Tossing up between a (new) Campy Chorus 11spd Vs Shimano Ultegra 6800 groupset.
Super deals on the Ultegra stuff atm, down around $750 for the set. Where as the Chorus is sitting around the $1,349.
Obviously the Ultegra is better for the budget, but what represents the better value for money.
Is the Chorus really THAT much better, or is the Ultegra just super value at the moment?
There’s been reams written about this in every cycling forum.
The answer: pick one and run with it. If you’ve got the extra coin, and the ergonomics of Campy suit your hands, then go for it
Worth noting if you do lots of miles: Shimano consumables are much cheaper, but you can run Shimano wheels and cassettes with Campy 11 speed.
Any objective observer will tell you that they’re both really great and it comes down to personal preference.
The main difference for me is the gear shifting mechanisms.
I just really don’t like the position of Campy’s thumb lever, especially in the drops. Shimano’s positioning feels so much more natural.
In terms of performance, you won’t find much, if any difference really.
Chorus is a carbon groupset, Ultegra is alloy. That’d explain some of the price difference.
Personally I love my Chorus. I have a bike equipped with a mix of 105 and Ultegra (10 sp though) and I have no complaints, it works well. But my Chorus works better, I prefer the levers, it does multiple up/downshifts, I prefer its looks, etc etc.
Another question to consider is wheels and the other bikes in your fleet - it makes sense to have all groupsets from the same/compatible brands if you intend to switch wheels.
I find it tricky to compare Shimano and Campy groupsets, I don’t think they match in terms of levels in the range. I feel that Shimano has developed its lower range a lot more than Campy, and that Campy lower end is a lot better than Shimano lower end. I’ve had Tiagra and Veloce, and IMO they don’t compare, Veloce is A LOT better.
Campy chorus is better performing in every aspect by far,
Ergonomics are personal and you will get used to both.
Campy will cost more in consumables no doubt as for the two side by side is chorus worth double the price?
Well that’s only something you can answer that extra $700 may be better spent in another project
Athena is great too, Veloce is a surprisingly awesome groupset
Anecdata re: Veloce.
The old stuff was great, but I killed a new Veloce 10 speed shifter in under 10,000km of commuting. Not rebuildable either unless you want to replace most of the shifter body which you can’t buy anyway. Still, they were only around $100.
Depends what bike it is going on. Chorus is the better groupset - but it isn’t 500 bux better.
The worst mistake I made in bike related things was putting campy on a cross bike (this was in 2010 when you could only buy surly steamrollers). I binned it heaps of times and smashed the groupset up good and proper. Expensive to replace.
I would go ultegra purely because that is absurdly cheap and its very good.
this dosnt relate to ‘value for money’ but another thing to think about if you have to choose.
in my personal experience, another difference is the brake lever itself.
im not a big fan of the movement in the brake lever being also a gear shifter as one, i prefer the solid feel of the brake lever, ie campy/sram.
its minor, but enough to make me think twice. i really do like di2 though.
Campy because sensations and passion.
I love being able to brake and shift down at the same time
put campy on because you love to tune your rear derailleur weekly and enjoy a noisey drivetrain
srzly tho… 6800 is far better “value”, it’s easily 70-80% of the feel and performance of 9000 at approx 50% of the price, I test rode 80th anniversary today, honestly can’t tell the difference to other campy groups in lever feel/feedback, I think it feels doughy, so either veloce is amazing, or record is rubbish…
I feel sorry for you m8
value for money - 6800 (much cheaper to buy, much cheaper to wear out and replace)
performance - 6800 (soz campy bros, ultegra 6800 works better for longer more reliably, ultegra brakes also have a shitload more power than anything campy have done…not that more power is necessary)
coolness - not chorus. the chorus brakes for this year are shit. the laser etching on the chainrings looks like its in comic sans. the rear mech is a lot more fiddly than they used to be (yeah so what, tune your bike properly once, but still). not ultegra, because it’s ultegra.
so yeah, campy gets 0/3. shimano gets 2/3.
bitch don’t kill my vibe
But that’s a good thing.
I’d be comparing Chorus and Dura-Ace at that price point, which I what I am going through at the moment.
I’ve been sold on Dura Ace for a few months now as an upgrade from Force 22, but after playing with some Shimano shifters, I just cannot bring myself to like them. I am now agonising over Chorus, and Campy wheels as a refresh on my Roadie.
This has been going on for months, I really should just decide.
Go Campy.
I got 99 problems but campy ain’t one of em
9sp record is where it’s at, rubbish since then