Campagnolo centaur groupset prices

gwillis

I'm looking to upgrade / swop from shimano tiagra over to campag and I'm trying to source a centaur groupset . I've checked the obvious sites such as ribble etc and I'm looking for a bit of advice about purchasing. Am I better of sourcing individual parts or buying it from one place and does anybody have any feedback on the centaur groupset it's for a training bike / commuting . [/img]

mercurykev

Shiney Bikes seem to be offering good deals on groupsets at the moment:

http://www.shinybikes.com/bike/Groupsets/

For a commuting bike i probably woudn't bother with Centaur - I've just get Veloce as there really isn't much in it and you'd save £90.

Avanti Roman

I have 2010 Centaur with a carbon chainset on my Gran Fondo - no problems at all at 2000 miles.

I chose it over alloy Athena for the (supposedly) increased transmission longevity & lower replacement cost thereof + I liked the carbon components and it was 100g lighter for a little less money at the time.

I think the 2011 version has 'carbon wrapped' alloy levers (as opposed to full carbon) so it's perhaps less of a step up from Veloce than the 2010 version. If your other Campag bike is 11sp I'd be tempted to go for Athena so I could swap parts if required quickly.

The prices at Shiny Bikes look great!

flanners1

Avanti Roman wrote:

I have 2010 Centaur with a carbon chainset on my Gran Fondo - no problems at all at 2000 miles.

I chose it over alloy Athena for the (supposedly) increased transmission longevity & lower replacement cost thereof + I liked the carbon components and it was 100g lighter for a little less money at the time.

I think the 2011 version has 'carbon wrapped' alloy levers (as opposed to full carbon) so it's perhaps less of a step up from Veloce than the 2010 version. If your other Campag bike is 11sp I'd be tempted to go for Athena so I could swap parts if required quickly.

The prices at Shiny Bikes look great!

So have I on my new build, new levers are great shifting is sublime as well, think the 2010 looks better than the 2011 which just seems a bit budget. Got my carbon groupset new on ebay for £480, with 11-25 can't fault it.

gwillis

I would be happy with the 2010 centaur but can't find any at the mo. I've seen athena at PX for around 575 notes but I'm looking to get some wheels as well the shiney bike deals bumps up if you go for carbon though

wicked

My carbon Athena for £500 looking a good deal then. I have looked on the PX site and they now charge £75 extra for the carbon chainset, must have been a cock up on their part! Still the best deal though.

APIII

I've got Athena on one of my bikes and I have to say I prefer it to record 10 speed, so wouldn't bother with Centaur personally.

rolf_f

Avanti Roman wrote:

I think the 2011 version has 'carbon wrapped' alloy levers (as opposed to full carbon) so it's perhaps less of a step up from Veloce than the 2010 version. If your other Campag bike is 11sp I'd be tempted to go for Athena so I could swap parts if required quickly.

The prices at Shiny Bikes look great!

2010 Centaur is Carbon wrapped too (have it on my Look and got it for the similar reasons as you). More important (aside from being damned ugly!) is that Campag de-engineered Centaur so it only shifts one step at a time. I got the last 2010 levers Ribble had for my Gran Fondo (they were on another bike ); they did still have the crankset, brakes and rear mech.

I'd try to source 2010 or go Athena for 2011 though I can't really see the point of the 11 speed beyond 'it goes to eleven'.

Incidentally, I had planned to spec the bike with Veloce but, after I upgraded to Centaur brakes to get the cartridge type pads (pretty useful for my mileage) I realised it hardly cost more to get full Centaur.

clx1

gwillis wrote:

I'm looking to upgrade / swop from shimano tiagra over to campag and I'm trying to source a centaur groupset . I've checked the obvious sites such as ribble etc and I'm looking for a bit of advice about purchasing. Am I better of sourcing individual parts or buying it from one place and does anybody have any feedback on the centaur groupset it's for a training bike / commuting . [/img]

I've got 2010 Centaur on one bike and 2010 Chorus on another, I'm very happy with both and whilst the Chorus is a little bit slicker in the change it's quite marginal.
However unlike some other posters who don't seem to think 11 speed is worth much I would highly recommend it, it's not just an extra gear, it's 11 different gears. I can feel a big difference between my Chorus and Centaur groups and the Chorus is better because of the 11 speed.
On the basis that 2011 Centaur appears to have been downgraded I would either go Veloce or push the boat out and get Athena.

flanners1

My Centaur 2010 levers don't appear to be wrapped, new shape en'all? If you have other bikes/wheels the ball ache of cassette removal for one bike is not worth the hassle to get one extra sprocket and the associated ratio benefit of 11spd IMO, or maybe I should have ridden it longer. Heard Campag had probs with some 11sd levers not sure how truthful that is.

gwillis

My best bike has Athena and I really like it. I'm just trying to upgrade my Scott and I guess with my budget Im swaying towards campag , I guess I could try picking up bits of arena on ebay bit by bit but I'm so impatient .

APIII

Rolf F wrote:

I'd try to source 2010 or go Athena for 2011 though I can't really see the point of the 11 speed beyond 'it goes to eleven'.

Nevermind the extra cog. The new levers have a much lighter shift. I was sceptical too until I'd tried it.

jimwin

Rolf F wrote:

I'd try to source 2010 or go Athena for 2011 though I can't really see the point of the 11 speed beyond 'it goes to eleven'.

It goes to 11 for good reasons. Like 11~25 and 12~29 cassettes with nicely progressive gear jumps.

I have Athena 11 on 2 bikes and it's the best groupset I've ever fitted. It makes a good bike better.

- Jim

vorsprung

I fitted my loverly custom Ti bike with Centaur in 2007
That was 2007 Centaur, not 2010 Centaur

Plusses
Chainrings seem to last forever
chain pretty good
13-29 cassette gives good range
Looks loverly

Minus points
Both LH and RH shifters broke. RH internals went and UK distrib refused to fix them for free, cost 50 quid. LH gear change lever broke 1 month outside warrantee period, Mercian fixed it
Ultratorque BB was not weather proof at all and needed very regular maintenance
I like 36h rear wheels (I'm an audax nut) but 36h hubs are like rocking horse doo doo for campag

When the custom frame cracked I sold all my campag parts and spares. The new bike has 105