Campagnolo

[CoCo]

Has anybody tried a Campagnolo build? I'm thinking of giving it a go on a carbon fibre frame but I haven't seen any as yet.

[Kim]

Not something I've seen (though no doubt someone will have done it).  Being locked into road-specific parts is rather limiting on a 'bent.

[CoCo]

Being locked into road-specific parts is rather limiting on a 'bent.

Are you thinking of the gear ratios here or are there other factors that might make you attracted to mtb parts (the strength if the return spring in the rear mech, for instance)?

[Kim]

Gear ratios and the design of the shifters, mainly.

Accept that road gears may be appropriate for the right cyclist on a lightweight racing bike.  Shifters is going to depend a lot on handlebar type...

[loadsabikes]

They tend to use a fairly wide ratio rear block so you may struggle to find a long enough cage to handle the chain tension.

[CoCo]

I live in Norfolk. It's not flat but there's nothing too steep. It'll be used mainly for fast club runs and BHPC races. I also intend to ride the P-B-P on it, God willing. There's plenty of climbing but nothing too steep from what I remember. But the main attraction of Campag is that all my other bikes are Campag and I've got plenty of bits in the shed.

[Veloman]

I ride Campag except for the CX beast which is Shimano.

Main drawback of Campag when compared to Shimano/SRAM used to be the limit on largest rear cassette.  However, I believe things have changed a little and you can now get a Campag cassette with 30 teeth on the rear.

I did PBP with a compact (50/34) and 13/27 on the rear.  Also did BC and BCM on the same bike.  No walking involved, and although I tend to go light, I am not the 75kg rider but more the 90+kg rider.  I even managed a 5kg saddlebag on the BCM.

I agree with standardisation and that is why I have Campag. However, my 10 speed Shimano wheels/cassette works fine with my Campag levers and vice versa with Shimano.  Always use SRAM chains. Weird!