Campagnolo Potenza vs Shimano R7000/R8000

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flying
Posts: 2861
Joined: Mon Dec 19, 2005 9:16 am

by flying

Hahah good to see friendly group rivalry never dies :D

Ive been riding 30+ years now
Started with Campy ..used some Shimano these last couple years
was ok too

Now went ahead with Potenza for this one. If I had know how good the Black Friday deals were getting
I may have sprung for Chorus but I am sure this Potenza will be more than fine. :wink:

As for set & forget debates....well kinda...I have always built my own bikes both Campy & Shimano & yes
when properly setup & maintained it is pretty much set & forget but all cables stretch as do chains so
to be honest there is no such thing as set & forget.... :thumbup:

But properly maintained I never have had either group let me down

WheelNut
Posts: 32
Joined: Fri Jun 22, 2018 11:51 pm

by WheelNut

I'll beat the dead horse a bit more and throw in one more endorsement for Potenza. I'm a huge fan of the power-shift mechanism because you can absolutely smash that lever in the middle of a sprint or climb and know exactly what you are going to get. There is no chance of accidentally snagging your finger on the second lever or pressing to far and double tapping into the wrong direction. Also, no trim in the big ring!!! I love that so much. It runs dead silent and shifts great in the front and the rear. The hoods are actually grippy too unlike Shimano's hard rubber hoods.

by Weenie


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flying
Posts: 2861
Joined: Mon Dec 19, 2005 9:16 am

by flying

It has been a couple weeks of riding with the New Potenza now & I have to say I am very happy with it.
Thanks to all who recommended it :thumbup:

It is a very nice group visually but more importantly functionality is excellent IMHO
It had been a few years since I changed from my old Chorus Look & I had forgotten how nice a group can be.

I found many things to like with this group.

The shifting is so solid & positive
Rear Derailleur just pops each gear solidly
The shift levers drooped thumb lever is even better than I remember the straight chorus one because
access from drops is even better

The front derailleur is excellent with no need for trim in any gear while on the big ring
small trim available on the small ring

The hoods fit my hand so perfectly & the horns are genius in shape with the flat thumb side & rounded finger side it really matches my grip

The Brakes are really the best rim brakes I have ever used in 30+ years.
So progressive & positive/strong silent..awesome
The brake lever shape is very nicely curved & fits my finger pull great

The record ultra BB is dead silent & smooth

The Crank is nice looking & slim when looking down on it.

I had some initial frustrations setting up the 11/32 50/34 but eventually found
it was in fact the derailleur hanger (even on a new frame) being out a bit

Overall I have to say I am so impressed with this group given the great price they were
selling for at Merlins during the black Friday sales.

MyM3Coupe
Posts: 374
Joined: Thu Nov 24, 2016 10:32 pm

by MyM3Coupe

graeme_f_k wrote:
Mon Nov 26, 2018 12:03 am
I had a RD and chain delivered to the workshop on [/color][/color]
What’s been your experience with Connex/Wippermann quick links? I’ve used them under hard use for like 20 years and NEVER had a failure. They seem far more robust than the KMC link.

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

by XCProMD

It’s very interesting what you say, flying. I think Campagnolo is actually suffering from this aura of “heritage, design stuff” when actually the best about their products is their pure functionality and performance.

Even prices are getting in line with their competitors.

flying
Posts: 2861
Joined: Mon Dec 19, 2005 9:16 am

by flying

XCProMD wrote:
Mon Jan 21, 2019 9:12 am
It’s very interesting what you say, flying. I think Campagnolo is actually suffering from this aura of “heritage, design stuff” when actually the best about their products is their pure functionality and performance.

Even prices are getting in line with their competitors.
Yes their functionality is excellent & has a solid/positive feel I had forgotten about....& your right about prices too

In fact this group included all cables which I am not sure the on sale Shimano groups did
Also the PF30 BB being included as a choice was something the other groups did not offer.
So in the end sale price was even better

Zakalwe
Posts: 786
Joined: Sun Jun 17, 2012 3:15 pm

by Zakalwe

Got Potenza Disc waiting to go on a gravel frame once it arrives, looking forward to it. My only concern is cold metal brake levers when not wearing gloves, that’s the only lasting memory I have of my last Shimano bike. Not an issue with Chorus and above obviously

g32ecs
Posts: 815
Joined: Thu Apr 11, 2013 2:50 am

by g32ecs

I haven't checked the weight for SRAM cranks, but I always find SRAM cranks lighter than all Shimano ones. SRAM Force might fit the bill without breaking the bank.

I ran a SRAM Red crank w/ Rival components before and it was lighter than a full Ultegra. If I were to build right now with a limited ish budget, it'll be Ultegra with a SRAM Force or Red crank or a full SRAM Force.

robertbb
Posts: 2179
Joined: Thu Jul 23, 2009 3:35 am

by robertbb

XCProMD wrote:
Mon Jan 21, 2019 9:12 am
It’s very interesting what you say, flying. I think Campagnolo is actually suffering from this aura of “heritage, design stuff” when actually the best about their products is their pure functionality and performance.

Even prices are getting in line with their competitors.
Could not agree more :thumbup:

Campy groups and wheels, while certainly beautiful, are designed with pure performance in mind.

I almost got cleaned up by a dude going berserk in a Ferrari while out on a ride yesterday. That in itself is not cool. But the main thought in my head was "jeez, that thing simply wasn't designed to do anything less than get flogged pushing limits with lots of people watching" :lol:

I feel a similar way about Campy albeit on a smaller, slower scale.

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Miller
Posts: 2764
Joined: Thu Sep 21, 2006 8:54 pm
Location: Reading, UK

by Miller

Zakalwe wrote:
Mon Jan 21, 2019 8:10 pm
Got Potenza Disc waiting to go on a gravel frame once it arrives, looking forward to it. My only concern is cold metal brake levers when not wearing gloves, that’s the only lasting memory I have of my last Shimano bike. Not an issue with Chorus and above obviously
Nice kit. I haven't had an issue with cold metal levers but maybe you live in a colder climate than me.

One thing I did find with Potenza HO ergos is that the top edge of the bottom of the shifter, where it merges with the handlebar, was a little high. I bulked up the bar tape at that point to achieve a comfortable merge from handlebar onto shifter.

OTOH last week I jumped on Merlin Cycles selling HO EPS Ergos at a deep discount. Those ergos arrived yesterday and I notice that the same point on these shifters doesn't have the bump my Potenza ergos do so should mate better with the handlebar.

If you follow what I mean.

Zakalwe
Posts: 786
Joined: Sun Jun 17, 2012 3:15 pm

by Zakalwe

Pretty cold at the moment here, not too far from you - north London. I’ve had issues with some bars like you mention, I tried some 3T bars which didn’t play well with ergolevers despite lots of trying to pad things out. I dumped all the 3T stuff because the quality wasn’t as good as the Ritchey stuff I usually use. Went back to Ritchey on that bike and everything’s fine again

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cveks
Posts: 351
Joined: Mon Aug 21, 2017 8:15 pm
Contact:

by cveks

I have Campagnolo Potenza groupset on Colnago C60

It works great.

Groupset is also cross compatible with Shimano/SRAM wheel hubs and cassettes

Currently I ride Potenza groupset with Shimano wheels and SRAM Force PG 1170 11-25 cassette.

Works flawlessly.

Shifting is smooth and refined and stopping power of brakes is best ever I experienced .

I climb mountains so I know.

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cveks
Posts: 351
Joined: Mon Aug 21, 2017 8:15 pm
Contact:

by cveks

What I like more with Potenza than Ultegra is thumbdown gear change. It is very easy to access and trigger either you are on shifters or drops.

Much much better solution than dual outside lever by Shimano.

I have Super record and Record on my two other bikes and I dont miss ultrashift at all. That is only usable for racing and sprints beacause you can do same thing with Potenza with just two fast clicks.

I recently bought two Potenza groups for just 350 euros each.

I simply was not able to resist so big price discount.

I have Centaur too :)

What frame you guys suggest for my new Potenza build?

flying
Posts: 2861
Joined: Mon Dec 19, 2005 9:16 am

by flying

cveks wrote:
Fri Aug 16, 2019 10:49 am
What I like more with Potenza than Ultegra is thumbdown gear change. It is very easy to access and trigger either you are on shifters or drops.

Yes I am more than happy with Potenza. I have been running it trouble free for 8 months now.

I also appreciate the drooped thumbshift & like you do not mind the one gear up at a time as you said
yo can fire off multi clicks if needed

Really a good value groupset :thumbup:

by Weenie


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Great Prices ✓    Broad Selection ✓    Worldwide Delivery ✓

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Vespasianus
Posts: 283
Joined: Thu Jun 11, 2020 10:15 pm

by Vespasianus

I just started assembling a new bike and noticed that the Campag H11 kit I purchased does not have bolts to attach the calipers to the frame. Kinda surprised at this honestly and not something I ever noticed with MTB stuff I have purchased.
Cinelli Superstar - Campagnolo H11
Tommasini Custom X-Fire gravel - EKAR

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