how does campy stay in business

[paul64]

...i've had a RD crack on me. not so much love after than. the RD failed before the hanger broke...and the hanger tore off when the RD got sucked into the spokes...

Yup, me too although I don't know which gave first but I've also had a 9 speed Dura Ace lever break and a 10 speed SRAM Rival lever break before too so I did not read too much into mine.

[Seedster]

I, for one, am happy Campagnolo is not participating in a race to the bottom.

Someone described entry level ultegra and 105 bikes as cookie cutter and I agree. As long as they are making enough to stay in business and make innovative products that appeal to the custom build audience, I am fine being an outsider. Part of the fun of cycling is the impracticality of a lot of the minimal gains for which we will overpay.

[kode54]

...i've had a RD crack on me. not so much love after than. the RD failed before the hanger broke...and the hanger tore off when the RD got sucked into the spokes...

Yup, me too although I don't know which gave first but I've also had a 9 speed Dura Ace lever break and a 10 speed SRAM Rival lever break before too so I did not read too much into mine.

yeah, seems that it leaves a bad taste in groupo selection. my damage left me stranded and that's what left a mark that's etched in my brain. that said, i still do ride the IndyFab, but i only ride it in situations where time is not a factor...like in the mornings when i need to get back before taking the kids to school...or something similar. i have had some failures on Shimano gear...but typically it was because of debris on the road or something that caused it outside of a product failure. i'm sure that the Campy RD could have had something that caused it to fail...but it was nothing out of the ordinary...just riding along, no crashes. and it was a new, in the box purchase...failure occurred maybe within a year. looking at the damaged RD, revealed to me that it snapped at the weakest point. i have since replaced it with a new SR11 RD...and no failure has happened in years. it was an expensive repair since my Enve wheel got damaged in the carnage, including the rear drop out. dod o get a bad RD? its possible.

[paul64]

I hear you, always in danger of leaving us with an emotional reaction. Mine was a 9 speed Record Ti that I really should send off to Graeme for repair to keep the groupset whole, I have a 9/10 speed carbon & polished alloy Centaur at the moment which matches the bike nicely anyway. Biggest problem for me was replacing the frame hanger and that created a positive memory because Pilo custom made me one and did not charge me as I was the guinea pig for this spec as it were. Great company.

A friend knows nothing but Shimano and I was showing him how freewheels get marked and chewed due to the design whereas my Campag freewheels exhibit none of this from my use. Our hobbies are always emotional for us and we try and shut it out and remain impartial, when I bought Veloce I was mentally ready for its inferiority to 105 and Rival and was shocked how smooth and high quality it felt, I don't mind the levers with their plastic triggers in comparison to the Record alloys, I will try latest Chorus but at the moment my head is looking forward to rebuilding one of my bikes with Potenza once available with the announced Ultra Torque change.

[LionelB]

Campy stays in business but I keep them in business

I am not sure what the economics at Campy are (no people, revenue etc..), I would be curious to know. But they obviously stay in business by providing products that people like and buy. They have their niche and defend it pretty well. As simple as that.