Campagnolo Ergobrain 10

Price Paid:  $3800.00 at Tommasini, in Italy

Favorite Ride:
Tommasini Fire

Bike Setup:
2000 Tommasini Fire with complete Campagnolo Ergo 10 grouppo, including pedals.

Summary:
I have had the Ergobrain on my bike for over 4 yrs, and although I love the functionality and concept, mine has some problems that require constant screwing around with in order to get the correct chainring display. It continuously tells me I'm on the 39 when I am really on the 53. The opposite is also true: showing I am on the 53 when I am on the 39. When I "manually" switch it by depressing the left hood button, it stays correct for a few minutes and then switches back. I have recalibrated it and rewired it to no avail and my most common comment when riding is "f$#@ing thing." It's very aggraivating.

Strengths:
Clear display. Controls integrated in the brake hoods. Show gear inches and which chainring (inaccurate) and cog is being used. It's Campagnolo.

Weaknesses:
Rarely displays correct chainring withoug messing around with it.

Price Paid:  $160.00 at cbike i believe

Summary:
Yuck.

I just bought a new bike with Record components and thought this would be a great addition to the experience. I'm very dissapointed with the computer.

Problems are:

1. I can't read the sub display when riding. I have to memorize the sequence that it cycles through as the teenie weenie acronyms aren't ledgible.

2. display is blurry like a lcd gets after it's been dropped or left in the rain for a long time...

3. The remote buttons on my brake hoods don't work. The right one does but left doesn't and holding for 2 seconds on either one isn't functioning.

4. less of an issue is all the wires. Long wires to the cadence/speed (why aren't they in the same place?) as well as the wires between the remote switches and the computer as I couldn't run them through my new FSA bar...

I'm going to try to return this through CBike and try out the new polar wireless c200 unit. I can live with pushing a button on the computer and looking through my legs for gear notification. It's funny because with all the fancy gear notification on the unit, I hve so squint to see if i'm in my lsst or 2nd to last gear and it would be easier to just look between my legs.

Save the hassle of having to undo your brakes to return this later. Skip to something else.

Strengths:
not many

Weaknesses:
wires, legibility of display, remote button operation

Price Paid:  $90.00 at ICC, Laughton UK

Favorite Ride:
anywhere in South of France

Bike Setup:
Wilier Laveredo, 10 speed chorus, record pedals, selcof carbon post, ritchey WCS stem & bars, campag. Eurus wheels, flite titanium saddle, pro race tyres

Summary:
If you get easily frustrated with components then don't buy this. I bought it for the gear selection dipsplay, but my Ergobrain lacks much of a brain. Worked great, then displayed the wrong gears, cut out,worked great for ten miles......... so and so on. Can't be trusted.

Strengths:
lovely display, everything else works great. The ergo buttons to control the display are brilliant

Weaknesses:
Terrible connectors from the sensors to the unit, and ergo conectors are suspect, expect better for the price

Similar Products Used:
cateye, sigma

Price Paid:  $120.00 at Wheelworks Davis

Favorite Ride:
Lake Berryessa

Bike Setup:
Trek 1000 with Campy Chorus, Ergo Brain, Mavic Open Pros, Selle Flight Italia, Look pp256 carbon. Similar mileage to a used car...

Summary:
The computer looks goods, works ok. I have been using it with a Campy Chorus 10-speed for 3 or so months now, and I just can't decide whether or not I like it. It is nice to have the cadence, the cabling is fairly non-intrusive compared to some systems, and the controls are very slick. On the downside, it frequently requires me to reset the shifting for no particular reason, and sometimes fails to catch shifts at all.
Not a very good value for the money at this point, in my opinion. I wouldn't buy another one.

Strengths:
Cadence, low profile, great controls.

Weaknesses:
Frequently requires resets, misses a lot of shifts, very touchy, very "tech intensive".

Similar Products Used:
Sigma BC 400, 800, and 1400

Price Paid:  $120.00 at Web

Favorite Ride:
The Flatter The Better

Bike Setup:
2002 Cannondale R4000si, Campy Record, Ksyriums.

Summary:
Hate to say it but Campy has dropped the ball with this one. It is potentially a very nice computer, easy to navigate, lots of features, etc... The backlighting has never worked, no big deal for me, I don't ride in the dark anyway. But my main problem has been the gear indicator, which was the main reason that I went with this computer. After about 100 miles, I started losing the reading. Took it back to the shop and was given a new interface sensor (having to remove the bar tape & shifter to replace it just made me even madder). That one lasted about 200 miles. I can now count on losing the reading after the first 10-15 miles on every ride. I will try replacing the sensor one more time, if it goes out again... Back to Cateye. I expect much more from Campagnolo, especially for the high price.

Strengths:
Looks Great. The gear indicator is a nice touch (when it works).

Weaknesses:
Miles of wiring, but that is to be expected with most cadence computers. Backlight has NEVER worked. Gear indicator works ocasionally.

Similar Products Used:
Cateye, Avocet