Confessions of a life long campy guy

[skiezo]

As stated I have been a campy guy for over 30 years and have always loved the gear. From DT shifters all the way up with all the changes and improvements throughout the years. I have not moved up to 12 speed yet tho .
So anyhow I have one bike that came with a sram force 1x group on it. I have had this bike for about 1.5 years and find myself riding it often.
I have to say that I am really liking the sram drivetrain. The shifts are crisp and always spot on. I never have to move my hands to do any shifts. The shift lever just fits perfectly and my finger is always on the shift tab. This bike has a 12/36 cassette and jumping to the 36 is effortless and the shape fits my hand.
I have some builds coming up and one of these I can see myself jumping ship and trying a 2x on the build.
I guess the only thing I miss is the ability to dump multiple gears. But with the sram system it is very quick with just a few flicks of my finger. Easy peasy.

[pdmtong]

Jump ship all the way and try eTAP before you default to Force 2x...

[colker]

They are all good... but saying "campagnolo" still feels better than saying "sram".

[fmradio516]

Likewise.. my one caveat with campy is that my hand needs to move a good amount to use the thumb paddle.

[R3awak3n]

I had heard so much bad stuff about sram from this forum. Eventually got a etap bike. It was excellent so I changed one of my bikes to force 1x mechanical and its also pretty great, I like the positive shifts and just works well. This is also from a campy guy who now has more non campy bikes than campy bikes.

However.... campy still has the best ergonomics, hands down. Also the campy hydro stuff is the best of the 3.

Only stuff I don't like is shimano (although I have not tried di2, I think I would probably like di2), but the mech stuff is just not for me (hate that the brake lever moves when you shift, no thanks and the shifts are too light).

[Dave]

Deleted

[Dave]

Small hands or perhaps more flexible thumbs must be an advantage. I never have to move my hands.

SRAM seems to have abandoned their mechanical systems. The new force 12 AXS group costs twice the price of chorus 12, unless its purchased on an OEM bike.

[uber]

A long time Campy guy too. I owned SRAM red mechanical, tried Etap and finally have a new bike with Di2. They all work great. I have yet to see anyone with a SRAM tattoo.

[robt57]

I'll put it this way. Since my hands and Ergo 11s seem to be a perfect match.... My several Di2 bikes have add hoc DIY buttons in the campy thumb positions [under hood covers insides] for same shifts the campy thumbs do. I don't even use the Di2 smaller buttons. I may just program both of the Di2 Shifter button to do the same thing. And rely on my thumb position DIY buttons same as on Campy.

I have done away with any swinging lever shifters across my too many bike stable mostly. [confess not completely]

I was a Dura Ace 8/9/10 all the way until 11s Campy, now that is all I want my hands on.

[joosttx]

etap or axs is calling you..... come to the light.

[Burnette]

Originally Posted by uber

A long time Campy guy too. I owned SRAM red mechanical, tried Etap and finally have a new bike with Di2. They all work great. I have yet to see anyone with a SRAM tattoo.

Zealotry isn't a badge of honor. Preference for ergos is the main driver for most people, it's just bike stuff, not a cult. Whatever brand I get next, electronic shifting is a must.

[Bob Ross]

Originally Posted by skiezo

I never have to move my hands to do any shifts.

I have only ever owned one bike with Campy. And I love it, and can't imagine any other groupset on this bike (it's a 2016 Richard Sachs with 11-sp Record) and there's something incredibly satisfying about that *THUNK* it makes when you shift gears, like the way old Ampex tape recorders from the dawn of the multitrack age would require a bit of muscle to punch in...

...but I fcuking hate how I have to move my hand to access those thumb levers! And because of that I will never buy another bike with Campy. One And Done. I'll never sell the Sachs, and I'll never put another groupset on that bike...but it'll always be my outlier.

[robertbb]

Been riding Campy for 15 years (as long as I've been into cycling. I'm 38).

Yesterday went to test ride a bike. It had Shimano 105 current Gen.

I can confirm that had Campagnolo not existed, and Shimano been my only option... I probably would never have continued with this sport. Bleargh those shifters are chunky, clunky and just.... basic. Totally overshadowed the test ride.

[IJWS]

I rode campy first, developed a taste for the good ergos/flat hoods. SRAM fits my hand “just right” based on what I expect from campy. Also, the shifts are very positive and mechanical—different from the slick smoothness of Shimano. Different strokes for different folks, but campy and sram fall into the same camp.

[kiwisimon]

Campy for two decades and SRAM the last 10 years. The flexibility with Shimano parts is a consideration. I won't be going back to Campy.