Well, the answer to many of those questions, according to a factory spokesman from Vicenza, is that ShimaNO was going to release a 9-speed group. Like it or not, Campagnolo had to follow. So, we now live in a world in which one single cassette holds almost as many gears as your old ten-speed used to. Combined with two chainrings, you can now have up to 18 different gear ratios to choose from. We also live in a world in which the parts of your drivetrain which are destined to wear out the fastest are getting thinner and thinner, placed more and more stress on the ever-smaller area of contact between chain and cog.
Tolerances are closer, adjustments more critical.
The following, based on our early testing, are our first impressions of this latest leap in technology. We Like It . That's just psychological, but having 9 gears to choose from is lots of fun. For the moment, it's a rare sight on the road, and it's fun to show it off to your fellow riders. Gone are the days when you needed a field guide to tell which gruppo a part belonged to.