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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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  • February 27, 2014 at 11:37 pm #777329
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    DanTe

    ronyarm wrote:A good option

    ronyarm wrote:
    A good option is to get Campag Athena but with Chorus shifters so you have the ultra-shifting. This is what I have on my summer bike (the silver Athena group is gorgeous)!

    Or Athena with a Chorus Crank..

    February 27, 2014 at 11:37 pm #777327
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    DanTe

    ronyarm wrote:A good option

    ronyarm wrote:
    A good option is to get Campag Athena but with Chorus shifters so you have the ultra-shifting. This is what I have on my summer bike (the silver Athena group is gorgeous)!

    Or Athena with a Chorus Crank..

    February 27, 2014 at 11:36 pm #777325
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    DanTe

    Nobody else has tried to
    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..

    February 27, 2014 at 11:30 pm #777323
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    drfabulous0

    Don’t worry about the wheels,
    Don’t worry about the wheels, a Shimano 11 speed cassette works perfectly with Campag, it was an issue with 8 speed but since then the non compatibilty thing has just been a myth.

    Oh and get Campag, I accept that it needs a little bit more love for your bike in the shifting but that’s not a bad thing, it’s your bike after all and feels more natural and organic after a few rides than Shimano’s mechanical feeling.

    February 27, 2014 at 11:18 pm #777321
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    glynr36

    notfastenough wrote:Speaking

    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.

    February 27, 2014 at 11:10 pm #777319
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    notfastenough

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

    February 27, 2014 at 6:45 pm #777317
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    Nick T

    mrmo wrote:
    Square Taper,

    mrmo wrote:

    Square Taper, Octalink, HT2….

    I can still get 102mm Record Bottom Brackets….

    Two types of Octalink, and there’s ISIS cranks too I think. Plus you’ll need some adapters if you want a frame with something like a BB30. “Right engineering solution” indeed.

    February 27, 2014 at 6:39 pm #777315
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    Nick T

    I maintain my own Campag
    I maintain my own Campag equipped bikes. All you need is an Allen key to remove the UT crankset bolt and it pops right out, I manage just fine thanks.

    February 27, 2014 at 6:06 pm #777313
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    mrmo

    harman_mogul wrote:Does

    harman_mogul wrote:
    Does nobody here do their own maintenance? Campagnolo is in a right muddle with its two (soon to be three) bottom-bracket variants. Shimano chooses the right engineering solution and sticks with it. If only Campa had done the same with Ultra-Torque…sorry Ultra – Torque™

    Square Taper, Octalink, HT2….

    I can still get 102mm Record Bottom Brackets….

    February 27, 2014 at 6:04 pm #777311
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    mrmo

    harman_mogul wrote:
    And when

    harman_mogul wrote:

    And when it gets right down to it, whose electronics you gonna trust?

    hmm….

    http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/mechanical-problems-cost-evans-dear-at-the-giro-ditalia

    February 27, 2014 at 4:19 pm #777309
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    harman_mogul

    Does nobody here do their own
    Does nobody here do their own maintenance? Campagnolo is in a right muddle with its two (soon to be three) bottom-bracket variants. Shimano chooses the right engineering solution and sticks with it. If only Campa had done the same with Ultra-Torque…sorry Ultra – Torque™

    And when it gets right down to it, whose electronics you gonna trust?

    February 27, 2014 at 3:46 pm #777307
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    Al__S

    Campag looks prettier. It is
    Campag looks prettier. It is elegant. Shimano is beefy and brash. Campag it is.

    February 27, 2014 at 2:23 pm #777305
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    badback

    It’s down to personal choice.
    It’s down to personal choice. I’ve got bikes with Campag, Shimano & SRAM. All are really good products in their own rights.

    As folks have said Campag has a positive clunk when you shift down wheras Shimano is a lot smoother.

    Personally I prefer Campag because it’s more iconic and I’m a sentimental old git at heart, plus I think their chainsets are easier on the eye.

    February 27, 2014 at 2:10 pm #777303
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    What Mid Life Crisis

    Went through exactly the same
    Went through exactly the same decision – although I was choosing between upgrading an existing Rival groupset to Force, or switching to Athena/Chorus or Ultegra. Was pretty certain I knew which way it would go – then a friend suggested going to my local bike shop where they had one of each set up on a display bike. They let me have ten minutes on each on, strapped into a turbo trainer, just working the shifters and feeling the hood shape. Ended up buying Ultrgra (which was originally third choice) as it suited my hand shape. Without that test – using looks and other important but non-functional tests I would have gone silver Athena or Chorus. Worth finding out if there is somewhere local who will do that. Obviously, you will need to buy it there too – otherwise it’s just rude, but compared to getting the wrong group…

    February 27, 2014 at 1:49 pm #777301
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    glynr36

    Nick T wrote:You don’t lose

    Nick T wrote:
    You don’t lose much with power shift in all honesty, getting the whole set from Comtat or Ribble is the cheapest way to go generally so I’d just live with Athena levers.

    Got mine cheaper picking and choosing between ribble Merlin and wiggle.
    Though I did want the ‘mid compact’ not a standard or compact

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