Which groupset – SRAM, Shimano or Campagnolo?

Thursday, September 30th, 2010

Like all technologies, sports equipment has rapidly evolved and improved over the past decade to the point where consumer’s preferences will often depend on little more than the aesthetics of a product or the way it has been marketed. This is due to the fact that as technology advances, the margins for improvement are narrowing and often there is very little to choose between products in terms of performance.

So this begs the question, when a cyclist is faced with forking out thousands of pounds on a new group-set is there any difference between the three major brands (Campagnolo, SRAM and Shimano) or is it all just marketing spin? Well the good news is that although there’s little to choose from between the top-end brands in terms of weight and shifting performance, each of the top end groupsets have their own distinct characteristics. Over my next few blogs I will be looking at the main characteristics of the premium offerings of the big three brands in an effort to give some insight to budding cyclists making that all important investment in their first top end racing bike.

SRAM Red

The unique selling point of SRAM’s top-end groupset, “Red”, is the double tap shifting levers and “zero loss” technology which reduces play through the paddles when changing gears. When SRAM first launched Red for the 2008 season it boasted a shifting system which required less than half the lever travel of its nearest competitor and although the other major brands have since raised their game the Red groupset is still the best on the market for short snappy shifting. When it was first introduced, the double tap system was one of the most talked about innovations in cycling. Unlike Shimano and Campagnolo, who use two moving parts for shifting, SRAM use one paddle located behind the brake lever. The levers have two ranges of travel, one longer range for tensioning the cable (changing up to the larger chain-rings or sprockets) and one shorter range for releasing tension (changing down into the small chain-ring of sprockets).

The other major advantage of Red is its weight. Although Campagnolo have recently announced that its soon to be released Super Record 2011 groupset will break the 1900g barrier, at 1953g, Red has held the title of lightest groupset since its release in 2008. One of the main reasons for its superior weight characteristics is the “Power-dome” cassette. Rather than the traditional stack of sprockets, the power-dome is essentially a hollow cone with the sprockets running round its circumference. Although this seems like a blinding stroke of common sense innovation I would warn against anyone thinking of using it after my very own power-dome sheared away from the base plate while I was sprinting out of a corner during a race.

Overall Red is an extremely light grouppo and when it is running well it is hard to beat in terms of its shifting accuracy. But my experience, and that of professional cyclists I have consulted, is that SRAM is the hardest to maintain and probably the least reliable.

Shimano Dura Ace Di2

At the end of 2008, Shimano brought months of speculation to an end by announcing the introduction of an electronically powered groupset. Using the “Di2” groupset, the rider sends electronic signals to the derailleurs from the shifters via wires which run along the same route as more traditional cable based systems. The system uses a CPU driven stepper motor housed within the derailleur to deliver what Bikeradar.com refers to as “jaw droppingly smooth” shifting. The smoothness of the shifting is attributed to the CPU’s ability to measure the position of chain relative the chain-rings/sprockets and adjust accordingly. Subsequently, the system does not require any manual indexing, which, for any cyclist who has spent hours tuning his gears to perfection only to hear them rubbing and clunking five hundred meters from their front door, is a welcome innovation.

One of the main questions surrounding electronically driven shifting was the danger associated with the battery running out mid-ride leaving the cyclist grinding home in his downhill gear or spinning like a tumble dryer in his climbing sprocket. Fear not, say Shimano, as the battery has a claimed life of 2000km per charge and since it only takes half an hour to charge from empty you would barely have time to slip on your bib-shorts and scoff your porridge before the fully charged light started blinking. Di2 has is something of a paradox in terms of its price to weight comparison, with the system weighing 2100g and costing around £2099, but like any new toy you have to expect to pay a premium if you want to be the first boy on the block to own it.

Initial reports of the Di2 suggest that it seems to be living up to the hype. The only drawbacks associated with this model are from an aesthetic point of view. The relatively bulky derailleurs and unsightly cable bundles would be a bit of a turn off for the arch-typical vane cyclist but subsequent development of this model should see these problems eradicated and I would expect that this concept is here for the long haul.

Campagnolo Super Record

Campagnolo’s top offering in the groupset market is the Super Record 11 speed. Much of Campagnolo’s success is owed to their legendary Italian style but that is not to say there is not a good deal of substance behind their components. True to their reputation as leading innovators in cycling Campagnolo was the first manufacturer to release an 11 speed groupset. The main obstacle to using 11 sprockets on the cassette is one of dimensions. Naturally, putting 11 sprockets into a space which previously had 10 requires narrower spacing of the sprockets which in turn requires more accurate shifting and a narrower chain. The majority of reviews of this product seem to suggest that Campagnolo have got it right though and the accuracy and fluidity of their system has not been affected by the introduction of an extra cog.

The most practical difference between Campagnolo Super Record and its rivals is again the shifting controls. Unlike SRAM and Shimano, Campagnolo do not place their shifting controls entirely behind the brake lever. Instead they have a paddle for tensioning the cables behind the brake lever and another lever for relieving tension on the inside of the lever “hood”, which is typically operated using the thumb. The Super Record levers are also designed to allow the user to shift across multiple sprockets on the rear cassette, with up to five shifts possible upwards and three downwards. Campagnolo levers are also fully serviceable by the user, unlike SRAM and Shimano levers which require specialist knowledge and parts. Campagnolo levers use a fairly simple rotating cog system to vary the gear cable tension, as opposed to the medley of springs and screws used in SRAM and Shimano levers which, as my local mechanic informed me, you would need to be a Swiss watch maker to reconstruct.

The front chain-rings have also undergone significant research and development to improve shifting. Unlike SRAM and Shimano, who typically use six pins on their upper chain-ring, Campagnolo have introduced an extra two pins to provide greater opportunity for a smoother transition from the large to small chain-rings. The main benefit of Campagnolo Super Record 2011 is obviously the introduction of the extra sprocket and if you are the kind of cyclist who finds himself constantly fidgeting between sprockets in an effort to find a gear to suit your cadence rather than a cadence to suit your gear this will be a welcome addition to you machine. On a purely superficial note there is no denying that Campagnolo is, like most things in cycling of an Italian offering, pretty damn cool.

*Total RRP prices of the components may vary from the price of the groupset when purchased as a complete set.

This entry was posted on Thursday, September 30th, 2010 at 10:18 pm and is filed under Cycling, Parts. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.