How does Veloce compare to 105?

tailwindhome

And are Khamsin wheels any good?

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... elID=52638




£1499 from the lovely people at Chain Reactions

I'm away to ponder.........

biondino

God, £1500 for Veloce. Prices have literally doubled in the last five years, how depressing.

bigmat

I'd reluctantly say 105 is probably better than Veloce these days - always used to be on a par, but Veloce has been downgraded a bit (particularly for 2011). Still good stuff though, I've got Mirage on my summer commuter / winter roadie and it works faultlessly after 4 years - I reckon current Veloce is a similar standard, maybe a bit better. Thing is, that bike cost me £400! I'm now seeing Mirage specced on bikes costing £1,000, and Veloce on £1,500 bikes. Madness. Likewise with the Khamsins, my £400 bike came with a choice of Campag Ventos or Rigida Condors (I went for the latter). The Ventos are a step up from Khamsins - for £1,500 that doesn't seem great, although I've heard they are very durable, albeit a bit weighty. I guess the Colnago uplift is bringing the recent price hikes into very sharp focus here....

tailwindhome

Jaysus

You realise it's a third off (2199 to 1499)


Does anyone know where I could get a secondhand Delorean, some plutonium and a flux capacitor?

biondino

Woah. You are paying literally several hundred quid for the sticker that reads "Colnago"!

cjcp

The main reason I prefer Shimano over Campag is comfort - I ride on the hoods a lot and find Shimano more comfortable. I don't know if this is still the case, so you're best off trying both in a shop on a test ride.

What are the FSA chainsets like? My RaceFace doesn't seem as stiff as my Ultegras. I've got a compact on the crosser, but never noticed whether it flexes.

@TWH - I think you could probably get a better deal if you continue to hunt around, but, it all comes down to what you like...

vitesse169

I prefer campag, I have veloce on my summer trainer and on my carbon race bike. Tho I do have sora on the winter hack - that is a little 'notchy' but very functional....

prawny

The ace is meant to be a great bike. It got a really good review in the C+ BOTY and it's the top Colnago that's made in the far east.

Does any one want to buy a drum kit with cases and sabian cast cymbals yours for er, £1499.99.

vitesse169

....also, Khamsins are a little heavy, I got some vento reactions which are really good...

ketsbaia

I've got Veloce on the winter trainer and 105 on the posh bike.

I genuinely prefer the Veloce. Never lost the chain once on Campag gear, even though it's a 10-speed chainset and 9-speed everything else. Sure, it clunks, but it's a reassuring clunk - you know it's straight onto the right chainring. Rear shifting is slightly more hit-and-miss than the 105, but still fairly reliable.

I've lost count of the amount of times the chain's been dropped using 105. IME, 105 is the worst front mech shifting system ever. Think it's because they use triple shifters for a double chainring, but it's still inexcusable. Chain droppage properly fouled up my old frame's chainstays (thank fcuk they replaced it) and the current chainset is scratched to buggery as a result too.

Definitely a personal thing, though, but I prefer the thumb shift operation of Campag to the 'move-the-whole-brake-lever' system Shimano use. YMMV.

ketsbaia

As for the bike, I'd blow the £1,400 on a Focus Cayo Team Replica. SRAM Force groupset, lovely frame, BB30 (it's ace), DT Swiss R 1900 wheels, FSA bars, stem and seatpost and a 28-day send back no questions asked returns policy to boot.

Wiggle it.

stuaff

Prices are indeed getting silly- Wilier Mortirolos with Veloce are near £2k.
Khamsins are OK, tough wheels but definitely a bit lumpy. I like Veloce (I've got a 2007 or 2008 version, I think, on the Condor), but as others have noted, it's a very personal choice between Campag, Shimano & SRAM. Definitely think you can do better on price. How about....
http://planet-x-bikes.co.uk/i/q/CBPXSLPR/sl-pro-carbon-sram-red
Or, for 11 speed Campag....
http://planet-x-bikes.co.uk/i/q/CBPXSLPCAAT/sl-pro-carbon-with-campag-athena
Upgrade the wheels on that and you'd still have cash in hand over the Colnago, plus a noticeably better drivetrain.

tailwindhome

Thanks everyone for your input, I'll not be doing anything too hasty yet.

I have some money (£2 to £2.5k) from my inheritance from my dad which has been ringfenced for selfish 'me' spending. The rest will be squandered on a university education for the kids.

However this really has to cover my cycling spending for the forseeable, There can be no buying with a view to upgrading hence the question about the wheels.


I think I'll just calm my jets and ride the old bike through the winter, see what the spring brings. Stay tuned for 'What best bike?' thread

But that Focus on Wiggle is mighty tempting, and Planet X makes a wrong offer........

ketsbaia

Worth bearing in mind that more or less any bike you buy will have wheels on that you'd like to change. I guess it's why manufacturers insist on putting such dross on bikes that deserve better.

Look at it in this order:

Frame
Groupset
Wheels
Finishing kit

If the first two are what you're after and the second two need 'upgrading', it's no bad thing.

Problem I have is the last three need upgrading but the frame's lovely. :roll:

cjcp

+1 - frame's most important

stuaff

cjcp wrote:

+1 - frame's most important

+ another 1.

itboffin

TailWindHome wrote:

Thanks everyone for your input, I'll not be doing anything too hasty yet.

I have some money (£2 to £2.5k) from my inheritance from my dad which has been ringfenced for selfish 'me' spending. The rest will be squandered on a university education for the kids.

However this really has to cover my cycling spending for the forseeable, There can be no buying with a view to upgrading hence the question about the wheels.


I think I'll just calm my jets and ride the old bike through the winter, see what the spring brings. Stay tuned for 'What best bike?' thread

But that Focus on Wiggle is mighty tempting, and Planet X makes a wrong offer........

Well hello can I just say i'd be very happy to help you pick/drink that little windfall :P

The kids will just hold you back I sold mine ages ago god love ebay :roll:

lost_in_thought

I like my veloce'd CK7, it's done me proud on tours, no complaints at all apart from an incidence or two of stretched cables.

I also have Khamsin wheels, which have been excellent, apart from having a massive disagreement with my vredestein tyres. Blasted things, but I'm not sure whether tyre or wheel is at fault. I'm blaming tyre, it's cheaper!

The nice people at Epic did say the khamsins were good wheels in the price bracket which they occupy.

I have never ridden a bike with 105, though, so no comparative help.

tailwindhome

TailWindHome wrote:

I think I'll just calm my jets and ride the old bike through the winter, see what the spring brings.

Is it Spring already?



Yum

itboffin

Both are good I have both natch, I must admit the campy feels more comfortable on the hoods and is easier to set up.

dunno they both work pretty well I guess you just need to try both.

rjsterry

I'd see which suits your preferred hand position on the bars - if anything more important than the shifting.

DonDaddyD

What year is the Veloce? With the arrival of Athena it seems that with future models Campag are readjusting the quality/functionality of Centaur and Veloce in the range. So previous comparisons may no longer stand.

I tried a Wilier Mortirolo with Veloce for £1500 along with a Kharma with 105 for £1500. Honestly (Campag bigotry joking aside) I felt that the shifting itself was comparable, with both justifying their market price at the time. Shimano felt right for me and I found the Veloce shifters (the stick behind the brake lever) a little flimsy. That put me off more than anything (and I wanted to put Campag on the Kharma).

If you want a more detailed feedback let me know, I tested the he'll out of them.

My advice, if you can add money then push for a better gruppo in the range or a more competitively priced brand offering a higher spec. I pushed for Ultegra which is smoother than 105 IMO.

L

ketsbaia

TailWindHome wrote:

TailWindHome wrote:

I think I'll just calm my jets and ride the old bike through the winter, see what the spring brings.

Is it Spring already?



Yum

Niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiice.

@DDD, my Veloce is a couple of years old, so the levers behind the brakes are aluminium, which gives them a really reassuring solid feel. The little plastic levers on the 105 feel like they're going to break every time I use them. And given how difficult it is to change from big to small ring with those shifters, I can see me breaking one soon.

Not sure what the new Veloce set-up is, so can't really comment on it. But if I could swap groupsets right now, I would.

DonDaddyD

I do like the profile of the Cannondale six frame.

Kets,

That's the thing, I distinctly remember Veloce having a aluminum shifter behind the lever but the one I tried was plastic that I could bend.

I agree shifting to the big ring takes conscious effort with Shimano and that is something I never really enjoy. As a whole though, I found the Shimano system is more intuitive.

I'd say that Veloce of 1-2yrs ago was comparable to 105 in terms of quality, certainly the one I tried. However, I think Campag are rejigging the range and Centaur and Veloce are getting a downgrade.

Canny Jock

105 is OK, but if you can stretch to Ultegra I think it's worth it.

Not sure what the hoods are like on Veloce, but I have (2010) Centaur and I prefer those to 105. The shifting is just different - Shimano is pretty smooth and accurate, but the way Campag will fire up or down several gears quickly is really nice.

Shifting to the big front ring seems better on Centaur than 105, and the brakes are a little better too - less effort required on the levers so a little nicer braking from the hoods.

Sorry I can't compare to Veloce.

Oh, and if you are sending decent money on a bike - Cycle Surgery have just reduced Wilier Izoards to £1,999 - I can recommend one highly

biondino

cjcp wrote:

What are the FSA chainsets like? My RaceFace doesn't seem as stiff as my Ultegras. I've got a compact on the crosser, but never noticed whether it flexes

I had the FSA gossamer chainset and now have the SLK carbon chainset (£300 reduced to £60, that's a bargain for you), and honestly, they both seem great - I can't detect a measurable difference between them (but then I also can't compare them side to side). I'm not a power animal or a racer so I am sure they're more than good enough.

I had a play with my friend's new Condor Squadra with Athena yesterday. I don't know what kind of hideous, misshapen hands some of you lot have, but mine are perfect and that stupid f***ing thumb shifter is in utterly the wrong place - I have to twist my wrist round, dangerously destabilising my grip, to change down! Stupid stupid stupid. If you are odddly shaped, just get Sora, it does the same for much less £££.

ketsbaia

biondino wrote:

I had the FSA gossamer chainset and now have the SLK carbon chainset (£300 reduced to £60, that's a bargain for you).

Bloody hell. Where?

biondino

It was last winter so I doubt it's still available! But it was at Chainreaction I think - they had loads of heavily discounted FSA stuff.

Yep, still some bargains there!

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Cate ... goryID=537

biondino

Hmm, some bargains on Shimano (73% off a 105 octalink chainset) and SRAM (37% off Force and Red BB30 chainsets) as well.

bigmat

I've got the FSA SLK carbon chainset (compact) as well, picked mine up for £60 off ebay (lightly used with new chainrings). Been pleased with it, seems very stiff, front shifting markedly smoother than with my previous Miche one. Had a few issues with it in the Alps, turns out it wasn't compatible with my Miche bottom bracket so there was a bit of play which turned into an awful clicking when I got out of the saddle, have resolved that by swapping the bb for the Shimano one that it came with (so there is some Shimano on my good bike - ugh!)

Planet X were also doing FSA chainsets cheap I think.

londonbairn

Ex Veloce user here, must admit I hated it compared to Shimano.

Also used 3 FSA chainsets (SLK Carbon, gossamer etc) and didnt like them, shifting was not as good as using the drivetrain's chainset.

I now use a whole Shimano drivetrain on all bikes, functionality over looks 8)