Specifically I bought the MicroSHIFT (that's what's printed on the brifters) brifters and rear deraileur. I have a compact FSA system with the FSA front derailleur. As far as installation is concerned, just follow the directions - nothing fancy. Adjustment, same deal - no surprises. The big surprise is that you can buy a brifter that even works at all for the price I paid ($119/pr). Nashbar claims MSRP at $199, but I've never seen them at full price. The rear derailleur was $29 ($59 MSRP). One thing I did do was replace the incredibly crappy pulleys with Shimano ones. Performance pulleys (11T sealed bearing) would be first choice and I'll make that change later.
Shifting is Campy-style, but without the refinement. There are large and small paddles used separately for up and down shifts and the brake lever is old-school and isn't involved with the shifting. The paddles are plastic and the overall appearance is unexceptional, without looking too cheap. With the exception of the 34-->50 front, shifting is precise and quick if somewhat noisy on occasion (clack!) Going from the small to large ring on a compact is never pretty, but this is the only shift I'd rather have my old (9s) Ultegra for. The effort is high and the response somewhat slow and occasionally a second push is necessary. Trimming works, but I seldom use it since I'm set up for racing.
Under racing conditions it's never let me down, but I haven't had to upshift the front under pressure. When you think about it, that doesn't come up all that often in a race when a 50x21 combination is easily obtainable. I'm on the big ring a lot, with the compact you'll find people do that. Unfortunately, there's no way to say anything about durability or reliability at this point. I have to say I like the Campy shifting better than Shimano. It's nice to have a brake lever that doesn't move sideways, speaking as an old-timer I never gotten used to that.
Even though the shifting is Campy-style the appearance is more Shimano-esque. The brake cables are hidden, but not the shifting cables. The pull ratio is 2:1 (Shimano) so the brifters should work. I don't know if Campy is different, but something deep inside tells me that Campy buyers won't be interested.
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I'm interested to see how these pan out. Keep us posted.
I dont mean to sound rude, but there are actually many microshift sets out there. The nashbar ones do look cheap, but if you go to the microshift web site, the arsis and white brifters and deraileurs look pretty good, and are mostly carbon, coming in with a weight right around dura-ace. Also check out Sampson bikes, as they have rebranded microshift stuff too.
I don't think you're rude Keith. I ordered the MicroShift gear back in late October when the offerings were more limited. What I have is now the bottom of their 10s line or may not even be offered. Currently Nashbar has the version with forged Al shift paddles, no doubt nicer. Look for an update soon.
I just finished my 'cross project using a set of Nashbar/Microshift brifters; the cheap one. So far, so good. I agree with your comments. I have a dual crank and since the shifters are 2-3 ring compatible, you have to shift twice to get from the small ring to the large one. But downshifting works OK.
I'm a big guy. But I ride pretty fast for my size, and climb well. Though I don't race anymore I do a lot of centuries and weekend training rides with teams. lets just say I put in 20-25,000 miles per year. During the past season, I've tortured the Microshift setup on one of my bikes. My assessment is simple... I'm buying another set for my othe bikes. The shifting, though loud, was spot on without adjustments like I had to do with Shimano. The controls with buttons (a la Campy) were more user friendly. I love 'em. And they have held up under multiple shifts that I have toperformt o keep up with you light guys when on hills. So, yes, it shifts nicely with my double on the front rings, under strain, going up. I have highly recommended them to some racing guys, and one won a crit on a set he had on his training bike. His race bike was broken from a crash. He hasn't fixed it yet. This group is a hidden gem. I love love love them.
The shifting is not Campy like in that both the levers are accessed from the outside of the brake level. There is no thumb level like Camy
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