Ride Differences between Campy and Shimano

[socalspeedsk8r]

I know many on the forum ride campy equip bikes and it has been a few decades since I have ridden campy. Since returning to cycling several years ago I have ridden only Shimano and haven't ridden the newer campy 10 or 11. I have the opportunity to pick-up a campy record 10 set-up but I'm unsure of the shifting and specifically that thumb shifter. For those that have ridden both record and dura ace, is it that different between the two shifting styles are is it simply something you get use to.

Thanks,

Scott

[AngryScientist]

Campy Record has taken plenty of pros to the podium, it works just as good as DA.

it may take a small bit of getting used to, but the thumb shift thing is really a non-issue once you've ridden it for a few hours IMO.

record-10 is some of the best stuff out there, if it's in good shape, jump on it.

[Aaron O]

I don't think it's as good as Dura Ace, I think it's far better. You can jump multiple shifts, it feels better, it's rebuildable.

[martinrjensen]

The lever shifts the chain in the direction you move the lever and the button does the opposite, pretty basic. You can get more shifts per lever action than you can with Shimano (depending on what gear you are in).

[socalspeedsk8r]

One other question regarding the drivetrain is that I just purchased a FSA BB30 crankset, how well will it work with the campy drivetrain.

Scott

[AngryScientist]

One other question regarding the drivetrain is that I just purchased a FSA BB30 crankset, how well will it work with the campy drivetrain.

Scott

just fine.

[socalspeedsk8r]

One other concern is riding position while on the hoods. It would seem like the thumb shifter lever would interfere with the natural position when riding on the hoods. I think that is really my biggest concern. The comfort or my natural tendencies of my thumb placement on the hoods.

Scott

[AngryScientist]

One other concern is riding position while on the hoods. It would seem like the thumb shifter lever would interfere with the natural position when riding on the hoods. I think that is really my biggest concern. The comfort or my natural tendencies of my thumb placement on the hoods.

Scott

Scott,

It really is a non-issue as far as i'm concerned. Campy did an excellent job of designing the lever that the thumb button is not at all in the way of where my hand would naturally fall on the hood, yet right where i'd want it to be when shifting is required.

another big bonus of the thumb shifter: pinky shifting while on the tops. try that with shimano!

[bobswire]

One other concern is riding position while on the hoods. It would seem like the thumb shifter lever would interfere with the natural position when riding on the hoods. I think that is really my biggest concern. The comfort or my natural tendencies of my thumb placement on the hoods.

Scott

I prefer the newer Campy ergonomics over Shimano because of the grip. I noticed descending long steep switchbacks while riding the hoods and having to feather the brake levers that Campy didn't put as much stress or muscle fatigue on my hands.
Using the thumbs to shift was of less concern and only required a slight turn of the hand.
However I read that Shimano claims the ergonomics on their new STI are more comfortable riding the hoods and braking.
If fact I tried starting a thread early this morning asking Shimano users their opinions, since no one responded I assumed everyone must be using Campy. :^)

[jlwdm]

Love the thumb shifter!
Jeff

[Aaron O]

I've never had an issue with the placement of the thumb lever...it's easy to reach when I need it, and out of the way when I don't. I don't know if anyone else has this problem, but every now and then when using STI, I'll catch the inside lever along with the outside while shifting. The result is a weird feeling movement and no shift. You never have that happen with Campy.

[Ken Robb]

I ride both, like both, all the hoods are ok for me. For some riders the shape of the hoods makes a BIG difference in comfort. Campy front shifting is essentially friction so when shifting triples it works the same with any reasonable number of teeth on the rings as long as you move the lever the appropriate distance. Shimano front shifting is indexed and flawless requiring a no-brainer one-click move to go from ring to ring with no fear of overshifting but it will require a half-step trim when shifting to the middle ring of a non-standard triple crank.

I find Shimano drivetrain parts are cheaper to buy and every shop sells/repairs Shimano but Campy shops are fewer and maybe nonexistent in some rural areas.

If you can get a ride on bikes with each brand to see which you prefer, especially hand/hood comfort, that would be ideal. Failing that I would buy based on price for equivalent groups.

[Elefantino]

Feel is subjective, of course.

The Hudz softgrip replacement hoods are great if you have older Campy 10-speed.

[rinconryder]

I have bikes with Campy Chorus 11-speed / SRAM Red / Shimano 7800. They all work really well and you can't go wrong with any of the groups. They each feel different in the hoods although I can't speak to the new Shimano hoods which look very SRAM-esque. I prefer the feel of the SRAM lever in my hands - the SRAM shifting is crisp and mechanical feeling. Campy is the same but seems more refined. Shimano is just butter smooth. I think it comes down to the hoods and levers really - what feels best in your hands. You can't go wrong with any of them.

[cody.wms]

One other concern is riding position while on the hoods. It would seem like the thumb shifter lever would interfere with the natural position when riding on the hoods. I think that is really my biggest concern. The comfort or my natural tendencies of my thumb placement on the hoods.

Scott

This is a non-problem. Your thumb will comfortably rest in front of the button.

[firerescuefin]

Campy thumb shifting is like soft butter melting on a warm croissant, while you take in a view of the Adriatic, slowly sipping a Segafredo. :cool:

You'll have no problem. Yes, I prefer Campy, but they're all very functional and fairly intuitive.

[ahumblecycler]

Campy thumb shifting is like soft butter melting on a warm croissant, while you take in a view of the Adriatic, slowly sipping a Segafredo. :cool:

You'll have no problem. Yes, I prefer Campy, but they're all very functional and fairly intuitive.

I disagree. I recall a time when the day experienced a drastic drop in temperatures, from 61-degrees to 46-degrees in less than 1 hour. I suffer from raynaud's disease, and my hands were useless. At that time I had Chorus 11-speed (now happily back to my Shimano; 1 bike is 7900 and the other is 7800), and I had to dismount and press down hard to shift the big ring. Honestly, it was one of my top 5 most embarrassing bike moments.

[firerescuefin]

I disagree. I recall a time when the day experienced a drastic drop in temperatures, from 61-degrees to 46-degrees in less than 1 hour. I suffer from raynaud's disease, and my hands were useless. At that time I had Chorus 11-speed (now happily back to my Shimano; 1 bike is 7900 and the other is 7800), and I had to dismount and press down hard to shift the big ring. Honestly, it was one of my top 5 most embarrassing bike moments.

Not discounting your experience or your condition, but you/that situation is pretty hard to account for when designing a groupo. I have ridden Campy in the teens and it worked fine.

[amgc36]

I like the hoods on Campy a lot. It seems the new generation of Shimano finally has a hood that is comfortable (to me) and decent looking. Having equipped my bikes with C10, Sram Force and Dura Ace, I like the solidity of the shifting of Campy and the ability to drop multiple gears with push. That being said, and somewhat off topic, I like SRAM because the shifters and brakes can be interchanged between road and MTB groups, which is nice if you have a multipurpose bike.

[ahumblecycler]

@firerescuefin - very well put. I only posted this because I found the thumb shifter regardless of my physical condition to be anything but buttery smooth. Don't get me wrong, Campy works and I described it has knowing each bolt and spring works together ... I could feel it, which I would not define as buttery smooth. I consider DA7800 to be buttery smooth, actually too smooth sometimes.

@OP - ride it and don't try to compare the groupos; just know it is different and see if you like it.

[djg]

WRT your initial most basic question: yes, you'll get used to it. Any (even slightly) experienced road cyclist will get the hang of Campagnolo 11 speed or Campagnolo 10 speed if switching from Shimano 10 speed (or 9 speed for that matter). I cannot say whether it will start to feel perfectly natural on the first ride or the third, but it's not rocket surgery -- no special talent or years of practice required.

I cannot say what you'll prefer. Personally, I like the feel of the new Campagnolo levers better than Shimano, and I prefer the feel of Campag 10 speed levers from a few years back to S as well, but it's hard for me to know what will feel better to your mitts on day 1 or day 10. I haven't found the location of the thumb lever to be a problem, either in the drops or on the hoods. YMMV.

[Germany_chris]

I have Centaur 10 on my cross bike and Ultegra on my Serotta.

If I had to choose just one I would take Campy because it feels sturdier..but..

Shimano is just so light and smooth..I like both hoods equally but I like the rubber better on the Campy..

Thing to remember Shimano wheels are many times easier to find than Campy this board excepted.

[thwart]

People worry about reaching that thumb button in the drops... you'll get used to it quickly.

Campy = BMW manual trans

Shimano = Honda manual trans

Both very good, but different.

One maybe minor thing is the ease in dropping to a lower gear to climb with a compact crank. Lots of steep short hills here, so depending on your location, YMMV. But the ability to drop 3 or 4 cogs with your right hand in one movement while shifting to the small chainring with your left make it literally an instantaneous thing---you'd swear they designed it just for that situation... way better than brand S.

[cody.wms]

.. I could feel it, which I would not define as buttery smooth. I consider DA7800 to be buttery smooth, actually too smooth sometimes.




Very true. You know when you shift Campy. Not that this is a bad thing.

[ahumblecycler]

Campy = VW manual trans

Shimano = Honda manual trans

Both very good, but different.



Fixed it ;)

[rice rocket]

People worry about reaching that thumb button in the drops... you'll get used to it quickly.

Campy = BMW manual trans

Shimano = Honda manual trans

Both very good, but different.

One maybe minor thing is the ease in dropping to a lower gear to climb with a compact crank. Lots of steep short hills here, so depending on your location, YMMV. But the ability to drop 3 or 4 cogs with your right hand in one movement while shifting to the small chainring with your left make it literally an instantaneous thing---you'd swear they designed it just for that situation... way better than brand S.

I won't deny that being able to dump 5 gears is sort of neat (however if you're dumping 5 gears + the front ring, you gotta plan ahead a little more...), but the thumb shifter is still a deal breaker for me. Unless you grip your drops really high normally, being able to access the thumb shifters requires shifting your hands, which is shifting your weight. Not something I'd like to do on a descent, especially when trying to navigate the pothole-ridden roads here.

[bobswire]

I won't deny that being able to dump 5 gears is sort of neat (however if you're dumping 5 gears + the front ring, you gotta plan ahead a little more...), but the thumb shifter is still a deal breaker for me. Unless you grip your drops really high normally, being able to access the thumb shifters requires shifting your hands, which is shifting your weight. Not something I'd like to do on a descent, especially when trying to navigate the pothole-ridden roads here.


Don't ever ride down tube shifters young man.

[thwart]

I won't deny that being able to dump 5 gears is sort of neat (however if you're dumping 5 gears + the front ring, you gotta plan ahead a little more...), but the thumb shifter is still a deal breaker for me. Unless you grip your drops really high normally, being able to access the thumb shifters requires shifting your hands, which is shifting your weight. Not something I'd like to do on a descent, especially when trying to navigate the pothole-ridden roads here.Can't say I ever drop 5 cogs at once, but 3 is really handy frequently here. With a 12/25 and compact crank it puts you pretty close to where you had been on the big ring---but ready to climb and downshift further when things get steeper.

Regarding the drops/thumb shifter---I dunno, I've ridden both Shimano and Campy extensively, but of course many more miles on the better stuff ;) . I've never had significant issues with that... but then again, we don't have many potholes here... :rolleyes: ... and you probably descend in sketchy conditions faster than I do. I've had my share of road rash, thank you.

[dd74]

So the action on the thumb shifters don't require a lot of effort to shift? They just look to me like they aren't the easiest to shift, particularly for someone with small hands.

[amgc36]

I hadn't thought about the hand size; that may make a difference. There is a certain kerchunk solidity to Campy shifting whereas Shimano shifting seems high precision-smooth. To pick up on an earlier analogy, I'd revise it and say that Campy is like first generation sequential manual and Shimano is like the new dual sequential manual gear boxes.

[dd74]

I hadn't thought about the hand size; that may make a difference. There is a certain kerchunk solidity to Campy shifting whereas Shimano shifting seems high precision-smooth. To pick up on an earlier analogy, I'd revise it and say that Campy is like first generation sequential manual and Shimano is like the new dual sequential manual gear boxes.
You mean like this: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-7936214232208337987#

[socalspeedsk8r]

Lots of really great feedback. I hadn't even given any thought to having to deal with that thumb shifter in the drops. I have pretty large hands and I do like the idea of being able to drop multiple gears at once. But I live in the foothills at the base of Mt.Baldy in Socal so everything is either straight up or down, no in-between. Also the set-up is Campy 11 and not 10 so not sure if that makes a difference. One thing for sure is that they really look great. So much refinement in Campys equipment.

Scott

[bobswire]

You mean like this: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-7936214232208337987#
Whoa!

[djg]

So the action on the thumb shifters don't require a lot of effort to shift? They just look to me like they aren't the easiest to shift, particularly for someone with small hands.

I have kinda small hands for a guy. Let's not read too much into that: it means that my fingers aren't real long and that large gloves are too large (for ski gloves, I take a man's small more often than not, but sometimes a medium).

I don't find it hard AT ALL to reach or activate the thumb shifter. It's just not a problem -- whether I'm spinning to work on a sunny day or covered with mud and gasping for breath 30 minutes into a cross race.

Folks like what they like. I don't mind if somebody prefers shimano or sram, or suntour superbe pro, or DA barcons, or the old simplex levers that came on my gitane jr. racer in 1973. But unless your hands are very small indeed (for a guy, or maybe fairly small for a woman), or you're dealing with some sort of physical challenge, I'm not sure how the Campy levers could really be described as difficult or challenging to operate.

But really, I know this stuff isn't as common as Ultegra or SRAM Force, but surely a curious party has a pal or an LBS who/that is willing to let a person take the Campagnolo system for a spin. Try and see?