Groupset upgrade

[jamfit]

Dear all I would be grateful of some advise, at present I have a 500 quid burning a hole in my pocket and have been considering using it to replace the sora/tigra and FSA mix on my Trek 1.2.

Originally I was looking at the new Shimano105 groupset, however after having a look at Campagnolo I’m quite tempted with the Italian offering.

However as I have already upgraded my wheels to Fulcrum Racing 5 (obviously with a Shimano hub) I am assuming that if I went down the Campagnolo route would it simply be the case of swapping the hub to suit?

I guess my first question should be whether upgrading the groupset on the Trek would be a beneficial in the first place or overkill on a budget bike?

Your opinions and views would be well appreciated

 

[TheDoctor]

Swapping the hub isn't as straightforward as all that, but you can get a Campag-spaced cassette that goes on a Shimano hub, so that's not necessarily a show-stopper.
I didn't notice that much of an improvement going from Sora to 105, TBH. It was nicer, but not really £500 nicer.
Still, if you want to, go for it!!

 

[jamfit]

Upgrading the wheels made a massive difference but at what price point would you expect to gain the same kind of improvement from changing the groupset??

 

[mercurykev]

Swapping the hub isn't as straightforward as all that, but you can get a Campag-spaced cassette that goes on a Shimano hub, so that's not necessarily a show-stopper.
I didn't notice that much of an improvement going from Sora to 105, TBH. It was nicer, but not really £500 nicer.
Still, if you want to, go for it!!

Not the case with Fulcrum wheels - the company is owned by Campag. This means that you can buy a Campag fit freehub and swap it over costs about £50 though - http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?PartnerID=79&ModelID=26477

A groupset upgrade at that price point isn't going to give you much performance improvement. I'd agree that wheels would give you more bang for your buck. However, I do prefer Campag ergos over STIs - it's a combination of the hood shape and shifting mechanism.

 

[kfinlay]

Performance wise a new groupset will make no real difference, it will look nicer, shift a little smoother, be a little lighter and campag shifters may suit you better so think of those being the benefits and not any performance (ie it will not make you faster).

Personally I'd buy a better set of wheels and use the Fulcrums as winter wheels. Shimano RS80s or 7850CL, Mavic Ksyrium Elite, or Fulcrum 3s with some Continental GP4000s should make a difference depending on the type of riding you do.

If you really want a groupset then you could get SRAM Rival for your budget (and no need to change cassette), the 2011 105 stuff is supposed to be a fair bit better than the 2010 where as Campag stuff seems to have been downgraded for 2011 - especially Centaur so Athena may be a better option but is over budget and needs a new freehub so would be around £600.

 

[jayonabike]

Planet x are selling Fulcrum 3's for £275..... a bit of a bargain.

 

[Garz]

Agreed with wheels being a better upgrade overall however nothing wrong with having a shiny new 105 (black if suits bike better) and use your spares to move onto an older bike/ reserve winter project for the future.

 

[jamfit]

I think looking nicer, shifting a little smoother might be enough of a benefit for me to justify an upgrade and having just had a look at Planet X they have Campagnolo Athena Groupset for 499!

I had considered the SRAM stuff however I can’t quite get my head around the double tap system and the lack of multiple-shift might be missed.

 

[mr_s81]

I think looking nicer, shifting a little smoother might be enough of a benefit for me to justify an upgrade and having just had a look at Planet X they have Campagnolo Athena Groupset for 499!

I had considered the SRAM stuff however I can’t quite get my head around the double tap system and the lack of multiple-shift might be missed.

I've come from STI shifters on my Virtuoso to SRAM Red on my planet X. The double tap system is completely intuitive and works a treat. What do you mean by multiple shifts. Going up 2 gears at a time? This is possible with the double tap system.

 

[jamfit]

yes going up or down multiple gears, I didn’t realise it was possible on the SRAM stuff !! How exactly dos it work?

 

[Garz]

TBH whether you choose shimano 105, SRAM or athena you cant go wrong really they are all decent for the price it's just preference - try them all and choose from that.

 

[kfinlay]

TBH whether you choose shimano 105, SRAM or athena you cant go wrong really they are all decent for the price it's just preference - try them all and choose from that.

+1 and also consider the size and shape of the shifters as it is a contact point that and could make or break your choice.