New Dura Ace or Campy Chorus

[adavila]

I just ordered a new serotta CSI fully lugged and i can't decide between New Dura Ace or Campy Chorus. which should i pick and why? thanks everyone!!

[JohnS]

Chorus- just because!

[bostondrunk]

Do you want good looks, or do you want performance?

If you want looks, go Chorus.
If you want performance....well...go Chorus.

Hows that?!

[zap]

Chorus.

Due to good looks, performance and rebuildable ergo levers. Also tried and true square bb. How can you go wrong with Chorus:)

[dirtdigger88]

come on guys we all know this is like a Ford - Chevy debate. One is not better than the other, they are just different. I ordered Dura Ace for my Legend, I have always been a fan of their products back from my BMX days. However, on a lugged bike, I would have to say Campy. The new Dura Ace to me is "high tech" even if it is in appearence only. Putting that on a lugged steel bike would be like putting 22 inch wheels and low profile tires on a perfectly restored antique car. Or dropping a new Vette motor in your classic. All are great products, some just fit the image better. I have always been interested in Campy equipment, I just never feel comfortable using it. Just my $.02

[Too Tall]

It does not matter as long as you put a Brooks on it. KIDDING, just kidding kiiiiiiiiiiiding.

Shimano 10 shifts with the same precision as Campag. 10.

What really matters at the end of the day is does it look good.

For me, today, presented with a "cost don't mattah" choice I'd go with the gruppo that has the longest service interval(s) because I stack on miles in all sorts of conditions. With the advent of Shimano's external crank bearing design THAT is a big question yet to be answered. I liken Shimano's service interval for shifters to Volvos...either you have a good one and it lasts as long as you care to run it or you'll curse it from day two. :crap:

[bostondrunk]

Shimano does not shift as well, in that the front der. trim sucks, and shifting to harder gears in the rear is limited to one at a time, correct?
Sorry to sound so harsh about those people who made the mistake of ordering shimano. My teammate who ran into the boulder, and now shaves his arms, to this day still blames his crash on the fact that he was trying to trim his shimano front derailleur and got distracted. However, I think it had more to do with the twinkie and mouth full of chocolate milk he was trying to down with 1km left in the race...

[Ozz]

2004 Chorus is the same as 2003 Record...

It looks nicer than shimano

It works just as well (some say better, some say worse)

It looks "cleaner" with the cables under the bar tape rather than sticking out of the brifters...

I think we have reached a concensus!

[oracle]

i think that the campy apologists will at some point be forced to admit that it is their 'bella donna' that has strayed from the true path of simplicity and function over form. campy's apparant addiction to carbon leaves me with feelings of nothing but disgust for a truly splendid and venerable company which once had my sincerest respect and most profound admiration.

let us remember that shimano has remained relatively conventional in terms of materials, while at the same time, pushed forward some of the most innovative new designs in the recent history of cycles manufacturing. the new dura ace crank, for example, is one that i hardly find attractive, but would trust 10 days out of nine before a carbonolo wonder crank of dubious virtue.

oracle

[Todd Owen]

My new CSi due on Wed of next week will have DA 9 speed ...all new... due to the looks, good performance and price. I was also lookinf for a more traditional look. I however have Chorus on a couple of other bikes and would pick it over new DA 10 speed due to $500 price difference. retro grouch alert! BTW I got a call from Mr. Weigle and I am in the que.

[bostondrunk]

Dubious or not, my buddy with the shaved arms and the scar on his forehead from launching a wild headbutt attach on that boulder, swears that he has the hardest time eating twinkies and drinking chocolate milk AND trimming that damn shimano front derailleur!
BTW, you don't have to get carbon cranks with Campy, you can still get the record/chorus alloy crank. Your right, shmano doesn't use carbon, they use plastic all over the place.

[Climb01742]

i'm with todd. dura ace 9. based purely on my experience, dura ace 9 is smoother and more bullet proof, for me, than campy record 10. my wrench skills are minimal, and i find shimano to be like the eveready bunny...just keeps going and going...

[Kurt]

I have used both and have campy on both my bikes. All the parts are very much the same except two, the shifters and brake calipers. Besides the hand-feel issue, which is really different between the models, they shift different – With the campy you have the ability to drop your entire cassette from low to high in one thumb press, you can be in a paceline, 53/19, use both thumb levers at the same time, drop to the 39/16 and be ready to climb – the little shifters are interesting, you can just swing them back when you are on the tops and shift never leaving your position – there is do sweeping motion to shifts – for shifting in crits there is a big difference on the tops or drops – you can also trim your front gearing to get any chain rub to stop. The brake release is in the hood – some folks do not like this, some do. Campy does not have a 27, which can be a nice gear to have. The brakes have more adjustment, toe in/out, tension. I like the cleaner look, but that is just me. I also like the feel of the old chorus lever rather than the plastic record, I like a mechanical snap. Some bars work better with the campy brakes then others, deda 215’s are great, I like to be able to brake with lots of slop. They do the same thing but are different when you really get down to business. You can, btw, get some older record stuff @ <$ these days, check excel, record cranks for 165, etc.

[shinomaster]

2003 chorus parts are the best looking. My Atlanta looks so pretty with them...yes..pretty. They work like a charm too.

[kenyee]

Originally posted by adavila
can't decide between New Dura Ace or Campy Chorus

You didn't say whether you've tried both...

[Too Tall]

Kurt brings up something good here. I choose Record for our PBP tandem rig because of the 1000's of front ring shifts needed and double shifts (front and back together) are common for the tandem in that terrain. Campag. most def. is my choice in that situation. And I'll back that up with I have DA on everything else and don't even think about which is which.

Let's see....I had to send my Record R. shifter to CBike after 6k of wear. Good thing I keep a spare ERGO on the shelf. CBike tells me to expect the same and maybe better up to 10k before the springs need a refresh. That's a fact and no surprise to me chief. I'm OTAY with it.

And why are you picking on plastic anyway. You know how many dinosaurs it takes to make a carbon crank????

Folks down home where I come from
Ain't had too much learnin'
The can spell from A to Z
Doin' a what comes natchurllleeeey. Annie Oakley.

[Kevin]

Campy. Case closed.

Kevin

[Jeff N.]

The new Dura Ace-10 is the new standard IMO. I find it superior to anything Campy. The shifts click in like a switch blade knife. I ride bikes equipped with each. After riding bikes equipped with each group, and REALLY comparing, I just don't see how one could walk away and say that Campy is better and keep a straight face. Jeff N.

[Johny]

No longer interested in arguing one is better than the other. They are different in terms of design, philosophy and aesthetics: pick the one you like, in terms of hands position comfort, shifting feel, and "look".
Personally, I like Campy's solid (positive) shifting better and ergo's fit my hands. Campy's also please my eyes.

[Elefantino]

I have had both.

I tried DA on my first Serotta, but it did not, as advertised, make me as fast as Lance Armstrong. Or maybe that was what the guy at the LBS told me. I can't remember.

So, I guess that means go with Chorus.

:argue:

In some seriousness, I also think the new DA crank is ugly. It looks industrial, not a work of art.

Mike

[Roadbike61]

I recently re-built my Ottrott with the new Shimano 10 speed. I have run Campy Record for 10+ years and felt...what the heck, give shimaNO another shot......guess what? they have succeeded this time. I was able to get outside yesterday and today and put some non-trainer miles on. I have to say that the DA shifts quicker/ lighter and smoother than my Record did. I have always been a Campy fan (and still am) but I like the BB concept DA provides...MUCH stiffer than just about anything else out there right now....and yes, it is VERY noticeable. ShimaNO did their homework and have provided a very nice shifting, excellent BB design and excellent stopping powered brakeset group! If it were my bike I would go the new DA.

[dbrk]

I am among those deeply disappointed that 2004 Chorus is now carbon. It's okay if the bike is all ti or zooty, but who would put this black stuff on a perfectly lovely oldschool looking steel bike? And the new DA is, well, ugly to my eye. Dang, it's all ugly. What happened to the last Superbe Pro, now that was handsome? What happened to the stellar good looks of Super Record? Did they just lose their minds? I have hoarded some Chorus and I use DA 9 on a bunch of bikes because it was such a cheap deal, but I'd pick that silver Chorus 9 over everything (and 10 if I had to).

nine works with nine, ten works with ten, but ugly doesn't work with anything that I like to ride, though some find the carbon stuff not ugly...so it's all in the eye of the beholder...functionally, it's taste not performance,

dbrk

[theoldman]

I recently built up a new bike and went through the same thought process and decided to go to Record. The reasons:

1) Campy 10 speed has been proven for many years. All the kinks have been worked out.
2) Campy has additional gearing options 13-29, triple (30-40-50), (30-42-53).
3) Multiple price points on replacement parts: Record, Chorus, Centaur, Volce level of compatible parts.
4) clean cable routing on the handlebars.
5) The looks. I like the look of Campy carbon ergo shifters.

The DA10 is without question a great groupset. If I was not a hill climber or maybe 30 pounds lighter and 30 years younger, it would work for me. But the reality is that I am not getting any younger or stronger and my knees need lower gearing on those long hills.

So for me, the choice was easy. Campy triple. In a couple of years, Shimano will have a full range of ten speed products and then it would work for me, but for right now, the choices are limited.

If the existing DA gearing is all you need, then the choice becomes tougher, only because they are both so good. But either way, you get yourself a great drivetrain.

[froze]

Originally posted by dbrk
It's okay if the bike is all ti or zooty, but who would put this black stuff on a perfectly lovely oldschool looking steel bike? And the new DA is, well, ugly to my eye. Dang, it's all ugly. What happened to the last Superbe Pro, now that was handsome? What happened to the stellar good looks of Super Record? Did they just lose their minds? nine works with nine, ten works with ten, but ugly doesn't work with anything that I like to ride, though some find the carbon stuff not ugly...so it's all in the eye of the beholder...functionally, it's taste not performance,

dbrk

Just so you don't feel alone Dbrk, I AGREE WITH YOU 100%!!! Sorry but I also think that todays world is lacking artistic abilities, and bikes today are an example of that. I don't see beauty in industrial looking things such as tig welded frames, black paint on everything; nothing shines any more, no chrome bumpers or mirrors or whatever on cars, no shiny wheels or spokes on bikes, dull black handlebars and stems...yuck.

My current bike is all Suntour Superbe Pro and it's all silver except the frame and fork that is red with yellow graphics, oh yeah it has lugs too. And the funny thing is, my Superbe components have over 140,000 miles and nothing has ever broke or wore out, except of course for the chain (10 times) and one freewheel. Looks and dependablity.

[bostondrunk]

froze <burp>,
What you have <burp> failed to <burp> realize...whooo....<burp>....is that people on this forum 99 % of the time are not looking for longevity. If anything <burp>, most of <burp> us secretly want our equipment to <burp> wear out because it is the most <burp> obvious excuse to buy new equipment. Most people who buy a 4k frame end up selling it for something different within a few years. Either they decide it doesn't fit right anymore, or they get bored with it, or they crash on it and then clean it up and sell it as new to some sucker....yes<burp>, sad but true...<burp>

"You gonna drink that"
- Me

[Kevin]

bostondrunk,

If my wife reads your post I am a dead man. She thinks that the life expectancy of a bicycle component is one year and a frame two years.

Kevin

[Jeff N.]

My wife is the same! She also thinks THIS is 8 inches:

( )



Jeff N.

[froze]

Well that may be true BostonDrunk with some people but not with all. But I could be wrong! I do not have cash falling out of my pocket like you and maybe others, nor do I race and have a sponser throwing bikes at me 2 or 3 times a year for free; so when I bought my bike and components I was looking for durability because I knew I wasn't going to be buying a new bike every 2 or 3 years, and in fact probably not for at least 10 years! Stupid? no, not in the sense of economics, let me explain. If I were to buy a disposeable bike every 4 years at a cost of $1,500 starting in 84 when I bought mine then figure a 5 percent increase at every purchase. I would have paid $8287 for 5 bikes over that time period. Instead I paid $1,500 for a bike that I knew the Suntour stuff on it was well made (didn't realize how well!) and I am riding that bike today with no failures or breakage and these components have over 140,000 miles. So from a economics standpoint I am way ahead of the money issue.

[Matt Barkley]

Grabbing handfulls of Campy Brake feels mucho bedder than squichy shifting!!?? NO! - I WANT TO F_ING Brake !!SHimano Brake (handfulls of - that is, not as good modulating.)

Shimano does makes some nice product.

I think it would be more fun if we had some more stuff out there to choose from. I do kindof like the bold move by Campy(in my opinion) to offer so much carbon. They must really think that is the way we are going (marketing-wise, as well, no doubt) Smart of them to to offer the Aluminum crank option in both Record and Chorus.