Campagnolo Record EPS V1..worth it?

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bratz
Posts: 138
Joined: Tue Dec 27, 2011 6:22 pm

by bratz

Hi All

Just want some opinion here as I'm somewhat a shimano guy.LBS local to me is somewhat dumping off this older EPS model. As an example it's priced the same as Super Record mech and slightly cheaper or equal to 9000 di2 locally. Is it worth to it? Had a test with an Athena v1 and is impressed with the shifting, not that I'm having issues with 6700 and 5800 on my 2 bikes.

TIA

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mike
Resident Pro
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by mike

i would go with v2 if anything. the v1 batteries had issues with them not working....in any event, shimano di2 is more user friendly and easier to adjust

XCProMD
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Location: Cantabria

by XCProMD

At that price I'd get it. I have had 3 bikes with EPS v1 and it works fantastic.

graeme_f_k
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by graeme_f_k

mike wrote:i would go with v2 if anything. the v1 batteries had issues with them not working....in any event, shimano di2 is more user friendly and easier to adjust


v1 PUs didn't generally have an issue - there were some troublesome units but certainly all the Athena units were fine & Record / Super Record units apart from one discrete part of production were fine - and with even those, in that one period of production, nothing like every unit was affected.

The far more usual problem now, is whether the dealer has taken proper care of the v1 units - we are seeing a number of units where the retailer has not charged them regularly (despite the charging regime being talked about at the dealer training & a note about it being both in the instructions & on-line) and the battery inside the PU has been damaged as a result - but that can of course happen with any Lithium Ion battery that isn't properly treated.

This applies to v2 units as well, BTW - a lot of the box-movers, especially, are just not taking care of the PUs as they should.

As for ease of set-up - under normal circumstances, most users will do it very few times (unless they are "fiddlers") because you don't need to, anymore than you do a meproperly assembled mechanical or Di2 system and I think most aspects of user-friendliness are down to familiarity - I find Di2 a comparative PITA but I only look at maybe 60 or 70 Di2 bikes a year, whereas I work with EPS almost every day, either running dealer training or working on other forms of demo, or of course in our own workshops ... it's not that Di2 is any worse, it's just different and not what I work with every day so I am bound to find it more of a headache.
A Tech-Reps work is never done ...
Head Tech, Campagnolo main UK ASC
Pls contact via velotechcycling"at"aim"dot"com, not PM, for a quicker answer. Thanks!

mike
Resident Pro
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Joined: Tue Mar 18, 2003 9:42 pm

by mike

That certainly makes sense graeme. The reason I like di2 better is the front derailleur can be easily adjusted with an Allen key and the rear derailleur can be easily adjusted with a quick push of a button. Campy requires you to push button, wait until light flashes, then do micro adjustments. It takes much longer and I often would instead do the zero settingg to start over.

XCProMD
Posts: 1125
Joined: Sat Jan 26, 2008 10:25 am
Location: Cantabria

by XCProMD

Also, comparing EPS whichever version and Di2, and starting from the fact that both are reliable systems, the bikes an cyclist I have had experience with show that Campagnolo rear derailleurs are more reliable than Di2.

Shimano electronic derailleurs have a slight tendency to have resolver problems so they lose track of the position and ghost shift beyond repair. It's been improved in e-tube models but it's still there.

About installing/adjusting I'm used to both systems and it different approaches, but on both is set and forget. Campag is self contained, Shimano relies on a external unit that give some amusing possibilities.

Butcher
Shop Owner
Posts: 1925
Joined: Sun Jan 03, 2010 4:58 am

by Butcher

I had issues with my v1 power unit. Campagnolo was fast at replacement.

bratz
Posts: 138
Joined: Tue Dec 27, 2011 6:22 pm

by bratz

Thanks all for the info.

Looks like Record EPS V1 is reliable with exception of some PU issues.

I'm still deciding whether I should proceed with this purchase or go with DA Di2 which is capable of customization I.e sprint shifter.

I'm putting this new groupset on my Felt AR so not sure if there will be any aero penalty by having the external battery on the downtube which I would think should be minimal if there's any. But hey, I've spent some on aero frame so I should be concern in adding drag, right? :-)

I will decide by next weekend before a short vacation so that bike will be ready when I'm back. Till then I would appreciate if there are any other info on Record EPS V1

shinzomaeda
Posts: 41
Joined: Mon Apr 20, 2015 9:03 am

by shinzomaeda

Hi,

I moved to Record EPS v1 recently, and have been loving it so far. Front and rear changes have been very swift and precise and can't fault it at all.

Only issue I've had is with my charger failing, but was replaced under warranty without issue.

vinceflynow
Posts: 71
Joined: Tue Jan 15, 2013 7:45 pm
Location: Northern CA USA

by vinceflynow

All the components from V2 are the same as V1 expect for the PU and DTI. You can upgrade to V2 later on with an upgraded PU and DTI.


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audiojan
Posts: 795
Joined: Fri Jan 27, 2006 1:38 pm
Location: New Hampshire

by audiojan

Easily worth it! The V1 wasn't bad by any means. As mentioned all you need is a DTI v2 and the v2 power unit and you're good. My V1 PU failed, but Campagnolo replaced that under warranty (and FAST) with a v2, so all I ended up paying for was a new DTI, which isn't that expensive to start with. :-)
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Geoff
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Joined: Sat Dec 13, 2003 2:25 am
Location: Canada

by Geoff

The only thing I would say that is a negative about the EPS vs. Di2 is the battery life and the fact that if it goes, you can't just throw-on another. Otherwise, it has proven a reliable performer for me.

Butcher
Shop Owner
Posts: 1925
Joined: Sun Jan 03, 2010 4:58 am

by Butcher

And do not forget the v2 has a different charger [the cord that gets plugged into the wall is the same].

graeme_f_k
Shop Owner / Manufacturer
Posts: 611
Joined: Mon May 26, 2008 12:21 pm
Location: UK
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by graeme_f_k

Geoff wrote:The only thing I would say that is a negative about the EPS vs. Di2 is the battery life and the fact that if it goes, you can't just throw-on another. Otherwise, it has proven a reliable performer for me.


With current Di2 mounted internally, I don't think you can swap the battery out that fast ...

Battery life, in terms of shifts per full charge is roughly comparable, EPS v1 vs Shimano early Di2, EPS v2 vs Shimano 11s Di2 - some users have told me that Campag has an edge, personally I think it would be very difficult for a user to be absolutely sure.

Campag tests with v1 (and some testing we did at Velotech) suggested 1600 - 1800 km off a full charge but it depends how much time that is spread over due to the natural tendency for the battery to lose a certain amount of charge over time, regardless of the system being powered down. Campag's tests were over a month, our test was a one-off "just for interest" job, not intended to be at all scientific, conducted on a new system over 6 intensive (and long) riding days.

You can run an EPS charger (v1 or v2) off a 12v DC car cigarette lighter socket if you need to - so if you are inattentive enough to forget to charge, on the day of a race, if push comes to shove, you can give it 30 mins whilst you are in the changing room - and be good for certainly 200km, depending on how much shifting you do :-)
A Tech-Reps work is never done ...
Head Tech, Campagnolo main UK ASC
Pls contact via velotechcycling"at"aim"dot"com, not PM, for a quicker answer. Thanks!

by Weenie


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Geoff
Posts: 5395
Joined: Sat Dec 13, 2003 2:25 am
Location: Canada

by Geoff

Yeah, that's one of the reasons I like the 'original' Di2 - external battery. I also agree that it is 100% user-error to let the battery drain down, but sometimes stuff just happens. Ok, Now what?

With respect to battery life, maybe I'm just unlucky. When my EPS battery went dead, I wasn't looking at whether or not it had charge remaining because I was still far away from the 'typical' life I get out of Di2. Don't get me wrong, it still lasts a reasonably long time, but in my personal experience, not nearly as long as Di2. To be fair, though, Di2 batteries last half a season, which may be overkill.

Anyway, overall, I prefer EPS to Di2.

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