Sure you can't win 7 TDF's without being something special. I'd say Armstrong is the greatest TDF rider ever. From my point of view though (and I think it's the same with most that rate Merckx more highly), Merckx won almost all the major classic/tours that can be won. Armstrong didn't even ride many of them nevermind win them. Obviously we'll never know but if Merckx had only focused on the TDF he might have also won 7 ... or more.
Ahhhh .... with Campy who needs parts ? No problems, no parts. Yes, the Shimano has a smoothness and it took a few rides to get used to the more mechanical changes of Campag but I certainly don't miss the way my Ultegra set used to jump two gears when trying to do a single gear change. Gear trimming is also made easier with Campag's system. As I said .... boils down to personal choie but at least we have some true "reasons" for Shimano now.
I was following your example on the name dropping. But you still give no practical reasons for Shimano's "superiority". Weight, price, feel, performance, etc.
The Pro's ride with what they are given. If Discovery chose to ride Giant bikes with FSA groups tomorrow he'd have to go along with it. Lance doesn't choose Shimano. And you listed Campy not supplying MTB's as a bad reason but now you're using road riders as a good example for Shimano. If road is the standard then let's stick to road. And if you're using Pro's as an example then let's go by recent history ..... which is that the most recent winner of the Tour is Landis and he rode ..... CAMPAG. And if he gets disqualified the the winner will be Perreiro. And he rides ..... CAMPAG.
The reasons listed by Big H are completely skewed. Shimano made bombs ? Great. That's like saying Coke is better than Pepsi because Dr John Pemberton made a good meatball sauce. WTF ? When comparing two articles it's better to use practical facts. Like Britney's boobs feel better than that chicks from Hugh's playboy mansion because Britney's are salt water bags and that blonde bimbo's are silicone - that kind of analysis. E1A104 I'm impressed by your knowledge. Glad you listed the Campag "firsts" which Big H didn't.
Big H has left the building. Maybe to read up on Shimano/Campag. I rode Shimano for years and still do on a tandem. But I'm happy with teh Campy I know have on my road bike and won't go back to Shimano unless they come out with somethinga lot better than they have now. The reasons I prefer Campy are; 1) No brake cables cluttering the bars. 2) Carbon brake levers. Schweeet ! 3) Shifters are more mechanical. Shimano lovers may like the "feel" that the Shimano shifters have but they can also cause incorrect shifts. I prefer the Campag clicks. On the downside, stealth riding when freewheeling is not possible with Campy as it clicks away and announces the fact that you are not working. Other views ?
Popeye your quotes and your digs at me are getting a bit boring. When you have achieved half or even a tenth of what I have done then carry on. ? Untill then, just crawl back into your cage please. Popeye it's time to make peace. No use going on at him. However, Chunky I think that there are many who could have achieved a tenth of what you achieved (and more) if they were willing to do/take whatever was necessary to achieve those goals.
I bought a drink called "REPLENISH" recently. It has the same amount of carbs as the Fast Fuel I was using but it's sucrose free so it has only about 60% of the kilojoules. Is that a good or bad thing or doesn't it really matter ? I'm not diabetic so the sugar content is not a factor but I'm just wondering if it's good to have lots of kj's or if it doesn't matter either way.
