Shimano and Campagnolo differences?

(Y(L|5T said:

No, not another brand war...

Just looking for the Groupset equivalences between Campy hand Shimano. I know that Record is Campy's flagship followed by Chorus. And Shimano's order from top down is D/A, Ultegra, 105, Tiagra, etc. But What I am wondering is what groupset of Shimano are ~equal to what groupset in Campy. For instance, is 105 = Centaur or Veloce? 😕

You will get differences of opinions on this, but if one makes comparisons on the lower groups in relation to the top group on the given brand based on features, materials, compatibility, etc.. then I think an assessment can be made that DA and Record are probably equivalent as the top groups. Chorus has many features of Record and is 100% interchangeable and has several aspects that put it in price and perhaps performance above Ultegra. Ultegra and Centaur are probably about equivalent in that they are basically functionally the same as the top groups but with a bit heavier materials and lesser finishes. 105 was a notch below the top 4 Campy groups until it was upgraded to 10s. Now it is probably equivalent to Veloce, although Veloce has (in my opinion) nicer finishes with the polished aluminum than the 105. Tiagra and Mirage are a step down.

(Y(L|5T said:

No, not another brand war...

Just looking for the Groupset equivalences between Campy hand Shimano. I know that Record is Campy's flagship followed by Chorus. And Shimano's order from top down is D/A, Ultegra, 105, Tiagra, etc. But What I am wondering is what groupset of Shimano are ~equal to what groupset in Campy. For instance, is 105 = Centaur or Veloce? 😕

Record and Chorus are functionally equal. The difference is, Record uses more titanium hardware, more carbon in the derailleurs and BB shell, and lighter alloy chainring bolts where Chorus uses stainless. A Record cassette uses titanium in the four largest cogs, while a Chorus cassette is all steel. Record also offers an all ti cassette if You're willing to shell out $335... Record used to have a couple more advantages over Chorus, like the chainring being bolted directly to the crank arm for stiffness and carbon ergo levers. Now Chorus has followed Record on both of these upgrades. Dura Ace uses no carbon, but the use of ti hardware and ti cogs probably puts it closer to Record. Weight wise, Record and DA10 are pretty close. If you throw in a Record carbon crankset, it tips the scales toward Campy.
Ultegra and Centaur are a good match as well as 105 and Veloce as stated previously.

John M said:

... Ultegra and Centaur are probably about equivalent in that they are basically functionally the same as the top groups but with a bit heavier materials and lesser finishes. 105 was a notch below the top 4 Campy groups until it was upgraded to 10s. Now it is probably equivalent to Veloce, although Veloce has (in my opinion) nicer finishes with the polished aluminum than the 105. Tiagra and Mirage are a step down.

I priced the new 105 10s and it seems to be on par with Centaur more than Veloce. Could be price gouging for the new product. Wold you take Veloce over the New 105?

Aesthetically speaking I say currently Shimano has some of the but-ugliest stuff around. At least as far as the cranksets goes. The current Dura Ace crank is the ugliest component I've ever seen on a bike, IMHO. I think all of the Campy stuff is just plain beautiful down to Veloce and even their lesser stuff is nice looking.

Functionally speaking I think if would be safe to say that all the race-worthy stuff works and as it should and as you go up the price ladder, they may work more smoothly and last longer. But to an average-joe-cyclist like me, I may be hard press to tell the differance. Is that a safe assumption? Or is there really a huge difference functionally?

As far as feel, my experience is very limited to test rides and the few bikes I've actually owned so it is very limited. For those that have or had all or most of these groupsets, how would you compare the "feel"?

My current bike has campy and my older Shimano. I have to say I have grown to love campy, but I do still like Shimano as well. I rode my old bike twice this week, Ultegra 9, and really enjoyed it, but it did leave me wanting my Campy(Veloce and Chours) back. The thumb shift is everything, as is the ability to shift multiple gears, shift while hammering in a standing position, and the larger grip of the campy. On the other hand it seems, at least with my two bikes, that the Shimano allows easier use of the gears accross the whole rear cog whether I'm in the 52 or 39. With the campy it get's real noisy when I'm in the 52 and trying to use my last three large cogs. It may be an adjustment issue?? Anyway, unless I find a stellar deal on a Shimano equiped bike, I'll be buying Campy again.

I just finished building up my bike today. I am running campy chorus shifters, with a shimano 9 speed setup including the duraAce derailleur.

In my opinion the best option is to mix and match components of the different companies. Campy has the kick a*s shifters (that are fairly cheap compared to shimano), and shimano has very nice derailleurs, like the duraAce which is only a fraction of what a record derailleur costs. Add a sram cassette and chain and you got one hot setup!

-if you try going other ways you will be wasting money.

-IMO 10 speed is too expensive still.

of course not possible without the jtek shiftmate, which works perfect

free_rideman said:

In my opinion the best option is to mix and match components of the different companies. Campy has the kick a*s shifters (that are fairly cheap compared to shimano), and shimano has very nice derailleurs, like the duraAce which is only a fraction of what a record derailleur costs. Add a sram cassette and chain and you got one hot setup!

Forgive my ignorance, but I didn't think this could be done? I'd love to buy some Centaur shifters to go with my Ultegra drive train... you're not yanking my chain are you?

You shouldnt use the 52 with the top 2 cogs or the 39 with the bottom cog on 9 speed Campy. you are all way off track this is all about ethos. Do you want some faceless japanese technology that works perfectly if a little dead in feel. Or a marque with 80 years of expereince in road racing and positve feedback, the gears may let you know when its changing but have u used a ferrari and the brakes have far better modulation. But all joking apart campy is way better the record groupset is the vanguard. re the other post i rather think the DA chainset is very cool.

azdroptop said:

My current bike has campy and my older Shimano. I have to say I have grown to love campy, but I do still like Shimano as well. I rode my old bike twice this week, Ultegra 9, and really enjoyed it, but it did leave me wanting my Campy(Veloce and Chours) back. The thumb shift is everything, as is the ability to shift multiple gears, shift while hammering in a standing position, and the larger grip of the campy. On the other hand it seems, at least with my two bikes, that the Shimano allows easier use of the gears accross the whole rear cog whether I'm in the 52 or 39. With the campy it get's real noisy when I'm in the 52 and trying to use my last three large cogs. It may be an adjustment issue?? Anyway, unless I find a stellar deal on a Shimano equiped bike, I'll be buying Campy again.

[quote="Fignon le Grand"]You shouldnt use the 52 with the top 2 cogs or the 39 with the bottom cog on 9 speed Campy. you are all way off track this is all about ethos.QUOTE]
🙂

Fignon le Grand said:

... re the other post i rather think the DA chainset is very cool.

To each their own. I just think the DA crankset is the polar opposite of the Record. The Record is very elegant looking while the DA is rather industrial looking. Something to chop a tree down with 😄 . It just looks...thick! It would probably look better on those huge fat-tubed Cannondales of the early 90's.

lava said:

Forgive my ignorance, but I didn't think this could be done? I'd love to buy some Centaur shifters to go with my Ultegra drive train... you're not yanking my chain are you?

no I am not! It works better than you ever would believe.

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