SRAM, Campagnolo or Shimano? (Again)

David Hill is asking that question again; which is the best group set between the big three; SRAM, Campagnolo or Shimano? He needs to know which is the best value, top quality and all the other reasons to buy one group over another. We have gone through this before, but here we go again

Question:
Can you tell me what your thoughts are on whether Sram, Campagnolo or Shimano are better value, quality, etc.

Hi David,

We have discussed which group set to choose before and it comes down to a few things; first personal choice. The way the gear change feels and the braking, these are the main differences between the three systems. The SRAM gears have the “Double Tap” gear change where you change up and down with the same lever, where as Shimano use the brake lever and an extra lever behind the brake lever for the change. Campagnolo have two levers, one behind the brake lever and another on the side of brake lever body, all different.

The gear cables on the SRAM and Campagnolo are hidden, where as Shimano gear cables loop out in front of the handle bars. The feel of all three are different and this is something you need to decide which you prefer. All work well when set up properly, all give an accurate gear change, but they all feel different as you make the gear change. Also there is the look and feel of the levers, the look is a personal choice thing as is the feel of the levers, with Shimano they are longer and feel like all the weight of the mechanics are at the front of the lever where as SRAM and Campagnolo all the parts are in the body and the lever is shorter.

SRAM Lever

The feel of the brakes is also of personal choice, Campagnolo is a more subtle braking than the Shimano and SRAM brakes, with those the feel is quite sharp, but all are dependable.

Campag Lever

When it comes to quality the top group sets are all as good as each other, but I would say Campagnolo Chorus and Shimano Ultegra are as good as each other, but I would say the lower SRAM groups are OK, but not as good as say Shimano 105 or the lower Campagnolo groups. Personally I have found that Campagnolo lasts longer and can be repaired where as Shimano goes in the dustbin when it goes wrong. With SRAM it has not been out long enough to tell how it will last. Has this helped David?

SRAM Brake