Campag Xenon

chadders81

Has anyone got a bike with the Xenon gruppo?

I am looking at a Bianchi Via Nirone with the Xenon kit on it and just wondered how they performed.

I know it's the entry level spec but I prefer the look of it to Shimano Sora because it has the paddle behind the brake lever for shifting as well as the thumb shifter on the hood.

silverpigeon

I have it on my Wilier and it's taken some abuse this winter. No problems so far though, touch wood.

It's not as smooth or as quick as the 105, or DA I have on other my bikes and it gives quite 'clunky' shifts but I can use all the gears with no chain rub on the front derailleur. I'm happy with it.

Martincan

I have it on my bianchi and have had no problems with it. Can sometimes take a second to find a gear, but other than that a nice groupset. The paddle and the thumb shifter is also nice to use.

ratsbeyfus

The paddle broke on my LHS shifter on my old bike. It was very flexy, plasticy, and unlike Shimano STI levers, the weaker lever (the paddle) puts tension in the derailleur spring whereas the stronger lever (the thumb shifter) does the easier job of releasing tension in the derailleur spring. Give it a test ride and feel the quality of the shifters yourself.

thegreatdivide

I'm just in the door after my first ride on my brand new Wilier Izoard XP with Xenon group. After a couple of days of heavy rain the snow had finally gone so me and my cycling partner decided to take the bikes out for the first ride of 2010. It was a great day's ride and the Izoard was superb, but on the homeward stretch I was taking a small hill on a single lane road, there was a car behind me, no problem, doing about 12mph, hands on the hoods, shifted down a gear then BANG - the whole rear derailleur snapped at the main bolt, went flying into my spokes and I ended up sprawled across the road. Luckily the car behind me had time to stop - had this happened on one of the descents of the day I'd be dead.

After a quick search on t'internet it turns out that this Xenon snapping at the bolt issue is nothing new.

I'm now typing this with a knee that looks like a balloon, a fuxked bike with very chipped paintwork, very scuffed and very brand spanking new Keo pedals and the prospect of having weeks of faffing around trying to get a replacement bike and missing quality days on the road.

Well fuxked off.

So if I were you I'd give Xenon a miss.

ratsbeyfus

Forgot to add that my Xenon rear derailleur also broke on a ride. The bolt holding on the bottom jockey wheel worked loose resulting on derailleur bits being all over the road and me being left stranded far from home.

hammerite

I can third that.

The mech is made out of plastic by the look of it, mine snapped in a cross race after the jockey wheels jammed with grass. A few other rear mechs went on the same day so I didn't think it was a Xenon problem.

Replaced the rear mech with veloce though.