I'll have to admit until the last few years I was a complete Campy snob. I
looked down my nose at the "Lesser Brands".
A number of folks have said something to the effect of it's Campagnolo or
nothing for them. Just how I felt. Then I ran across a TDF bike in a small
museum that had Mavic on it and I got to actually handle the bike for a few
minutes. My reaction was, "Wow! That's really smooth!". Then I got to
looking at things like Mavic cranksets, Deore wide shifting derailleurs soon
came to me on a much beloved bike and lo and behold, they shifted better
than any other friction shifting set up I had ever seen! Soon Sunshine hubs
came into my possession, and brakes that worked well, and other
non-Campagnolo stuff abounded. Suntour Superbe Pro parts on other bikes. A
Mavic SSC group...cool!
What was this? This stuff all actually worked? Sometimes better than
Campagnolo parts of the period that they competed with? That guy who said
something to the effect of Campagnolo parts are so well made that they will
shift badly forever was not just full of it? Wow! Revelation!
Make no mistake, my brand of choice is still Campagnolo and I have many
boxes of it...just in case, you know. Pounds of little washers, nuts,
bolts, spacers, springs, etc. that I have stashed just because they were
made by Campagnolo.
I am still knocked out by its finish quality. However I am sure a lot less
limited in my choices and in some cases have nicer bikes for it. Once in a
while I spend less, too!
Tom Sanders
Lansing, Mi USA