want better braking ability and I know Shimano can bring it. I've heard to get zero gravity brakes but 1) I don't have the money and 2) It looks misplaced on bikes. Anyways, I always will switch to Shimano after the season is over because it's incredibly cheaper. I can also sell my Chorus for a pretty good amount and probably make a profit to switch to Ultegra SL.

rudycyclist said:

Personally, I love my Campy however I want better braking ability and I know Shimano can bring it. I've heard to get zero gravity brakes but 1) I don't have the money and 2) It looks misplaced on bikes. Anyways, I always will switch to Shimano after the season is over because it's incredibly cheaper.

From what I read, Zero Gravity gravity brakes won't give you better braking power than Campag Record.

It all depends on budget, feel, look and sound. Find somehing that Looks nice...for me, I like Campy...I can afford 06-07 Chorus.

All high end:Shimano, Campy or Sram will feel good with slight difference. Sound is big for me. I like to hear may chain throw down gear and choke back up gear...Campy is good for sound. Shimano is very smooth, almost inaudible...Sram I'm not too sure of. I root for Sram being American, and loving their add campaign...that damn frog is too cute (eek, did I really just say that?)...but Campy is tried and true.

Go to a shop, and ask...see what the workers are riding and ask them why. Look at your favorite pro rider, compare the reasons why you like him/her and ask yourself if you'd want the same (corny, but I'm serious).

I would try to demo them on a demo bike at a local shop to get a feel...best of luck to you!

Try some, then buy what tickles your tickly bits best. I use Campy Record and prefer its function to anything Shimano, but that's me. Having looked at SRAM and talked with friends who've given it a go, I'm not terribly impressed. To me their stuff is a bit ugly, not finished so well.....BUT SRAM is new to the road thing, so they will undoubtedly get better.

If you find you're hip to Shimano, you might wanna wait a bit beause at least mechanic Dura Ace will likely be cheaper after the new year.....once their electronic Dura Ace is released.

Braking? It's a wash across pretty much all brakes, with the only real difference being the difference in pads. I've used Campy (now use Record Skeletons), Dura Ace, Ultegra, Mavic, and ZG brakes...and they all performed very closely to each other (as compared in der mountains). I liked the Shimano brakes least of all. The others are really too close to call as far as performance goes.