Quoted post said:Originally posted by mjshapiro
I currently ride Shimano 105. I need new STI levers. I have a friend who I ride with often and he suggests that now is the perfect time to scrap Shimano and upgrade to Campy. His three main reasons are durability, campy has 10 speed at lower price points, and the ability to replace parts w/ Campy. Is this true? Campy is more expensive and a larger investment. My current thinking is that if I were to upgrade in Shimano I would go to Ultegra but if I switched to Campy which group should I consider?
Some other things - I am 190lbs and ride +/- 2500 miles / year.
Help!😕
When your friend mentioned the "ability to replace parts" as a selling point for Campy, I'm not sure what he meant; I think most would agree that Shimano drivetrains are much more common in the states, and thus more servicable -- you'll have less trouble getting parts in a timely fashion, or finding a mechanic who can quickly perform a repair (if you need a mechanic, that is).
And sure, Campy has 10 speed groups at a lower price point -- sort of a silly statement, though, because Shimano hasn't offered any 10 speed road groups for ages (until, that is, the '04 Dura Ace). The number of cogs your bike needs is hardly a key selling point, particularly if you're deciding between a 9-speed racing group and a 10-speed racing group. Dura Ace, Shimano's top group and the choice of many, many pro racers, has been 9-speed for years.
Given that, the lower 10-speed price point thing is sort of moot, because as you pointed out, Campy is generally 5%-15% more expensive than comparable Shimano.
In the end, Americans using Campy do so because of personal preference. They like the way the shifting is defined; they like the feel of the hoods; they have an Italian frame and the romantic exclusivity of Italian carbon fiber brake levers is appealing. The Campy stuff is great, but in the end, there's no universal compelling reason to chose is over Shimano... unless you want to, which is absolutely good enough!
