Words Of Advice Please..... Campagnolo Centaur Groupset

mascott

Hi All

I have ordered my new Frame And Forks and will be building up my own bike over the winter. (when i say me i mean my mate who is cleverer than me)

I am looking at buying a groupset off the internet but i cannot find any tech info

if anyone can help i would be most grateful.

the bike is a Eddy Merckx Racing

to order I need

crank Length
English/italian thread
braze on or band f

also which cassette would you recommend for a all round ride able to get me up the hills

i am going for a double and was recommended the compact

anything else that you think might help would be greatly appreciated

and.....
if all this sounds like total bo**ocks then please dont laugh too load...this technical stuff is...................technical!
mark

gkerr4

That sounds ok - the centaur is a good groupset - I am looking at building my own summer 08 bike too - also using the centaur groupset - perhaps on a titanium frame.

anyway - you need to contact whoever you are ordering the frame from and ask if it is an english or italian thread - it is probably english - but you need to check. While you are on the phone ask about the front mech - band on or braze - if it is band-on ask about the diameter of the seatpost - it is usually 31.8mm (I think)

the crank lenght is determined by your leg length and I have no scientific guide as to how it works out. if you are around average height - say 5'7" up to a shade below 6' then probably 170mm cranks would be the ones - any taller go for 175s and any shorter go for 165s

what has your current bike got on it - the length will be stamped on the inside of the crank if you look.

Barbes

I recently bought a new Van Nicholas built using Centaur. It's an excellent groupset; the changing is perhaps not as sweet as my ultegra based Audax bike but it feels solid and looks good. I also prefer the changer on the hood and don't miss the Shimano washing line effect in front of the bars. I opted for a 53/39 with a 13-26 cassette which up here in Scotland is fine for all the hills I'm likely to encounter. My Audax has a triple with 12-27 which I need for touring abroad in the Alps but rarely use in Scotland. My LBS view was "if you need a compact get a triple". One final point - I found it tricky to adjust the triple front mech but that may have been my mechanical incompetence. I hope a double is at least 30% easier

Re crank length - I use a 172.5 on one and a 175 on the other - can't say I notice a difference. I'm 5'11.

acorn_user

You need to know about the frame. The bottom bracket threads and front derailleur are determined by the frame. As for the cranks, unless you are really tall, I'd go for 170mm.

Monty Dog

I certainly know that some Eddy Merckx frames use Italian threaded BB's - so it's definitely worth checking. Measure the BB shell width - Italian is 70mm whereas English in 68mm. Italian BB threads are both right-hand whereas English is left-hand on the drive-side. Perhaps contact FK Marketing - EM's UK distributor? Crank length is relative to height, very crudely your height in cm = crank length in mm. If going compact, a 12-25 cassette is ideal for almost all riding.

Smokin Joe

If you go compact, opt for 50/36 or 48/34. The industry standard of 50/34 is a pain in the backside, the jump in ratios between the rings is far too great.

mascott

thanks so much

that is really good info

i am 6'3" but my current bike (sequoia) has 172.5 . i also have very short legs
it might be right for me, but i would like to try a 175 just to see....

i seem to remember that the shop said it was italian thread but i am going to check with them next week and ask the other questions you mentioned

still slightly torn between campag and the ultegra....i am used to the 105 i used now and it really has been reliable the ultegra seems good value,perhaps more so than the centaur, but the campag looks good on the bike and i guess a change would be good. i need to keep reading those hundreds of posts about campag v shimano

thanks once again......i really am learning a lot from you lot!
mark

PhilofCas

mascott wrote:

still slightly torn between campag and the ultegra....i need to keep reading those hundreds of posts about campag v shimano

mark

nah, save yourself a lot of time ('n go out riding), simply pick the best, Campag!

southernfriedchicken

Why not mix and match on your groupset, that's what I did this when building up my Kinesis Racelight2 frame. I used Record levers, Chorus brakes, Chorus Carbon seatpost and centaur Cranks, deraileurs and cassette. All of which were sourced off the internet from the cheapest suppliers for each individual component. HTH.

allaction

6ft 3" with really short legs. You're not painting a pretty picture of yourself! I have just undertaken a similar project and have opted for Ultegra after having nothing but praise for my old 105. Have bought various items for build off ebay and am proceding to drive my wife mad asking if parcels have arrived! I bought one of these by the way http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/BH-L60-Carbon-Roa ... dZViewItem got it for £420 including delivery. Are supposed to be a really good frame. A search above rated it as one of the best of 2006! I reckon all in with carbon bars, stem, seat post, fancy seat, hand built wheels and Ultegra cost should me about £1200.

gavintc

I am 6 foot tall and find 175 cranks a good length. I reckon that unless your legs are unusually short that you would find 175 suitable. The frame specs will define Italian or English. Most are English, but as someone has stated, check with a shop. A good LBS will be able to tell by looking at the frame. The braze on / clamp on question will be also be answered by a quick trip to a good bike shop.

I use a compact 50/34 and much prefer it over the triple on my other bike. Equally, unless it is really steep, a 12-25 will suffice. Just change the cassette to a 12-27 for mountain work.

mascott

ok........when i said really short legs i dont look like i should be in the circus....my trousers are 33" i leg.

and my feet come out of the bottom of them....

i did think about individual parts but i wondered if it is cheaper to save up and buy the group set....and as i am not too sure what i am buying i wondered about compatibility

allaction

I did buy the group set from my LBS. He had bought three to qualify for a deal and was keen to get rid of the third before winter so got a good deal.

Richrd2205

mascott wrote:

ok........when i said really short legs i dont look like i should be in the circus....my trousers are 33" i leg.

and my feet come out of the bottom of them....

i did think about individual parts but i wondered if it is cheaper to save up and buy the group set....and as i am not too sure what i am buying i wondered about compatibility

Then you should be looking at 175mm cranks...
I have a 34" inside leg & had one of those bikefit things which recommended 177.5mm cranks, which are hard to source, so I use 175mm with no bother on my uprights

PostieJohn

southernfriedchicken wrote:

Why not mix and match on your groupset, that's what I did this when building up my Kinesis Racelight2 frame. I used Record levers, Chorus brakes, Chorus Carbon seatpost and centaur Cranks, deraileurs and cassette. All of which were sourced off the internet from the cheapest suppliers for each individual component. HTH.

This saves me from starting a new thread, I've been wondering if it were possible to slowly (my bank manager might read this!) upgrade my groupset.
Although I doubt it would ever happen as I'm very happy with what I've got.
I ride with Veloce now, but what's stopping me from buying the odd piece of Record and swapping them over.

What are the do's and dont's?

meesterbond

PostieJohn wrote:

This saves me from starting a new thread, I've been wondering if it were possible to slowly (my bank manager might read this!) upgrade my groupset.
Although I doubt it would ever happen as I'm very happy with what I've got.
I ride with Veloce now, but what's stopping me from buying the odd piece of Record and swapping them over.

What are the do's and dont's?

Nothing to stop you really... when you start mixing 8, 9 and 10 speed then you need to take a little more care, but assuming the Veloce is 10 speed then it should be fine.

I had a Centaur groupset on my bike, decided to swap to a compact and rather than replace like for like I put Record cranks, plus rear and front mechs on. Cost a fortune, but looks and shifts beautifully!

I figured that I'll probably change my frame next year or the year after and when I do I'll upgrade brakes and shifters to Record. Just need to justify buying a new frame now!