Campagnolo

Golfanatic

Hi guys i am thinking of building up a new roadbike and am going to use this frame
http://www.e-hongfu-bikes.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=65&products_id=241

the thing i want to ask you is what groupset to put on it, i was thinking campag
http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/groupset.asp?action=GenerateConstructor&part=GSCAMPXEN10DALU&sub=conf_GS&bike=1

but im not sure as havent had much experience with campag. and not to sure of the mish mash of grouppos. would a shimano equivalent be better maybe tiagra? i was going to put mavic aksiums from cyclesuperstore for 125 does anyone know what hub it is, campagnolol or shimano? thanks and anyother help or
advice would be appreciated oh ye am on a fairly tight budget round 800

bcmf

Campy as far as I know is compltley compatible through the whole range. Dont be afraid to price it here as I found that my lbs and Jimmy Humphries were very competitve price wise. In fact I bought my Veloce levers locally cheaper then anywhere online with 1 exception and that was CSS and it was only a fiver cheaper (2 tolls and fuel for me would make it more expensive.) I have sent you a pm.
As for Mirage it is worth the jump up,if you can afford it, to Veloce or Centaur from xenon/Mirage.

beans

I've never used any xenon or mirage kit. As far as I know, you'd want a campag freehub on the wheel, and the Aksiums should come with a choice of campag or shimano/sram.

Keep us posted on the final decision

JacksonHeightsOwn

funny question lads,

but how does one upshift with campy when yours hands are on the drops? can you reach the button?

abcdggs

with the lever... i can reach mine when i'm in the hoods

JacksonHeightsOwn

abcdggs wrote: »

with the lever... i can reach mine when i'm in the hoods

do i mean downshift then, the one when you press the button, i always get mixed up which is up and which is down

sorry for hijacking the thread

DirkVoodoo

Have Xenon and Mirage not been discontinued? You can get Veloce from ribble cycles for 380 euro. I see a lot of the consumables on that ribble groupset are already Veloce so maybe it is worth upgrading the entire set? The extra cost (when factoring in delivery from Ribble and Merlin) comes to 90 euro.

Go to CSS or email them, they should have a set of Aksiums with a campag freehub (ED10 is the Mavic designation).

Hmmm...Merlin say no more Veloce left, might be worth firing off an email and asking if they will have any in soon, or try shinybikes.

DirkVoodoo

chrisbonnie wrote: »

do i mean downshift then, the one when you press the button, i always get mixed up which is up and which is down

sorry for hijacking the thread

Chris, got to try out my campy setup today and was surprised how easy it was. You just flick it with your thumb when your hands are gripping the bars, very easy in the drops and actually easier than using the lever as the travel is much shorter. This was one of my main concerns about campagnolo and I'm pleased to see how easy it was.

JacksonHeightsOwn

DirkVoodoo wrote: »

Chris, got to try out my campy setup today and was surprised how easy it was. You just flick it with your thumb when your hands are gripping the bars, very easy in the drops and actually easier than using the lever as the travel is much shorter. This was one of my main concerns about campagnolo and I'm pleased to see how easy it was.

cheers Dirk, ive got shimano sora, same kinda idea, only you cant reach the button while on the drops

im looking at a ribble at the minute with campy 11speed, im still about €1300 euro short :rolleyes:

did you get campy on your planet x?

abcdggs

chrisbonnie wrote: »

did you get campy on your planet x?

blasphemy!

Ah as i've only ever used campagnolo i haven't noticed it being any different, but certainly haven't come across any issues with shifting

chakattack

Go campag...you won't regret it. The thumb button makes shifting much nicer and the hoods/levers feel great.

Try Geoff butler for some parts. He has some very cheap chainsets and customer service is spot on especially compared to Ribble.

I put together a veloce/centaur group for less than E300.

DirkVoodoo

chrisbonnie wrote: »

cheers Dirk, ive got shimano sora, same kinda idea, only you cant reach the button while on the drops

im looking at a ribble at the minute with campy 11speed, im still about €1300 euro short :rolleyes:

did you get campy on your planet x?

No it's on the Ridley. Quite smooth but if I am honest I don't feel that much difference functionally between it and the Ultegra, it really comes down to which shifter action you prefer and do you like your shifts smooth or a bit "clunkier" (not in a bad way).

Beware the Ribble shipping charges! I considered one of their frames but shipping was expensive. Very nice bike though. I would say if you are serious about it then go and try out the campagnolo somewhere to be sure.

bcmf

As Dirk says it surprisingly easy both in the drops,on the hoods and indeed ,if your fingers are strong enough and long enough, when resting on the top of the bars to drop down the cassette. I wondered the purpose of the multiple shift in one go (drop or go up 3 gears at once) but the more I use the levers the more I appreciate the multiple shift.

DirkVoodoo

bcmf wrote: »

As Dirk says it surprisingly easy both in the drops,on the hoods and indeed ,if your fingers are strong enough and long enough, when resting on the top of the bars to drop down the cassette. I wondered the purpose of the multiple shift in one go (drop or go up 3 gears at once) but the more I use the levers the more I appreciate the multiple shift.

Yes I was wondering that today, I'm very used to just rapidly clicking through gears on a Shimano system that it was a bit annoying to go down 3....wait, up 2....nearly, no down again, ahh got it.

I know the Ultegra has multiple down shifts but I don't think I ever used it.

bcmf

yeah it takes just a little bit of getting used to but once there ....click.click.click or if you suddenly and surprisingly turn and hit a hill just throw the lever all the way and you are halfway outta trouble. I also find the trim on the front mech (Chorus mech and Veloce levers) to be brilliant and even in the extremes can just avoid any rub

Murph100

For the lowest Campag prices try Slane Cycles or Shiny Bikes, massive stock in Slane, great discounts and no delivery charge.

Golfanatic

thanks for all the info very helpful and have made my decision a bit harder do css sell the aksiums in campag version and shimano bcos i was going to get those wheels, and what do you all think if the frame? and will any intergrated headset fit into it like a better cane creek version or the one on that website?

bcmf

Int-Headset-get the one on the website.

redmaxi

Shimano wears out. Campagnolo wears in.....:D

Golfanatic

How did you do that can you tell me which parts were veloce and centaur thanks

chakattack wrote: »

Go campag...you won't regret it. The thumb button makes shifting much nicer and the hoods/levers feel great.

Try Geoff butler for some parts. He has some very cheap chainsets and customer service is spot on especially compared to Ribble.

I put together a veloce/centaur group for less than E300.

bcmf

@ Golfanay -I have dropped you a pm.

Golfanatic

i think i have come to a decision... i might go with Shimano 105 from merlincycles for 450. i think i prefer the way shimano is smoother and the controls i much prefer. and another thing is that all my tools are shimano but tis isnt a big factor. just one thing i just built up a fixed gear last christmas for 1000 and now onto this which runs into 1000 am i going to fast?

abcdggs

If you can afford it then no you're not going too fast, i personally spend way too much on cycling stuff but i rationalise it by thinking money i spend on cycling stuff is money i don't spend on drink and such

DirkVoodoo

Golfanatic wrote: »

i think i have come to a decision... i might go with Shimano 105 from merlincycles for 450. i think i prefer the way shimano is smoother and the controls i much prefer. and another thing is that all my tools are shimano but tis isnt a big factor. just one thing i just built up a fixed gear last christmas for 1000 and now onto this which runs into 1000 am i going to fast?

No, go as fast as you feel comfortable with or your wallet allows! 2 years ago (well, nearly) I was upgrading from a Carrera Subway to a Giant SCR 2.0 which I thought might have been a step too far. 4 bikes and God knows how many credit card repayments later and I couldn't be happier! I think part of the beauty of cycling is not having regrets, unlike someone I know who bought an Aston Martin DB9 at the height of the boom that was sold of at something of a loss. As long as it makes you happy and you keep pedalling, go for it!

In terms of campagnolo versus shimano, like I said in my previous post (recycled information I picked up elsewhere) the actual performance is much of a muchness, it comes down to which system you prefer. I'm considering swapping my Ultegra for Veloce, not for any performance benefit (of which there would be none) but purely so I can swap the wheels off one bike onto the other without having to swap freehub bodies. If it makes sense, do it. Don't feel you need to buy into one because of some marketing mumbo jumbo.

abcdggs

agree with dirk entirely there,

@dirk-would you not swap to centaur? i would have put them on the same performance level

DirkVoodoo

abcdggs wrote: »

agree with dirk entirely there,

@dirk-would you not swap to centaur? i would have put them on the same performance level

Yeah, plus Centaur has the carbon levers and rear derailleur. But Veloce is 380 on Merlin (if they get more stock, not certain) where as Centaur is over 600.

I'll probably stick with Ultegra, it's been great for 2 years, but for the sake of knowing I can swap wheels with ease the Veloce is a nice option for little money without sacrificing too much performance, if any.

abcdggs

wish i had sprung for the carbon RD for mine when getting it, the alloy is killing me slowly.

Murph100

Jaysus Dirk, go for the Centaur if you're going Campag, BIG difference between that and Veloce.

I had Centaur carbon 2009 on my last bike and it was mega, the full on 'new' Record shape hoods, really smooth shifting, p!ss easy to setup and rock solid. Most of the other parts were actually Record/Chorus from 2008, bloody bargain for the money.

TBH I dont really see any benefits with the Super Record I'm using at the mo, just got it 'cos of a great price, I would use Centaur carbon any day just as happily.

D!armu!d

Murph100 wrote: »

Jaysus Dirk, go for the Centaur if you're going Campag, BIG difference between that and Veloce.

Is the Veloce much of a drop down from Centaur? Was looking at building up a frame for around the €1k mark and getting centaur would be pushing the budget up. Would I regret going for Veloce, or is the difference that noticeable?

Cheers

JacksonHeightsOwn

DirkVoodoo wrote: »

No, go as fast as you feel comfortable with or your wallet allows! 2 years ago (well, nearly) I was upgrading from a Carrera Subway to a Giant SCR 2.0 which I thought might have been a step too far. 4 bikes and God knows how many credit card repayments later and I couldn't be happier! I think part of the beauty of cycling is not having regrets, unlike someone I know who bought an Aston Martin DB9 at the height of the boom that was sold of at something of a loss. As long as it makes you happy and you keep pedalling, go for it!

In terms of campagnolo versus shimano, like I said in my previous post (recycled information I picked up elsewhere) the actual performance is much of a muchness, it comes down to which system you prefer. I'm considering swapping my Ultegra for Veloce, not for any performance benefit (of which there would be none) but purely so I can swap the wheels off one bike onto the other without having to swap freehub bodies. If it makes sense, do it. Don't feel you need to buy into one because of some marketing mumbo jumbo.

you mix with the upper crust dont you, no 06 fiat doblos in your group i take it

Murph100

Veloce is grand to be fair but Centaur is a pretty big step up, especially ergonomics wise, as I said, leaving aside the 11s bit, you'd be hard pressed to tell the difference between Record and Centaur.

I'd have no hesitation putting it on a top end frame TBH.


EDIT : Actually Dirk, knowing in you, you would definitely regret fitting Veloce instead of Centaur !

Lumen

There is no real performance benefit from any groupset, assuming what you mean by performance is "going faster". Brakes stop, gears shift.

As a bike shop mechanic said to me last year when discussing Tiagra, "it's better than anything we had in the nineties".

The manufacturers just give us a menu of choices in the budgets people have available to spend. If we had twice as much money the gear would be twice as expensive.

It bothers me to think there are people running less expensive groupsets torturing themselves over how much better their cycling experience would be if they'd gone a couple of rungs up the ladder. Bloody consumerism.

</rant>

abcdggs

Lumen wrote: »

There is no real performance benefit from any groupset, assuming what you mean by performance is "going faster". Brakes stop, gears shift.

As a bike shop mechanic said to me last year when discussing Tiagra, "it's better than anything we had in the nineties".

The manufacturers just give us a menu of choices in the budgets people have available to spend. If we had twice as much money the gear would be twice as expensive.

It bothers me to think there are people running less expensive groupsets torturing themselves over how much better their cycling experience would be if they'd gone a couple of rungs up the ladder. Bloody consumerism.

</rant>

How many wheels are you waiting to arrive in the post? :P

DualFrontDiscs

Lumen wrote: »

There is no real performance benefit from any groupset, assuming what you mean by performance is "going faster". Brakes stop, gears shift.

Heretic! Burn him!

bcmf

As I built mine up bit by bit (didn't buy a gruppo) here is what I ended up with. The new style Veloce levers with Centaur Carbon rear and Chorus front and it works sweet as sweet thing.I certainly think the carbon plate in the rear makes it crisper.

abcdggs

bcmf wrote: »

As I built mine up bit by bit (didn't buy a gruppo) here is what I ended up with. The new style Veloce levers with Centaur Carbon rear and Chorus front and it works sweet as sweet thing.I certainly think the carbon plate in the rear makes it crisper.

very cheeky i know, but noticed your selling your frame, you wouldn't happen to be selling your rear derailleur as well?

bbosco

D!armu!d wrote: »

Is the Veloce much of a drop down from Centaur? Was looking at building up a frame for around the €1k mark and getting centaur would be pushing the budget up. Would I regret going for Veloce, or is the difference that noticeable?

Cheers

Try mixing and matching a bit. I have Veloce shifters and Centaur/Chorus for most of the rest. The shifters are the most expensive part.

DirkVoodoo

Murph100 wrote: »

Veloce is grand to be fair but Centaur is a pretty big step up, especially ergonomics wise, as I said, leaving aside the 11s bit, you'd be hard pressed to tell the difference between Record and Centaur.

I'd have no hesitation putting it on a top end frame TBH.


EDIT : Actually Dirk, knowing in you, you would definitely regret fitting Veloce instead of Centaur !

Cheers for that Murph, I was going only by cost and figured Veloce on a "winter" bike would be cheaper to install and cheaper to run. I probably won't replace anything for a while, some life in the Ultegra yet and not enough money, but I'll keep Centaur in mind.

bcmf

I managed to get my Veloce levers form LBS for €90

Golfanatic

i personaly dont like the look of veloce, especially the derailleurs the all black ones look so cheap but the ones on merlin look a bit better i would choos centaur over veloce centaur is deadly. what is a better groupset in turms of shifting quality weight and stiffness? Veloce or 105, i know you cant really fully compare them but in the categorys which they are similar which comes out on top?

bcmf

IMO you can't say 105 is better or worse then Veloce/Centaur as they really are different. But if I was to compare I would say Centaur is better then Ultegra after riding Ultegra. But as I said they really aren't comparable and it really is a matter of personal preference. When choosing a gruppo take this into consideration. Campy is serviceable and Shimano isnt

Lumen

Aside from "it's all good"...

Judged in isolation, I think Veloce is nicer than 105 (although I'm comparing 2008 Veloce to 2009 105). The shifting is more positive and it's lighter. I particularly dislike the long throw of Shimano levers (I have quite small hands) after getting used to SRAM; I've read that Campag suits smaller hands and my own experience supports this although it's been a while since I used it.

But you can't really judge in isolation due to compatibility issues. You've got Veloce and Centaur as the only 10sp campag groups, then the rest (Athena-Super Record) as 11sp. And even 10sp campag is largely incompatible with 10sp Shimano and SRAM.

So if you don't see yourself upgrading for a few years I'd say Veloce is a nice group, but if you tend to suffer from an itchy credit card you have nowhere to go, either up the range or across to Shimano/SRAM without ditching the whole group (and switching freehub bodies).

That's my view, happy to be corrected.

bcmf

Lumen wrote: »

You've got Veloce and Centaur as the only 10sp campag groups, then the rest (Athena-Super Record) as 11sp.

That's my view, happy to be corrected.

Word on the ground (or in WW anyway) is that within a short period (dont know whatthe time frame is) that 11sp will be hitting the whole range

Lumen

bcmf wrote: »

Word on the ground (or in WW anyway) is that within a short period (dont know whatthe time frame is) that 11sp will be hitting the whole range

I love WW, what a place. I just read a discussion about the suitability of 11sp Campag and Di2 for cyclocross. :pac:

bcmf

is it worth the read........:D

Golfanatic

hopefully ordering the frame tomorow. says it takes 7-9 days thats not bad. cant wait. im going for the black carbon weave version will eventually paint it.

Golfanatic

oh ye there really helpful and easy to deal with

JacksonHeightsOwn

does anybody here have 11 speed campy by any chance?

Murph100

Yup ! What ya wanna know ?

Chips Lovell

Murph100 wrote: »

Veloce is grand to be fair but Centaur is a pretty big step up, especially ergonomics wise, as I said, leaving aside the 11s bit, you'd be hard pressed to tell the difference between Record and Centaur.

Veloce now features the new hoods and shifter design.

chrisbonnie wrote: »

does anybody here have 11 speed campy by any chance?

Yup.

JacksonHeightsOwn

Murph100 wrote: »

Yup ! What ya wanna know ?

Im thinking of getting a ribble with 11 speed athena, but ive never seen campy, any chance of a demo