Campy advice please



I'm sorry I don't have time to read all the post, so if this is already covered my apologies.

Do you race?

If not, I would go with Veloce, it's a great value for a component system that people compare with Ultegra in smoothness but weighs more than Ultegra, and Veloce is the best bang for the buck in the Campy lineup with very little if not unnoticeable difference between Veloce and Centaur other than looks. If money is burning a hole in your pocket and you want a little more flash and have people say oooooh when they look at your bike get Athena .

Chorus and Athena have Ultrashift in the levers if you like the idea of jumping multiple gears which is something that Shimano can't do and it doesn't bother me that it can't. And Chorus and Record look extremely ugly! Athena is beautiful, in fact it's the best looking groupset of any of the other Campy stuff, and the best looking of any Shimano or SRAM groupset. Centaur is no longer made but you could still probably find last years supply. There is also Potenza, which is simply trickle down technology from Record and Chorus without all the carbon fiber, but I think it looks cheap but it doesn't shift cheap. Athena is 11 speed and Veloce is 10, and I bet you won't miss the one gear that is missing with the Veloce.

I had Athena, though it was a 2006 model, but I liked it, it looked great. But it wasn't any better shifting than the newer Shimano 105 groupset, Athena shifted a tad smoother, but not so much smoother that it made me silly with joy. If I had thought Athena was that great I would have transferred my 105 stuff off my Lynskey onto the Mercian and put the Athena group on the Lynskey! Of course than I probably would not had been able to sell the Mercian for what I paid for it new!

I know all that I said isn't much help, but you have to decide how much money you want to spend, do you want stunning looks and moderate pricing (Athena), vs better functionality but more money (Potenza), vs practicality and least amount of money (Centaur or Veloce). Since Centaur is no longer being made you should be able to find last year's model for less than this year's Veloce.
 
"If money is burning a hole in your pocket and you want a little more flash and have people say oooooh when they look at your bike get Athena ."

Life is too short to ride ugly bikes.


"Chorus and Athena have Ultrashift in the levers if you like the idea of jumping multiple gears which is something that Shimano can't do and it doesn't bother me that it can't."

I think the very best feature of the higher Campagnolo groups is the multi-shift. Whether training or racing I find it invaluable in the steep Ohio hills.

Of course, all the new electronic groups can go from one end of the cassette to the other in a split second. Even more of an improvement in shifting speed and range.

But, shimaNO does offer multiple shifts (at least the downshifts do multiple shifts per pull of the lever). Even on the lowly 5800 11-speed 105 group I have on the Emonda.
 
I'm sorry I don't have time to read all the post, so if this is already covered my apologies.

Do you race?

If not, I would go with Veloce, it's a great value for a component system that people compare with Ultegra in smoothness but weighs more than Ultegra, and Veloce is the best bang for the buck in the Campy lineup with very little if not unnoticeable difference between Veloce and Centaur other than looks. If money is burning a hole in your pocket and you want a little more flash and have people say oooooh when they look at your bike get Athena .

Chorus and Athena have Ultrashift in the levers if you like the idea of jumping multiple gears which is something that Shimano can't do and it doesn't bother me that it can't. And Chorus and Record look extremely ugly! Athena is beautiful, in fact it's the best looking groupset of any of the other Campy stuff, and the best looking of any Shimano or SRAM groupset. Centaur is no longer made but you could still probably find last years supply. There is also Potenza, which is simply trickle down technology from Record and Chorus without all the carbon fiber, but I think it looks cheap but it doesn't shift cheap. Athena is 11 speed and Veloce is 10, and I bet you won't miss the one gear that is missing with the Veloce.

I had Athena, though it was a 2006 model, but I liked it, it looked great. But it wasn't any better shifting than the newer Shimano 105 groupset, Athena shifted a tad smoother, but not so much smoother that it made me silly with joy. If I had thought Athena was that great I would have transferred my 105 stuff off my Lynskey onto the Mercian and put the Athena group on the Lynskey! Of course than I probably would not had been able to sell the Mercian for what I paid for it new!

I know all that I said isn't much help, but you have to decide how much money you want to spend, do you want stunning looks and moderate pricing (Athena), vs better functionality but more money (Potenza), vs practicality and least amount of money (Centaur or Veloce). Since Centaur is no longer being made you should be able to find last year's model for less than this year's Veloce.


I am really pleased with the Veloce and definitely think that I made the right choice. Cash is an emotive subject! I would have liked Athena, but couldn't justify spending the extra.
 
... Chorus and Athena have Ultrashift in the levers if you like the idea of jumping multiple gears which is something that Shimano can't do and it doesn't bother me that it can't. And Chorus and Record look extremely ugly! Athena is beautiful, in fact it's the best looking groupset of any of the other Campy stuff, and the best looking of any Shimano or SRAM groupset. Centaur is no longer made but you could still probably find last years supply. There is also Potenza, which is simply trickle down technology from Record and Chorus without all the carbon fiber, but I think it looks cheap but it doesn't shift cheap. Athena is 11 speed and Veloce is 10, and I bet you won't miss the one gear that is missing with the Veloce.
FYI ...

ALL of the early iterations of Campagnolo's V3 shifters had a variation of the ULTRA-SHIFT mechanism.

The current ATHENA (and presumably the POTENZA, too) and less expensive Campagnolo shifters now have the POWER SHIFT mechanism.
 
I am really pleased with the Veloce and definitely think that I made the right choice. Cash is an emotive subject! I would have liked Athena, but couldn't justify spending the extra.

I think you made the right choice! You had limited amount of dollars to spend and wanted the best bang for the buck and that's what Veloce is all about on the Campy lineup.

It's the same reason when I bought my Lynskey in 2013 I went with mostly 105 (I did swap the rear derailleur for Ultegra but it was only $36 more to do so); 105 offers the most bang for the dollar on the Shimano lineup and since after I test rode a bunch of bikes with Dura Ace and Ultegra I couldn't notice a dramatic difference between those and 105, very tiny differences yes, but nothing that would make spending another $500 or more to make it worthwhile. In fact with the Ultegra rear derailleur and Dura Ace 9000 cables friends that I have that run with Dura Ace can't tell the difference at all! But like you I don't race so the weight difference isn't bothering me the least bit.
 
You do now! I use Campag 10s ergo levers, 9/10 front & rear mechs, 9s KMC chain, but Shinamo Dura Ace hubs and any Shimano 9s cassette for my 3 bikes. Shifting is ..... as quoted above. :)
FYI ...

Because CAMPYBOB has known that I have been using Shimano Cassettes with my Campagnolo shifters for well over a decade, he was ...

  1. just being silly ...
  2. because he is embarrassed that he was not able to do the simple arithmetic that indicates that Shimano Cassettes and Chains cost less than Campagnolo Cassettes and Chains.
IMO, because not everyone has the deep pockets which CAMPYBOB apparently has, it's just a matter of "Why pay more for consumables than one needs to?"

 
No worries Alf. It's a shame that pro Shimano/pro Campag brigades don't appear to appreciate
the other brand.
I love Campag ergo levers and feel the same about silky smooth Dura Ace hubs. There's nowt
wrong with mixing 'n' matching.

(Nowt= Northern English colloquialism meaning 'nothing') :)
 
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Blasphemy!

Back in distant past, I used to use Regina chains and freewheels long before Campagnolo started to manufacture either item. Not only was this combination proper and right, it was blessed by the Pope. It was also officially approved of by Tullio, Himself...all praise be upon Him. I'm told both families shared the same tastes in pasta and vino. Tullio always swore that as long as his friends made such good stuff, he would not compete against him.

And remember...Miche, Modolo, Gippeme, Ofmega, etc. can all be mixed with Campagnolo if funds run temporarily short. Never with shitmaNO or Suntour!

I also have a 100% shitmaNO equipped Winter beater bike with 5800 11-speed shitmaNO hung all over it. From crankset to brakes to pedals to derailleurs to the chain.

All.
Junk.
shitmaNO.

I try my best never to let friends see me riding it. It might provide the wrong image...

It is not in the appreciation of either brand as superior...even though we all know Campagnolo is far superior in every way to that stuff from the land of canned sunshine. OK. Well...I guess we can admit that the UltraTorque bottom bracket design is just plain retarded! But, aside from that...Campy rules!

Never...not even if offered the keys to an Aventador...would I desecrate the Holy carbon and aluminum and Titanium artwork that is Campagnolo by...by...CHEAPING OUT on a chain or cassette and mixing manufacturers and continents!

Why, I might as well have thrown a black Sedis and Atom on my 1974 Paramount!

We all know shitmaNO costs less. This is as it should be and balances the Universe. The cost is irrelevant, in both the short term and the long run. I buy really good tires. I properly mount them with labels over the valve. I wear really nice gear. My kit matches and fits my trim and fit body as a racer's garb should. I look bloody fabulous. Most importantly, my bike parts match.

They will chisel upon my tombstone: Here lies CampyBob - A man of infinite wisdom and even greater good taste - He rode fast and he rode far...and looked marvelous doing it!

They can scatter any of my remaining fortune about my grave site or distribute it to my ex-wives. Just make damned sure the engraver of my headstone does NOT depict an Ultegra derailleur next to my name.
 
Blasphemy!

Back in distant past, I used to use Regina chains and freewheels long before Campagnolo started to manufacture either item. Not only was this combination proper and right, it was blessed by the Pope. It was also officially approved of by Tullio, Himself...all praise be upon Him. I'm told both families shared the same tastes in pasta and vino. Tullio always swore that as long as his friends made such good stuff, he would not compete against him.

And remember...Miche, Modolo, Gippeme, Ofmega, etc. can all be mixed with Campagnolo if funds run temporarily short. Never with shitmaNO or Suntour!

I also have a 100% shitmaNO equipped Winter beater bike with 5800 11-speed shitmaNO hung all over it. From crankset to brakes to pedals to derailleurs to the chain.

All.
Junk.
shitmaNO.

I try my best never to let friends see me riding it. It might provide the wrong image...

It is not in the appreciation of either brand as superior...even though we all know Campagnolo is far superior in every way to that stuff from the land of canned sunshine. OK. Well...I guess we can admit that the UltraTorque bottom bracket design is just plain retarded! But, aside from that...Campy rules!

Never...not even if offered the keys to an Aventador...would I desecrate the Holy carbon and aluminum and Titanium artwork that is Campagnolo by...by...CHEAPING OUT on a chain or cassette and mixing manufacturers and continents!

Why, I might as well have thrown a black Sedis and Atom on my 1974 Paramount!

We all know shitmaNO costs less. This is as it should be and balances the Universe. The cost is irrelevant, in both the short term and the long run. I buy really good tires. I properly mount them with labels over the valve. I wear really nice gear. My kit matches and fits my trim and fit body as a racer's garb should. I look bloody fabulous. Most importantly, my bike parts match.

They will chisel upon my tombstone: Here lies CampyBob - A man of infinite wisdom and even greater good taste - He rode fast and he rode far...and looked marvelous doing it!

They can scatter any of my remaining fortune about my grave site or distribute it to my ex-wives. Just make damned sure the engraver of my headstone does NOT depict an Ultegra derailleur next to my name.
******!
 
I shall petition the Cardinal of Vicenza to have you excommunicated from the Holy Church of Campagnolo! May Saint Valentino prepare your routes with broken glass, sharp tacks, fast canines and cold drenching sleet. Ye shall be cast into the third circle of Hades, reserved for the cheapskates, Scrooge's, pikers, tightwads and penny pinchers of the corporeal world.
 

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