Campy Record Group?

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drainyoo
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by drainyoo

I'm starting to think about a new WW build for next year, and I want to switch it up from my current Sram Red for my second bike, and was thinking of using a Campy Record or Super Record group. But looking at the weights of the groups, and the prices, I'm questioning that choice.

For comparison, the Sram Red group is lighter, much much cheaper, and performs great. I know the appeal to Campy is performance and heritage, and I'm on a full blooded italian, but when trying to build a light bike with an acceptable $/g ratio it just doesn't seem like a good option.

Is it just the bling factor? Is it something else? School me.

LionelB
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by LionelB

campy vs shimano vs sram :roll:

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drainyoo
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by drainyoo

I'm not asking which is better, I know all three major groups are great. I guess my question really is what is the appeal of Campy's high-end groups? Is it personal preference, superior performance?

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OrPe
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by OrPe

You know how the red group performs.
Any chances you can try a campy equipped bike? That way you have your own judgement on it.
And anything chorus and above performs the same.

I ride chorus and really love the shifting. The ultegra 6700 I tried briefly felt... Heavy and clunky (?) to me, but it could be the setup obviously...

Oren

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ITTY
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by ITTY

If you have to ask, then maybe you're better off just sticking with Sram. Personally I prefer Campagnolo for the shifter ergonomics (using seperate fingers for up/down shifts is much less confusing), the (IMO) much better aesthetics, and the fact that it works great. I've been racing on my low-level centaur group for 3 years, and it has taken MANY beatings, yet still continues to shift flawlessly. I have some record components to put on the race rig for next season, and they are beautiful.

Have you ever ridden it? Maybe that would make it easier to decide yes/no.
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boysa
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by boysa

+1 what everyone has said. Ride it. IMHO, you're either in the Campagnolo camp or you're not.
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bikerjulio
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by bikerjulio

Although there are some material differences between SR and Chorus components, it's also true that Campy practices a fair amount of "badge engineering" - the shifters being the best example, and there's very little difference between derailleurs and brakes also.

You will get the identical durability and functionality with Chorus as with SR - perhaps even better durability when it comes to cassettes with Chorus. Chorus at half the price of SR is definitely the best value of the upper groups.

One suggestion would be to consider Chorus and use the money saved to put into other things - like light wheels.

Another suggestion would be a custom assembly of Chorus shifters, derailleurs, and brakes, a SR crankset, and a Shimano or SRAM 11-speed rear wheel. Use a KMC SL chain too. I'm guessing that would represent a substantial saving in cost for a similar weight to a full SR group.
There's sometimes a buggy.
How many drivers does a buggy have?

One.

So let's just say I'm drivin' this buggy...
and if you fix your attitude you can ride along with me.

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drainyoo
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by drainyoo

Thanks bikerjulio, that was the info I was looking for. So, for the most part, the Record and SR groups are close to Chorus in terms of design and performance, but might be slightly lighter in some areas because of exotic materials. Is it safe to say that Campy created Record and SR groups to suck in the riders who have the money to burn and want something more flashy, which I'm probably in that group.

I like your idea of mixing Chorus with some SR bits to make a light but more affordable group.
Last edited by drainyoo on Fri Aug 08, 2014 11:45 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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dadoflam08
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by dadoflam08

The choice ultimately comes down to which 'camp' you feel you fit in and some minor differences. I'm firmly a Campy guy both because I have bikes going back to the 50's - all Campy - and I like the Italian culture of cycling - with all its flaws and passion.
I agree that the biggest functional or 'real' difference between the groups mainly comes down to the experience through the hands - the lever ergonomics and how shifting and braking feels to you and how the lever set-ups suit the way you ride (I personally love being able to shift using my pinky fingers when on the tops - magic)
If you are going Campy I would not mix it up - even an SR chain is pretty close to price of other brands and the Campy set-up shifts exceptionally well as you would expect.
For same level groupsets the Campy option usually sits below Shimano and just above SRAM in the weight department - for me the Campy SR groupset have always felt more solid overall and the front shifting faster and more reliable than SRAM Red and the Campy BB runs far more smoothly - but I am speaking of Red 10spd experience only.
Chorus operating attributes are generally the same as Record and SR - great value from a pure function perspective - if $ and weight are a consideration Record would be my pick.
If wheels are on the cards definitely grab Campy/fulcrum wheels - the great performance of their hubs is one thing that does stand out above the crowd.
That's about as objective as I can be - come and try the dark side :D
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drainyoo
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by drainyoo

Thanks man, great info there.

It seems like the main difference between the current Record and SR groups is that SR uses titanium bolts, and the levers have a extra cutout. Couldn't you just purchase the ti bolts from Campy, and install them on your Record components and get a similar weight at a lower cost?

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bikerjulio
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by bikerjulio

I wouldn't bother with Ti bolts.

The SR crank spindle is Ti, and the carbon arms are a little lighter too, hence the weight saving. SR has Ti sprockets but the consensus is that they wear more quickly than steel. Other than that the differences between Chorus and SR are trivial.

The Chorus shifter internals are identical to SR.

I do not agree that mixing components is a problem between Chorus and SR, or that there is any difference in performance. It's a non-issue.

Likewise a Shimano/SRAM 11-spd cassette is completely compatible as has been tried and discussed umpteen times aver since Shimano came out with it.
There's sometimes a buggy.
How many drivers does a buggy have?

One.

So let's just say I'm drivin' this buggy...
and if you fix your attitude you can ride along with me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GekiIMh4ZkM

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dadoflam08
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by dadoflam08

agree there is no issue mixing parts between Campy 11spd groupsets - I use Record chain on my Athena bike and for my everyday rides use a Chorus cassette on my SR bike. As to mixing between Campy and Shimano/SRAM - just don't see the point functionally unless you are using parts you already have.
SR used to also bring better CULT BB bearings with it not sure whether that has filtered down to Record.
If budget is a pressure I would invest in the items that never change at the level groupset you ultimately want and then fill the gaps (chains, cassettes etc) with Chorus items in the short term
Agree that the main difference between Chorus and higher groupset is negligible from a day to day riding perspective - main benefits of moving up to Record and SR are weight and better bearings - same as for move from Ultegra to Dura Ace. Like most things weight weenie - just depends on what your intended outcome is - lightish functional bike, lightest possible etc etc - and what your budget is.
One guy in my group uses Record simply because he didn't want the red highlights of the SR graphics - just depends what's important to you.
'83 De Rosa+'11 Baum Corretto+'08 BMC Pro Machine >6kg+'86 Pinarello Team +'72 Cinelli SC +'58 Bianchi+'71 Cinelli SC+'78 Masi GC+'83 La Redoute Motobecane+'94 Banesto Pegoretti+'88 Bianchi X4 +'48 Super Elliott+'99 Look Kg281+'18 Pegoretti

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bikerjulio
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by bikerjulio

OP raised the issue of cost, hence my suggestion on cassettes.

In USD I'm seeing

SR $305
Chorus $107

DA $176
Ultegra $57
There's sometimes a buggy.
How many drivers does a buggy have?

One.

So let's just say I'm drivin' this buggy...
and if you fix your attitude you can ride along with me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GekiIMh4ZkM

zulu695
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Location: Ottawa region, Canada

by zulu695

I am using a mixed of Chorus and Record on my 695 without any issues. I have Sram on my commuter and I had shimano on all my previous bikes, they all have their pros and cons, but I must say I am a Campy guy since I have used Campy, the feeling when shifting is hard to match. Basically ride what you like (sram, simano or campy) and can afford the rest is just cosmetic or ego flattering.

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Valbrona
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by Valbrona

***Philistine alert***

Look, stick to your Far East components if that's what you feel safe with.

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