Group Quandry

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Bridgeman
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by Bridgeman

My Pinarello F10 frame arrived yesterday. I had pretty much decided on Dura Ace Di2 9150, but then I ran into a friend out on the road this morning. He rides a Colnago with Campy Super Record EPS V1. He completely loves it and says he's never had one issue with it in all these years of use.

I tell him about my frame arriving and he asks me which group will be assembled. I told him Dura Ace,and then he proceeds to let me know in no uncertain terms what a ridiculous idea that is. Now mind you, he's a pal from way back so we've always enjoyed taking the piss.

But now he's got me thinking. I haven't a clue which group to go with. Surely I'm not the first with this issue.

Would really appreciate Campy EPS V3 users to chime in on your experiences. Pros and cons please.

clipsed
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Joined: Wed Feb 04, 2015 12:48 pm

by clipsed

I don't think anyone, ever, has complained about DI2 9150. It is downright amazing. :)

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kdawg
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by kdawg

Surely this is just a philosophical question? Both group sets are very good and it’s just a choice. There are those who think you should have an Italian groupsetin an Italian bike but other than that it’s what you like the look and feel of.
I'm left handed, if that matters.

sp3000
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Location: Sydney

by sp3000

Or Etap, like a modern electronic group should be, without internal batteries and wires;)

PinaF8
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by PinaF8

Tell your buddy quit being a tool. Lol

You will not have trouble with either groups but it really depends on your preference and comfort.
For me the only campy I will put on my bike are their Bora Ultra wheels.

If you do go with the Di2 9150 be sure your rear hanger came with that tiny Allen grub screw so will not have any trouble getter the rear wheel off.

Or you could go with the ETAP which will eliminate all wires altogether.

Good luck!
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Delorre
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by Delorre

As I already wrote in an other Pina F10 topic, it's a shame you can't hide the Campa junction box in the frame/ handlebar combo. Imo, you loose some of the nice features of a F10 : the perfectly clean integration of DI2. As much as I love Campa and would like to have an EPS equiped one, as long as those boxes will be that huge, I'll stick with DI2. No regrets using it for almost 3 year's, after > 20 years Campa. DI2 is flawless in function!!

angrylegs
Posts: 166
Joined: Mon May 21, 2012 2:32 pm

by angrylegs

Di2 is amazing, but I tried Campy and never went back, even after riding Di2. Some things get into your soul. Campy is like that. It's sublime even if perhaps not explicitly better - I would say it's better, but I can't be objective about it. There's just this feel to it. It's right for me. You really should try your buddy's bike, even if it's a size or two to small - just to be able to try it. You'll know after that. And then yeah, the whole Italian bike thing lol. Make of that what you will and nonetheless choose the gruppo over the country of origin. You have to love your gruppo.

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cwdzoot
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by cwdzoot

If you are looking at Di2 vs EPS V3 it's a tough call as far as performance goes but beyond the way it rides is the how you are going to use the group.

Go EPS V3 is you love the style and character of something created by a family company with true passion.

Go Di2 if you want the absolute pinnacle of electronic shifting, love the idea of syncro shift and been able to integrate with your Garmin and your camera as well as get gear display on the Garmin.

Essentially two different ways to look at the bike.
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Seedster
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by Seedster

If you are seeking to completely hide the junction box, your only option is Di2. It is my understanding that the F10 has a special holder in the downtube or you can opt for a bar end install.

I use V3 on both of my bikes and have not had an issue. it is hidden in my Metron 5D bar, but not on my Protos. I am actively researching ways to do so, but until then performance wise it is flawless. I highly recommend V3.

That said, stop thinking about it and just get what speaks to you most. they both shift well enough that you wont be unhappy.

XCProMD
Posts: 1125
Joined: Sat Jan 26, 2008 10:25 am
Location: Cantabria

by XCProMD

Well, I can say some features that make EPS better for me:

-Shifting modes. I definitely love the Race mode, but it's also nice having the rest for those days in which you prefer a softer response.

-On Race mode, nothing shifts faster and more accurately. It definitely help focusing on getting out the best of you. The combination of speed, precision and feedback gives you al the confidence to never having to ease at the pedals or try to hold the gearing for fear to missshifting.

-The Powerdome buttons and their crisp clicks are still the reference. That metallic feeling that is inmediatly followed by a vibration through the bike as the chain changes gear is part of what I explained above. Etap gets closer but there is a plastic feeling to it plus that bit of lag in the ahifting action that gives that Atari feel to it. Shimano has become better in the last DA and Ultegra iteration, with better feedback at the butttons, but once you try EPS it feels detached and even slow. It's not the same confidence EPS gives.

-Long term reliability. I can't help but think that the fact that Campag patented the whole thing, and especially the derailleur mechanisms, first helped them because the have the system that is less prone to get play. Furthermore they don't have the occasional resolver problem you find in Shimano derailleurs.

I don't feel R9150 is the paramount by no means. It has all the flamboyant aura of the flagship of the largest company in cycling, so much marketing support... and yes you can plug a cam if that's your thing. But not performance-wise.

All in all, I couldn't care less about the country of origin of a frame when choosing gears. We're lucky that there are still 3 companies to choose from (and FSA soon, the Rotor system felt half baked when I tried it), and all them work fine.

Get whatever floats your boat. You'll be making no mistake.


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morrisond
Posts: 1325
Joined: Thu Mar 25, 2004 8:34 pm

by morrisond

I love my EPS V3 as well.

BTW - it does display gears on a Garmin without having to add another Box/transmitter to the System like Di2. the nicest spot to mount the V3 junction box is under a computer mount - it looks nice and neat and is more aero as it helps break the wind....

What has not been reported much is that EPS is just like all other Campy groups - while it works perfect when new after a few thousand km's and it's broken in it's just sublime and so quick you can tell you have shifted but it's so subtle and perfect.

bremerradkurier
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Joined: Mon Jun 13, 2016 4:18 pm

by bremerradkurier

Does EPS auto-trim the front derailleur as the chain goes up and down the cassette like Di2?

XCProMD
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Location: Cantabria

by XCProMD

Of course it does


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sp3000
Posts: 180
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Location: Sydney

by sp3000

To the OP, The big 3 electronic groups are all great, they are all fast, they all work well. Buy based on how the hoods/levers feel to your hands and how the group looks in your eyes. If you re going to use Campy wheels then you might like to match with the campy group, if you like Zipp, then maybe Sram is nice for you...It really does come down to superficial decisions when deciding at this level, performance on all are very very good and will make no difference whatsoever to how fast you can ride the bike or the joy when shifting. One thing to note is if using the same brakes as the group, performance is Shimano-Campy-Sram in that order. I use eTap with eecycles brakes on one bike and Dura-Ace full group on the other.

The more your bike makes you smile when you walk past it, the more you'll want to get on and ride it!

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Bridgeman
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by Bridgeman

I really do appreciate all the thoughtful responses. Though at this time I'm still on the fence, I expect a decision will come very soon.

I've been riding DA 9150 Di2 for close to a month now, and other than a very brief encounter with the decoupling of a connector at the lever, it has performed flawlessly. The ergo aspect of the 9150 hoods is very nice, and better than I expected, and with satellite sprint buttons it almost matches SR EPS.

I think, for me, it comes down to cost and the smile factor. If SR EPS works as well as it's been conveyed here then that's a very good thing. As I've mentioned before, Campy ergo has been so awesome for me all these decades. I think it's going to come down to cost. I'm going to do a final run-down on both and contemplate the difference. That should do it.

Very sorry for my indecisiveness. It looks like a lot of you had a much easier time with this decision. Thanks for you help! Meanwhile, I unboxed my F10 yesterday. The experience was far more powerful than expected.

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