Had to pick between Campy and Shimano for my first real bike build

Tbh I never thought I'd be building a bike from scratch but last month I got a vintage steel frame from a guy on Craigslist for 60 bucks. I spent like 3 days going back and forth on groupsets because my buddy swears by Campagnolo but my local shop only stocks Shimano parts. Ended up going with a Shimano 105 kit since I could get help if I messed up the install. Honestly the shifting is super smooth and I don't regret it but I'm still curious if Campy feels different. Has anyone here swapped from one to the other and noticed a big difference?

2 comments

2 Comments

willow2441mo ago

Campy hoods are definitely chunkier, I felt the same way when I tried my buddy's Chorus setup. The shift action is more of a clunk vs the Shimano click, but both get you to the same gear just fine.

davis.mia1mo ago

Jumped into my first build last year with a used frame I found at a swap meet. I totally get the Campy vs Shimano thing, my brother is a total Campy snob and kept pushing it but I went Shimano 105 too. The install was way easier than I expected since I could watch a bunch of tutorials specific to it and my buddy had spare parts if I messed up. I did try a friend's bike with Campy once and honestly the hoods felt weird to me, like too bulky in my hands. The shift action had a different feel, kind of more mechanical and clicky while Shimano is almost silent. But I don't think it's better or worse, just different flavors of smooth.