Chain recommendation for Campy 11 w/ Shimano rear

[boconnor811]

People running this setup, what is your chain are you having the most success with?

[oldpotatoe]

People running this setup, what is your chain are you having the most success with?

Any 11s chain would work fine. My personal preference is Chorus but shimano 5800/6800/9000 would also as well as KMC. Smarm would work too but I wouldn't use one. Either use the pin or KMC link and bobs yer uncle.

[stephenmarklay]

Good to know. I want to use my Shimano power tap with my new Athena group.

[leooooo]

KMC works well, 1st hand knowledge

[gpendergast]

+1 for KMC, quick link for the win

[fatallightning]

I'm using a 6800 chain and cassette with an otherwise campy 11 setup, works perfect.

[Cicli]

I am using a Campy group and chain on a 6800 cassette. Shifting is flawless.

[boconnor811]

Update - based on advice here, I bought an Athena group and planned to run a 6800 cassette and chain. The shop that put everything together said they were not happy with the shifting performance, and recommended running full campy setup.

Anyone running campy with shimano bits have advise for possible things to check, adjust, or any other considerations? I wanted to get more hands-on with my bike maintenance stuff, and due to travel etc didn't attempt the full bike assembly, but this will force me to dip my toes in the pool;)

[bikerboy337]

been running full campy bikes with 105/ultegra level cassettes and KMC chains with no issues... i have one set of wheels with record hubs and swapping wheels I wouldn't be able to tell any difference between the cassettes... i like shimano cassettes as they're 1/2 the price of campy and as they are a wear item, thats great for me!

I wouldnt listen to them... for 11s, no issues using shimano cassettes and any 11s chain.

[dcama5]

KMC works well, 1st hand knowledge

Yes, I agree. KMC. As long as it's 11 speed. It will be excellent.

[boconnor811]

Got a chance to ride a few laps around my subdivision, and think the shop may have been overplaying the shifting performance. There are spots in a few combinations where it hints it may still need a bit of tweaking, but it is far from terrible.

[fatallightning]

I'd be more inclined to look at cable routing and housing length for shifting issues rather then the cassette and chain. I have the same hybrid setup on 2 bikes with no issues.

[oldpotatoe]

I'd be more inclined to look at cable routing and housing length for shifting issues rather then the cassette and chain. I have the same hybrid setup on 2 bikes with no issues.

What he said..even Wayne Stetina, who has the keys to the front door at Shimano, USA, says he uses shimano 11s cogsets on his Campagnolo bike(yes he has one) and Campagnolo 11s wheels on his shimano 11s bike(and yes, he has a 'few' of those).

[cgolvin]

Recently I had the opportunity to test a Shimano cassette on my Campy build, and was pleased to confirm what most people say: worked great, I wasn't able to distinguish any meaningful performance difference versus my Campy cassette.

I've gone back to my Campy cassette, but am about to replace the SR cranks with Praxis Zayante sub-compact. The [Campy] chain is nearing end of life and since this setup will demand I shorten the chain, I'd rather have a chain devoted to the subcompact and thought I'd consider alternatives.

I've used KMC in the past but have stuck with Campy recently. Given my compatibility experience with the cassette, I'm tempted to try a Shimano chain. I don't imagine anyone has experience with my specific setup, but curious if anyone's running Campy drivetrain and Shimano chains. And, if so, is it worth spending an extra $7 for DuraAce rather than Ultegra (those are prices I see right now at Jensen).

thanks

[oldpotatoe]

Recently I had the opportunity to test a Shimano cassette on my Campy build, and was pleased to confirm what most people say: worked great, I wasn't able to distinguish any meaningful performance difference versus my Campy cassette.

I've gone back to my Campy cassette, but am about to replace the SR cranks with Praxis Zayante sub-compact. The [Campy] chain is nearing end of life and since this setup will demand I shorten the chain, I'd rather have a chain devoted to the subcompact and thought I'd consider alternatives.

I've used KMC in the past but have stuck with Campy recently. Given my compatibility experience with the cassette, I'm tempted to try a Shimano chain. I don't imagine anyone has experience with my specific setup, but curious if anyone's running Campy drivetrain and Shimano chains. And, if so, is it worth spending an extra $7 for DuraAce rather than Ultegra (those are prices I see right now at Jensen).

thanks

"Least Expensive compatible chain"..11s is 11s..I have used any and all 11s chains on any and all 11s drivetrains. My favorite is Campagnolo(imagine that), followed by KMC(snaplink, plus seem to help balky drivetrans shift better)..but shimano are great chains also. On par with KMC.
You gain nothing in terms or performance or longevity when using a more expensive shimano 11s chain..5700/105 level is a great chain.

BUT considering the $, KMC or 5700...

[jtakeda]

This is the opposite but for anyone wondering.
Sram shifting with campagnolo cassette and chain also works flawlessly

[weiwentg]

I recently switched to Shimano. My primary wheelset had a Campy freehub with a Miche cassette. I ran a KMC chain. That wheelset gave up the ghost. I switched to a wheelset with a Shimano freehub, but kept the chain.

I have one bike with a Shimano cassette and chain as well.

By comparison, the KMC chain works fine in both situations. It may be a bit noisier than the Shimano chain.

I haven't tried the reverse (Campy chain on Shimano cogs). I was under the impression that it was better to keep the cogs and chain the same brand, or else use a KMC chain. That might just have been conventional wisdom, though.

[bigbill]

My trainer bike on the Wahoo has a Chorus 11 drivetrain but I switched to a Shimano 8000 chain because it was quieter on the Shimano 11-28 that came with the Wahoo. No effect on shifting, in the living room. Otherwise, the bikes that see pavement have shimano on shimano and campy on campy.