Ultegra or Athena

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MrPie

Telling it like it is since 1971
Location
Perth, Australia
Athena! Have a Wilier Izoard with Athena 50/34 and cooked up at least 20k miles on her.....group set works just fine but seriously thinking about treating her to a new group set; wee bit of wear & tear on bottom bracket.......and will choose Athena. It's really is that good.
 

park1

Well-Known Member
Location
Plymouth
I think Athena sits more alongside 105 and sram rival, so the Shimano build will give you a higher spec group set. However Zondas are a step up from Aksium so the campagnolo build wins there. Given most recommended a wheel upgrade over any other to improve performance then I'd say the campagnolo is the potentially "better", however the £150 difference reduces the gap.
I wouldn't worry too much about the gearing. If you replace the 11-28 on the Shimano with an 11-32 you have a lower gear than the campagnolo for less than £25.
I'm not a pro or high level rider. I can tell the difference between a £500 entry level bike and a £1500 one, but I think I'd adapt to either of the two you describe and not notice much difference in my "speed" or "performance". Like others I have old 10sp 105 on one bike and new Ultegra 11sp on another. When set up properly they both shift well and wouldn't say the Ultegra is better (can't compare braking as the Ultegra is hydraulic disc). Personally my heart would go campagnolo to stand out from the crowd, but my head would go shimano and save 150 quid.
 

Travs

Well-Known Member
Location
Surbiton
Agree with most things said; like Japanese v Italian motoring. Japanese is plainer but more reliable, the Campag more stylish and may respond better when its working well but may have flaws that interrupt occasionally.

Def head v heart choice so maybe think about other factors - the Athena replacement parts may be an issue but perhaps email Campagnolo and ask them how long they are planning to provide spares. Otherwise I expect there may be a few old stock floating around on ebay for a while.
I have Ultegra 10s (11-28) and Chorus 11s (12-29) - both compact, both work well, but not world's apart once you key your brain into the shifting method.
 
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