upgrade to campy record

Just do it.

Value proposition

jlillian said:

Thinking of upgrading to campy record, I currently ride Ultegra. I am just looking for some insight from those who probably know more on the topic.

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There is no way to determine whether any given upgrade is "worth it" to somebody. Those who ride Record have obviously decided that it is worth it, while many others will say it's grossly overpriced. The reasons to choose Record (or any upgrade) are, in no particular order: durability, weight, incremental performance, flash/style/looks.

the campy stuff gives you a nice firm shift. theres a night and day difference between ultegra and record. go for it.

Chorus probably could serve you just as well but if you want the bling factor, why not? I recently bought a DeRosa and I chose to build it with Record including their carbon crankset. Its nice. I've been racing and training with 9 speed Ultegra for a long time and it has served me well. Ultegra can shift and work just as well as Record imo. The biggest thing you will have adjust to is the difference in Shimano's and Campy's shifting method. I prefer Campy's shifting with the thumb lever instead of swinging the whole brake lever, however I like feel of the Shimano hoods. Also, Campy's shift lever is a bit stiff compare to Shimanos. I actually rode my old bike today for the first time in few weeks, and I got used to the Campy shifter and my thumb was looking for the lever all day today.

MD80 said:

Chorus probably could serve you just as well but if you want the bling factor, why not? I recently bought a DeRosa and I chose to build it with Record including their carbon crankset. Its nice. I've been racing and training with 9 speed Ultegra for a long time and it has served me well. Ultegra can shift and work just as well as Record imo. The biggest thing you will have adjust to is the difference in Shimano's and Campy's shifting method. I prefer Campy's shifting with the thumb lever instead of swinging the whole brake lever, however I like feel of the Shimano hoods. Also, Campy's shift lever is a bit stiff compare to Shimanos. I actually rode my old bike today for the first time in few weeks, and I got used to the Campy shifter and my thumb was looking for the lever all day today.

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Good comparison. I agree completely, except I like the Campy hoods much better than Shimano's.

jlillian said:

Thinking of upgrading to campy record, I currently ride Ultegra. I am just looking for some insight from those who probably know more on the topic.

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I went from Dura-Ace to Chorus a couple of years ago and I'm loving it. What kind of insight are you looking for?

Yeah, what kind of insight do you want? I ride Record and love it, but for the, uhm, record, I doubt you could tell a difference between Record and Chorus in a blind test.

alienator said:

Yeah, what kind of insight do you want? I ride Record and love it, but for the, uhm, record, I doubt you could tell a difference between Record and Chorus in a blind test.

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Wouldn't the alloy jockey wheel cage on the Chorus RD feel colder than the carbon one on the Record version? I've heard that alone will save you .0000000001 sec. per mile.

rocco said:

Wouldn't the alloy jockey wheel cage on the Chorus RD feel colder than the carbon one on the Record version? I've heard that alone will save you .0000000001 sec. per mile.

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Yeah, but you forgot one thing: how does that 0.0000000001 sec/mile change at, say, 30mph, according to the Lorentz transformation for time? You can't so glibly ignore relativistic effects, especially if your talking about a 50k TT. Jeez.

The kind of insight that you just gave me about the comparison of Chorus and Record. Thanks.

Chorus is the best value...

If you want all the Campy performance, at less cost, Chorus is a great choice. The Record "Ultra" shift levers will be a touch easier to operate, but other than that, the performance will be identical. Only the weight is afew ounces less with Record.

You can always mix and match too. I'd pay a bit more for Record ergo levers, but the other parts aren't worth it, IMO.

For low prices try www.11speed.com. They have somewhat limited choices (no medium cage rear derailleurs for instance) but the prices are the lowest I've seen. Shipping isn't much more than other places. Parts will often come without the factory packaging.

I just got a pair of Record ergo levers from them for $230, or about $50-70 less than other places. They've got Michelin tires real cheap too.

This is great advice. Also a great website, best prices around.

A completley different point of view from the Campy fan club.
I would consider that a downgrade. Im not saying this to provoke, just a viewpoint based on experience. The more positive feel of Shimano is something worth staying with. If your wanting to splash the cash i would go for Dura-race, but i would have to say that spending that much on a switch of groupos, when you have a very good one, is probably not worth it until its absolutely necessary.

Heretic !!!

Piles said:

A completley different point of view from the Campy fan club.
I would consider that a downgrade. Im not saying this to provoke, just a viewpoint based on experience. The more positive feel of Shimano is something worth staying with. If your wanting to splash the cash i would go for Dura-race, but i would have to say that spending that much on a switch of groupos, when you have a very good one, is probably not worth it until its absolutely necessary.

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Just kidding. Your opinion is, of course, wrong, but you have a right to express it.

Several years ago, I went from Ultegra to Campy Record. My bike is now a mixture of Record/Chorus and Veloce (cassettes). Beyond all the things the other posters commented on (type of shifters, crispness of shifting, etc..), I have only one thing to add: Expense. Yes, Record is expensive but you only have to buy it once. My Ultegra stuff had parts wear out every year. I swear I had to spend $100-150 per year to replace broken parts: deraillieurs, shifters, brake sets, etc... Not broken from a wreck, just worn out and not repairable. Everything on the Campy is replaceable piece by piece (screw by screw) and repairable unlike Shimano. I've had some Campy repairs after seven years: rebuilt the shifters twice for about $50 each time and replaced some brake pads but that's about it. You may not need Record (vs. Chorus or Centaur) but you will be happy with it. I know I was.

I'd go with Shimano...if I were in the market for a fishing reel.

jlillian said:

Thinking of upgrading to campy record, I currently ride Ultegra. I am just looking for some insight from those who probably know more on the topic.

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I had that dilemna a few years back, but just saved the money and put it towards a new bike. That way I had the old bike for a backup/ rainy day bike, plus I wanted a frame more suitable for Record Components (Litespeed Palmares vs. the old Trek 2300). If you buy components piecemeal you're gonna pay....

You might want to try Excel or GVH for a build kit if you're still set on doing it.

BTW, I love Campy Record, but Chorus is just as smooth and reliable IME, it's just a hair heavier.

Good Luck.