jrclimber wrote:Gear range approx 28-115, with triple up front.
STI levers - am I right in thinking only recent versions of e.g. 105/ultegra have this, but read some downsides e.g. that on ultegra 6607 can only downshift 2 gears compared to 3 on 6606?
Never ridden Campag ergos but wonder if should be considering them.
Dual pivot brakes should, I think, be OK but what drop do I need to get mudguards under and do I need to worry about lever/brake compatability?
If I get, say a 12-30 cassette, how do I know that the rear derailleur will be compatable?
By "downshift" I assume that means moving from smaller to larger cogs (lower gearing)?
The 10 speed 105/Ultegra has 3 clicks (3 gears) moving to the larger cogs and 1 click/gear moving to the smaller sprockets.
With 10 speed you will probaly have to do 2 shifts to make any real difference to the gearing as the sprocket gear spacing is so close together.
( the same though goes for Campag' such as my Centaur groupset)
The difference between the 105 & Ultegra triple chainset, at the moment , is the Ultegra has 94mm BCD for the small ring, whereas the 105 is 74mm.
The Ultegra is limited to a 30T minimum size for the small granny ring but the 105 will go down to 24T if required.
I have both Shimano & Campag' changers of which I prefer the Campag. There is no difference in operation as both perform admirably.
A bike with 58mm dual pivot brakes will allow larger tyres and mudguards than 49mm brakes.
(49mm brakes at full stretch will allow 25mm tyres with mudguards - just!)
I have both Campag' and Shimano brakes and both are good.
In Shimano I generally aim for 105 as it gives, to my mind, the best bang for bucks. Robust and fairly light. Obviously the newer 105 etc is 10 speed so that will be more expensive to buy and run.