# Campy to SRAM. Happy?



## ox_rider (Sep 6, 2006)

I am interested in hearing from riders who went from riding exclusively Campy to now riding exclusively SRAM. Which Campy group did you have? Which SRAM group do you have? Are you happy you switched?

Thanks.


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## cyclevt (Aug 6, 2004)

*I did it!*



ox_rider said:


> I am interested in hearing from riders who went from riding exclusively Campy to now riding exclusively SRAM. Which Campy group did you have? Which SRAM group do you have? Are you happy you switched?
> 
> Thanks.


Until this January, I have exclusively ridden campy equipped bikes. My most recent campy bike was a mix of 1996 Record levers converted to 9 speed a few years ago, Chorus rear derailleur, chorus front derailleur, C9 chain, veloce 9sp cassette (12-23), chorus dual pivot brakes, and a Truvativ Carbon Rouleur compact (50/38 or 50/36) crank.

In January, I happened upon a ever-so-slightly used, SRAM-Force equipped full carbon Merckx MXM. And that was that.

The campy stuff went to the cyclocross project bike and the old road frame transformed into a new FOX rear shock for the MTB.

Here's what I can tell you about FORCE vs older Campy:
1. the SRAM brifters blow away the older campy in terms of ergonomic comfort.
2. Shifting is quick and precise, though how can you really do better than Campy on that front?
3. FORCE _sounds_ like poorly adjusted Campy when shifting, but it works well. It's hard to explain, but the _click_ of FORCE just sounds different.
4. FORCE is very easy to set up if you follow SRAM's excellent, simple instructions.
5. I really miss the front derailleur trim of Campy. I mean a lot. I think this is my only gripe. FORCE gives you only one position in the big ring and two in the small ring. There are cogs in the back that I think I should be able to access when in the big ring without that slight rub of the front deraileur. I may just need to fiddle more with the front shifting, but it might just be what it is. RED supposedly addresses this by giving 2 for the big ring, but only one for the small ring.
6. The drivetrain is a little noisier than well-adjusted Campy. 
7. The SRAM chain seems to not hold lube all that long and when it gets "thirsty", it lets you know by becoming more noisy.
8. Brakes are OK, though not as good as you can get. I'm not sure if it's the pads on AL rims, or the mechanical action of the calipers. They stop you, but don't offer as much adjustment as Campy dual pivots do.
9. I _sometimes_ still reach for and miss the thumb paddle down-shift action of Campy, but the Double-Click action suits my riding, so it's sort of a wash.
10. I waffle on weather or not I would have rather had Chorus or FORCE on this bike and usually come down on the side of Chorus, but not so much that I ever think about spending the money to swap.... But then I put my hands on the FORCE brifters and that thought goes away.

Hope this helps a bit.


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## ox_rider (Sep 6, 2006)

Great review though I am not sure it is a ringing endorsement of SRAM. I am riding 06 Veloce with 07 UT CT crank, Chorus cassette and chain. It took some tweaking to get everything to shift right, but it really works well. The posts always seem to be about Chorus or Force, but the less expensive (heavier) Veloce stuff works. The brakes stop the bike and big ring to little ring is easy. That said, and I hope more people post, the 09 Rival looks like a huge deal to me vs say Centaur which I would pick now.


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## Bocephus Jones II (Oct 7, 2004)

ox_rider said:


> Great review though I am not sure it is a ringing endorsement of SRAM. I am riding 06 Veloce with 07 UT CT crank, Chorus cassette and chain. It took some tweaking to get everything to shift right, but it really works well. The posts always seem to be about Chorus or Force, but the less expensive (heavier) Veloce stuff works. The brakes stop the bike and big ring to little ring is easy. That said, and I hope more people post, the 09 Rival looks like a huge deal to me vs say Centaur which I would pick now.


Why do you want to switch from Campy? I know all the high end stuff is good, but I'm used to how Campy feels and works. Why would I switch?


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## ox_rider (Sep 6, 2006)

Would only do it on a new bike build. For the existing bike, I am trying to get my hands on some 06 Campy parts to keep in the parts drawer over time.


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## cyclevt (Aug 6, 2004)

*Nothing is perfect*



ox_rider said:


> Great review though I am not sure it is a ringing endorsement of SRAM. I am riding 06 Veloce with 07 UT CT crank, Chorus cassette and chain. It took some tweaking to get everything to shift right, but it really works well. The posts always seem to be about Chorus or Force, but the less expensive (heavier) Veloce stuff works. The brakes stop the bike and big ring to little ring is easy. That said, and I hope more people post, the 09 Rival looks like a huge deal to me vs say Centaur which I would pick now.


Like I said, had I been building up from a bare frame, I probably would have gone Chorus. Record is obscenely expensive, almost offensively so.

I got an insane deal on this complete bike that any way I look at it, it was a good purchase. 

But, then there is the ergonomic comfort of FORCE. Every time I get on my CX bike with my old campy group, I miss the FORCE levers. Also, now that I've got both, I can tell you that campy ain't perfect either.

I'm still learning how to adjust the SRAM stuff. I spend so long with campy that I could tune it in the dark, half asleep. My knowledge of the FORCE (sorry cheap shot!) isn't there just yet.


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## capt_phun (Jun 14, 2004)

I just went from 2007 quick shift Campy Record to Sram Red. They both have their highs & lows. Cyclevt hit a lot of them. Here are my thoughts:

Sram hoods are comfortable, I also like the shape of Campy hoods. Hated Shimano bulby levers. 
I dearly miss the Campy thumb paddle for just tooling around, but in a sprint the Sram is so much easier to reach & shift from the 13-12 with the flick of your wrist holding the shift lever back to the bars. Campy I had to rotate my hand to make my thumb reach the thumb button. I do miss the Campy ability to dump a buttload of gears with the thumb button. 
It took me a little time to untrain my Campy mind. Now I find the Sram shifting easy & intuitive now that the muscle memory is there.
Sram seems a little noisier than the campy. I used a shimano chain on both & it definitely is louder on the sram system.
I miss the trim of the Campy front, but honestly I don't need it with Red. I can get all 10 gears while in the big ring w/ no rub.
I like how the front end of my bike feels lighter since the Red shifters are so light. Not that it matters any, its just a feel thing.
I like how SRAM uses the shimano cassette spline so I have better cassette options. Pisses me passed pisstivity that campy never made a 12-27. 13-26 & 13-29 campy are useless, 13 is way to easy to spin out on a descent or a sprint finish.
Sram brakes stop me very well, i think better than my records did.
I miss the Euro-snob look of Campy parts, but SRAM is a US company & I have a Cannondale bike so it is nice to have a more "US Amerucan" bike.

Overall, they are both great groups. I would say evaluate on:
1. feel of the hoods
2. cassette range you need (sram will have a 11-28 which would be great in the mountains)
3. Amerucan or Italian? 

Honestly you can't go wrond with either. When the SRAM zero-loss trickles down to rival & force this fall they will be amazing groups.


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## CXinME (Oct 12, 2004)

Yes. Happy. Miss very little.
Two bikes with Red shifters, o/w both bikes mix of red/rival.
Shimano cassettes and chains.


This why I switched:

standard 110 and 130 bcd
compatible with shimano cassettes and chains
better customer service than campy and shi
shifters easier to service than campy
11 speed?
non sealed bearings
campy no good for cross
campy chain pins stink
no more decent chorus and centaur hubs - just want to sell their pre biltz


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## monkeyman (Mar 6, 2008)

Greetings,

I've always had Campy (Record and Chorus) on multiple bikes. I just bought a new Felt Z1 with SRAM Force. I switched mostly because I wanted to try something new. I loved SRAM's mtn.stuff. After 500 miles, I am thrilled. Solid shifting right out the door. Double Tap is too simple.

Why switch from Campy? I only had Campy because I hated the look and feel of Shimano hoods and cables. First few rides with every Campy group seemed like it took forever to get it dialed in. Take it back to the shop and they'd say "it'll get better after it breaks in" I just never thought the groups shifted as great as everybody hyped. I won't miss the ability to trim one bit.

Call me converted.

Converted.


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## rshank (Nov 30, 2007)

I recently went from Campy Centaur to SRAM rival and couldnt be more please. When I first bought my bike I was new to road riding and it came with campy. I like campy, but it wasnt until i started to need to replace things that i realized how expensive the cost of campy ownership was. I also realized how few people had campy stuff. on my collegiate team no one else had it so if i got a flat in a crit i would ahve to use a shimano wheel for the remainder of the race. the final straw was when my rear wheel broke. I was didnt feel like investing in another campy wheel so i decided that i would get rid of my centaur group and get shimano or sram. my roomate has sram and he loved it, so i thought i would give it a try.
Differences I have noticed
1. SRAM rival is alot lighter than Centaur. i realized this as I was putting the Sram components on the bike.
2. The hoods are a lot more comfortable.
3. Shifting is a lot louder.
4. I miss being able to dump gears, but it is nice not having to move my thumb to upshift.
5. the brakes are a lot better, they feel stronger and stop better. I also like the quick release on the brakes themselves v. on the levers like campy.


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## loudog (Jul 22, 2008)

SRAM brifters are way more comfy, they are wider and angle up a hair more. i think the Campy shifting is a little smoother (using record) but otherwise no negative things to say about the SRAM or Campy. regarding the brifters, i prefer both SRAM and Campy to shimano.


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