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Advice – Shimano Ultegra 6800 Groupset vs Campagnolo Athena Carbon Groupset

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  • February 26, 2014 at 1:57 pm #20808
    Stumps

    Ladies and Gents, i currently have Shimano Tiagra fitted to my bike and i’m looking to upgrade the groupset as its getting a bit worn.

    Now i’m no genius when it comes to groupsets and i’m more inclined to pick one that looks good on my bike rather than going into the in’s and out’s of specifications etc.

    So having said that i’ve decided to go for either the Ultegra 6800 or the Campag Athena. Both look completely different but i’m drawn towards the Campag as i can get it in black which matches my frame, a minor point i know.

    What i’m after from you lovely people is your thoughts on which one is best or which one to totally avoid. Both are similar priced at the £500+ mark.

    Cheers.

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  • July 7, 2014 at 4:32 am #777359
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    Midas98

    For me it is Campag all the
    For me it is Campag all the way, I have ridden bikes with Shimano 1055 back in the 80/90’s and it was ok but I did break a lot of things. Things like bottom bracket cups, axles, replaced several cranks and even a hub (well the bearing cups) with Campag CDA/ Record I never had any issues. I have recently started replacing my old record items for more modern parts, I found that as usual Campag build quality is second to none and you have to admit it looks so good. But it looks nicer and I actually like the clunky gear change as I find it a help for me to know I have changed gear, as I had to come away from the old levers on the down tube to them being on the brake levers.

    Personally you want the silver groupset as it will stand out perfectly, you want everyone to know you have Campag on your bike.

    March 1, 2014 at 12:32 pm #777357
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    Jack Osbourne snr

    Both Ultegra and Athena are
    Both Ultegra and Athena are very good. As there is little to separate performance-wise, other more subjective factors come in to play…

    I ride Campagnolo because I prefer how it looks.
    I ride Campagnolo because I have to replace stuff less often than my Shimano riding pals
    I ride Campagnolo because its what I used when I discovered that even Cat2 was likely to evade me and it reminds me of my yoof.
    I ride Campagnolo because as much as I like sushi, I’m really a pasta lover at heart.

    March 1, 2014 at 9:03 am #777355
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    allezrider

    It’s just one of those things
    It’s just one of those things – it either matters to you or it doesn’t . For me it doesn’t feel right to have wheels saying Campagnolo matched to a Shimano gruppo. It doesn’t really matter anymore as if you want Campag wheels that don’t shout ‘Campagnolo’ you can get the equivalent Fulcrum version.

    March 1, 2014 at 3:44 am #777353
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    movingtarget

    I may very well be flamed for
    I may very well be flamed for this but why all the matchy matchy Campy wheelset must have Campy groupset, Italian bike must have Italian components rhetoric? You can wear an Armani suit with a Comme des Garçons tie and Berluti shoes and look great instead of like you just mugged a mannequin in head-to-toe Dolce & Gabbana. Just saying.

    I’ve always had Shimano for MTB and road bikes. I like the seamlessness of the STI shifting. It’s cleanly integrated into the brake lever and you can double shift with the front and rear derailleur at the same time for bigger jumps in gears with no problems. I’ve never not known what gear I’m in even though the clicks are so smoothly subtle as you get clear feedback from pedaling as to how much you’ve jumped up/dropped down as you would expect from the company that makes the quietest hub ever. Easy maintenance and worry free. I hear people complaining/seeking advice about the finickiness of their Campy components not infrequently while with Shimano it either works or something needs to be replaced. And that’s fine ’cause some of my friends aren’t happy unless they’re tinkering around with their bikes. That said, if you don’t like tinkering with your bike tune on a regular basis, you may be happier sticking with Shimano. And you can have your cake and eat it too with Shimano groupo and Belgian HED wheelset 😉

    February 28, 2014 at 11:14 pm #777351
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    Miles253

    Throughout the time I’ve
    Throughout the time I’ve owned campagnolo stuff, I’ve found a lot of it quite fiddley and could never get mine set up right on my own. Not to mention as someone that built their first bike, I struggled needed specific tools along the way which is frustrating. But when it is set up right it does feel very nice and looks great too. Saying that I’ve ridden neither shimano or SRAM before :/

    February 28, 2014 at 10:37 pm #777349
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    Stratman

    Fwiw I went from an old
    Fwiw I went from an old campag (veloce I think) to ultegra 11 sp from Merlin. Lovely shifting, and I no longer try the wrong shift action when I change bikes.

    February 28, 2014 at 10:31 pm #777347
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    matthewn5

    Every current Shimano
    Every current Shimano 10-speed system is compatible with every other. So you can use cheaper wearing parts (cassettes, chains, chain rings) and splurge on the shifters, front and rear derailleurs etc.

    AFAIK you can’t do mix and match crank parts with Campy.

    That said, I’m leaning to a Super Record gruppo on my next Bianchi. It’s just the ‘super’ name. And it’s lighter than DA. And both bike and frame will be Italian. I have Ultegra on the current one, it’s fine and works well, but…

    I think you might start a philosophical conflict putting Campag on an American frame 😉 Surely it needs SRAM.

    February 28, 2014 at 10:23 pm #777345
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    bikemadjo

    I think the 6800 is the way
    I think the 6800 is the way to go, great feel, precise shifting (which i have never experienced with Campag) and a plus is that the braking on the ultegra is IMO much better than DA anything campag have made. Plus you won’t have to change everything for your bike.

    February 28, 2014 at 4:48 pm #777343
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    Nick T

    DanTe wrote:
    You’ve missed my

    DanTe wrote:

    You’ve missed my point about the cranks a little there.

    In which case your point wasn’t made very clearly.

    February 28, 2014 at 4:40 pm #777341
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    Flying Scot

    For Scots readers, we can use
    For Scots readers, we can use this loafy comparison:

    Campag – plain
    shimano – pan

    February 28, 2014 at 2:22 pm #777339
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    DanTe

    Nick T wrote:
    Any frame that

    Nick T wrote:

    Any frame that accepts Power Torque will accept Ultra Torque, so I don’t really see any issue with two different systems. You just can’t mix parts from each crank with the other but who does that in all honesty? As for the hire bike you talk about, why were you trying to service it? That doesn’t make any sense at all, if a rental is knackered you hand it back, no?

    You’ve missed my point about the cranks a little there.

    Re: The hire bike – I hired it, rode nearly 200 miles across Southern Spain with 5000+ meteres of climbing before getting to the house in Andalucia and the LBS the next day, to get the nessacery gubbins to clean up a poorly looked after set of bearings.
    I was’nt too keen to turn around and ride back.

    I found the Athena bearing system a total faff. Apart from that it was fine.

    February 28, 2014 at 1:19 pm #777337
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    andybnk

    Campagnolo all day long! I
    Campagnolo all day long! I swapped to an Athena equipped bike 3 years ago and would never go back! Have ridden Shimano equipped bikes since and it’s still a great system, just not as great feeling as the Italian stuff! As I mock my pals with: “Shimano is a fishing tackle manufacturer!!” But all down to personal preference at the end of the day. (get the campag!!!) I got my first bike with Super Record last month and can probably never ride anything without it now!

    February 28, 2014 at 8:58 am #777335
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    Nick T

    DanTe wrote:Nobody else has

    DanTe wrote:
    Nobody else has tried to service Athena crank bearings then?
    I did on a hire bike last year after it started to make horrible noises, it was a total faff.
    A friend who rides a Chorus assures me that’s not the case for that groupset, so why have two different systems?
    That would put me off more than the long travel for front shifting with the Ultegra does..

    Any frame that accepts Power Torque will accept Ultra Torque, so I don’t really see any issue with two different systems. You just can’t mix parts from each crank with the other but who does that in all honesty? As for the hire bike you talk about, why were you trying to service it? That doesn’t make any sense at all, if a rental is knackered you hand it back, no?

    February 28, 2014 at 6:15 am #777333
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    Nick T

    notfastenough wrote:Speaking

    notfastenough wrote:
    Speaking of which, Stumps’ Felt AR5 is indeed BB30, so that adds £30 to his Campag price…

    Hollowtech 2 needs BB30 adapters too.

    February 28, 2014 at 1:02 am #777331
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    Miles253

    glynr36 wrote:notfastenough

    glynr36 wrote:
    notfastenough wrote:
    Speaking of which, Stumps’ Felt AR5 is indeed BB30, so that adds £30 to his Campag price…

    Though no Campag chainset comes with a BB, and for Shimano it’s £25 for the adapters.

    All the chainsets from campy I’ve bought have come with a bb, veloce and centaur

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