2011 Campagnolo Centaur - Opinions?

[cloudhead]

Hi, I'm having a lugged steel road frame built (Dale Saso) and am seeking a nice group for it. My mechanic recommended Centaur in allow for a nice balance of performance, looks and value. I don't race, but I like to ride fast, and I'm looking for a group that would complement this frame in more ways than one. The 2011 Centaur group looks like a nice match, but would love any opinions--I've never ridden Campy before. I was told that the components are user-servicable, which is a big selling point to me.

The goal for this bike is a lively old-school feel with modern performance. The frame is Columbus steel. Im figuring Italian all the way?

http://www.campagnolo.com/jsp/en/groupset/catid_2.jsp



Thanks for any opinions,

Court

 

[BikeyGuy]

I have a 99 Coppi. Colombus steel, lugged. Sweet frame.
I built it with Campy Centeur.
I've had Campy gear on all my bikes since 93.
You're making a fine choice.
You'll never regret it.

Enjoy your ride.

 

[steve]

Originally Posted by cloudhead .

I was told that the components are user-servicable, which is a big selling point to me.

They also last a long time. My last two bikes, one had chorus the other dura-ace. Both are top quality, but I feel chorus has the edge when it comes to durability. The chorus group set has taken much more punishment than dura-ace.

 

[Peter@vecchios]

Originally Posted by cloudhead .

Hi, I'm having a lugged steel road frame built (Dale Saso) and am seeking a nice group for it. My mechanic recommended Centaur in allow for a nice balance of performance, looks and value. I don't race, but I like to ride fast, and I'm looking for a group that would complement this frame in more ways than one. The 2011 Centaur group looks like a nice match, but would love any opinions--I've never ridden Campy before. I was told that the components are user-servicable, which is a big selling point to me.

The goal for this bike is a lively old-school feel with modern performance. The frame is Columbus steel. Im figuring Italian all the way?

http://www.campagnolo.com/jsp/en/groupset/catid_2.jsp



Thanks for any opinions,

Court

Listen to your wrench. He knows about these things.
Centaur is a great choice. Reliable, functional, consistent. A perfect addition to that frame-Forza!!

 

[alfeng]

FWIW. Here's someone else's MERCKX with the current generation of Campagnolo shifters & crankset:

​

And, here's my OLMO with the prior generation Campagnolo shifters & crankset:

​

My Olmo frame went through a period of time with Black components ... it looked good ... heck, you would have thought that Bianchi had seen my Olmo when the chose the Black component scheme for their Dolomiti.

Currently, I'm in my non-Black components phase.

 

[cloudhead]

Thanks for all the thumbs-up! I'll definitely be getting the Centaur set for my custom.

(I'm in a non-black phase too--I'm also restoring a touring bike with lots of polished aluminum and stainless steel--even though the original combination was when black just got extremely trendy. But the new Centaur alloy set is a two-tone of black-anodized and polished, and looks beautiful).

 

[MikeM95831]

I have a very old Trek Columbus road frame from about 1978. The big problem I ran into 10+ years ago was that I broke a Campy rear axle... And I was doomed. My bike was 126mm in the back end.

I took a big gamble and had the rear end spread out. Put on Veloce 8-speed with an Athena hub. I then gradually let it all evolve, and now run Record Ti hubs (the old kind that won't take an 11 because of the lock-ring's diameter) and Centaur. I put so many miles on the 2002 levers that I was forced to rebuild. You can't rebuild Shimano levers. I'm now to the point where I can remove a lever, take it apart, reassemble with new parts and put it back on the bike in 90 minutes -- without retaping. Not bad, eh?

Now I have a UT Centaur AL crank, and everything else is 2002 10-speed Centaur. It works great. I replaced the steel threaded fork with a Ritchey CF/AL fork, and the whole thing weighs just over 20. That's really not bad. But I do think my much newer LeMond handles better.

I'd put up a picture if it was clean. It's filthy right now. Needs a new chain. Yup, been riding it.

Been toying with the idea of a newer CF bike, so I rode a Fuji SL-1. I simply did not like the way it rode -- much too harsh for my old body. Plus, I just plain have better wheels (Record Ti/DT/Open Pro vs Aksiums on the Fuji). Plus, the Fuji is only 2 lbs lighter than what I have.

I will say that the LeMond is 100% 105, except for the Ultegra 3 by 10 levers. I like Shimano too. Ultegra is awfully sweet. You'll find great Ultegra deals at Total/Nashbar/Wiggle/et al. I saw the gruppo for under $1k recently. Hard to resist at that price.

I went Centaur Compact (50-34, 12-25) and 105 Triple (50-39-30, 12-25); I call them my "concession speech bikes", even if I can still ride 70 miles in 3-1/2 hours.

The good news here is you can't go wrong.

 

[p38lightning]

I have no experience with Centaur and will defer to the coments of those who do, much of which seems very positive. I have lots of experience with older Campy on lugge steel frames (C record, Victory, Nuovo Record) and it is superb in performance, appearance, and durability.

What you can do with Campy to access you "bang for the buck" is to pull up some parts catalogues from the Campy official website. Parts which are common to more than one groupo still have the same part numbers. So the rear axle, freehub and cones from Record may be the same as Chorus, Athena etc. down the line. I've heard it said that Chorus has the same guts as Record for fewer bucks, and a little less "Bling" status.