Shimano, SRAM, Campag... What's in a groupset??
Discussion
I've only ever had Shimano stuff before (105 on the road, XT off it), and was wondering how the others compare for fitting out a road bike?
No doubt I'll be opening a can of worms by asking people to tell me which they think is best and why, but it would also be helpful to have an explanation of what level of groupset from each make is roughly equivalent in terms of where they sit on the scale of cost/performance.
No doubt I'll be opening a can of worms by asking people to tell me which they think is best and why, but it would also be helpful to have an explanation of what level of groupset from each make is roughly equivalent in terms of where they sit on the scale of cost/performance.
this is mechanical only, Shimano Di2 and Ui2 and Campag SR EPS are the only electronic groupsets available at the moment so its not really worth including them, SR EPS was only revealed in novemeber and i dare say many have ridden it hard to really test it yet so this is purely the mechanical shifting stuff and based on weight, 11 speed compatibilty, personal experience and general bigotry.
People will have a preferred manufacturer, if they have a beard it will be campag becuase "its italian" even though almost every thing bar super record is made in romania and "because they have been around since the twenties" well so has my grandad and he doesnt move like he used to...campag stuff does look the niest though, the skeleton brakes on the higher end stuff are just beautiful. shimano stuff works, its ultra reliable and pretty much bombproof but its always heavier than its comparable rivals and its just ugly, compare the latest ultegra chainset to force or athena... SRAM is a bit of a leftifeld choice, its is very precise shifing though and lighter than the others, they do a lot of techy stuff like the exact actuation 1:1 shifter/mech pull.
that all said, something lower end like tiagra is a great groupset, its not the lightest but it works just as well if its maintained well.
Campag Super record
Sram Red
Shimano Dura-ace
Campag Record
Sram Force
Shimano Ultegra
Campag Athena
Sram Rival
Shimano 105
Campag Centaur
Sram Apex
Shimano Tiagra
Campag Veloce
Shimano Sora
Shimano 2300
People will have a preferred manufacturer, if they have a beard it will be campag becuase "its italian" even though almost every thing bar super record is made in romania and "because they have been around since the twenties" well so has my grandad and he doesnt move like he used to...campag stuff does look the niest though, the skeleton brakes on the higher end stuff are just beautiful. shimano stuff works, its ultra reliable and pretty much bombproof but its always heavier than its comparable rivals and its just ugly, compare the latest ultegra chainset to force or athena... SRAM is a bit of a leftifeld choice, its is very precise shifing though and lighter than the others, they do a lot of techy stuff like the exact actuation 1:1 shifter/mech pull.
that all said, something lower end like tiagra is a great groupset, its not the lightest but it works just as well if its maintained well.
Campag Super record
Sram Red
Shimano Dura-ace
Campag Record
Sram Force
Shimano Ultegra
Campag Athena
Sram Rival
Shimano 105
Campag Centaur
Sram Apex
Shimano Tiagra
Campag Veloce
Shimano Sora
Shimano 2300
I think it is as simple as picking a brand and then picking a groupset for your budget.
Most people will pick a brand based on "the name" or perhaps the weight or in my case, the way it shifts.
I use Shimano because I prefer the shift and the shape of the hoods to SRAM's doubletap shifting. I've never used Campag for long, the bikes I use don't tend to come specced with it.
Choosing the products then just comes down to price vs performance. There is usually a point at which you get pretty much as good performance, but for less money. Shimano it would be 105 and SRAM it would be Rival IMO.
So I'd recommend you test different brands, see what shifters you prefer and go from there.
No reason why you can't have different components within a brand, such as Dura ace rear mech, 105 shifters. Just don't mix shimano/sram/campag together, as generally it won't work (chainsets excluded).
I've probably just overcomplicated it all now
Most people will pick a brand based on "the name" or perhaps the weight or in my case, the way it shifts.
I use Shimano because I prefer the shift and the shape of the hoods to SRAM's doubletap shifting. I've never used Campag for long, the bikes I use don't tend to come specced with it.
Choosing the products then just comes down to price vs performance. There is usually a point at which you get pretty much as good performance, but for less money. Shimano it would be 105 and SRAM it would be Rival IMO.
So I'd recommend you test different brands, see what shifters you prefer and go from there.
No reason why you can't have different components within a brand, such as Dura ace rear mech, 105 shifters. Just don't mix shimano/sram/campag together, as generally it won't work (chainsets excluded).
I've probably just overcomplicated it all now
I've got two road bikes - one's a Dura Ace equipped TREK and the other is an Athena equipped Planet X. The new generation Campag gear is very very good. In terms of smoothness the Athena is slightly behind Dura Ace but not much. The Dura Ace will obviously weigh less but for looks and finish it's got to be Campag - I'm mightily impressed with it.
Are there any groupsets on the market that offer a trim feature? I'm not sure what groupset my allez comes with as standard but I find there are only about 3 gears on middle and 3 on top that run smoothly without any contact between the chain and the front mech. I noticed the di2 has an auto trim feature which i presume is to solve this problem and wondered if there is anything similar in a manual (cheaper) form. If not I'll have to just stump up for di-2 and commute on the bike more until it pays for itself :-)
rhinochopig said:
My advice would be to buy whatever has the best saving TBH. There's little in it. I've shimano on my MTBs and Campag on my road bike - purely because the grp set was a on offer and I saved several hundred quid. Both work well.
keep an eye on places like planet x - they had a few athena groupsets with carbon cranks going for £450 a few weeks ago. Out of interest, has anyone tried campag's current lower end line-up? Veloce, Centaur and Athena all seem to be pretty much the same tech apart from athena being 11sp, do they feel any different?
paranoid airbag said:
keep an eye on places like planet x - they had a few athena groupsets with carbon cranks going for £450 a few weeks ago.
Out of interest, has anyone tried campag's current lower end line-up? Veloce, Centaur and Athena all seem to be pretty much the same tech apart from athena being 11sp, do they feel any different?
I can't comment on Veloce or Centaur but the Athena on my Planet X is outstanding. I have the carbonfibre chain set as well. I cannot recommend it highly enough. Better, in my opinion, than anything Shimano or SRAM have to offer for the equivalent outlay.Out of interest, has anyone tried campag's current lower end line-up? Veloce, Centaur and Athena all seem to be pretty much the same tech apart from athena being 11sp, do they feel any different?
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