To those who know about Campag Ergo levers

jonny_trousers

So I've just had my new frame built up and rather than go with the Veloce Ergos I was using on the Fratello, I thought I would go get hold of a pair of Centaurs to go with the Centaur drive train I already have. Liking the look and feel of the aluminium ones, I picked some up in great condition from Ebay a few months back. Now that they are fitted, however, I notice how they feel slimmer and a lot less comfortable in the hand than the Veloces, together with the up shifting feeling rather stiff and the down shifts requiring absolute precision so as not to shift several times in one go. I appreciate this may come down to practice, but I really didn't expect the difference to be quite so marked. Although they are in great condition, the Centaurs could be several years old and I am wondering if my Veloces (being 3 to 4 years old) are actually a more advanced design, despite being a lower grade on the Campag scale.

Also, the left shifter does seem to offer more than one shift option where my Veloce was just up or down. Is this normal, or might I have been sold a shifter designed for a triple?

My bikes looking shiny and lovely now and I am keen to have it functioning as slickly, and feeling as comfortable, as possible, so am now thinking of buying a new set of Centaur shifters, but I would be grateful if any of you with experience of Ergos over the years could give me a heads-up on what I should expect.

rolf_f

The front shifter has a couple of adjustment steps to avoid mechanism rub.

The best 10 speed Campag levers are from the 2008-2010 Ultratorque groupsets. These have the current hood design (with the distinctive inward pointing horns) which are very nice looking and comfortable tied in with the multiple downshift functionality that Campag have sadly binned for the current 10 speed systems.

I'd recommend therefore sourcing 2008-2010 Veloce or Centaur levers; which one doesn't matter as long as they aren't current Powertorque; the only difference is that the levers are carbon on the Centaur (which feels nice and are very easily invisibly fixed if you do scuff them) and black or silver alloy on the Veloce.

daviesee

I don't know about anyone else but Rolf is confusing me.
Ultratorque/Powertorque are chainset/bottom bracket designs. :?:

My 2008 Centaur 10 speed levers are Quickshift which alledgedly are the ones to avoid.
From what I've read you want Ergopower or Ultrashift levers.
The left lever/front mech has more clicks as the first one at either end is for fine tuning and avoiding chain rub.
You want to give the lever a fair push to change up.
Going down you just click till it jumps.

Disclaimer: All of the above could be complete nonsense.

Ian.B

I switched last year from the 2006(ish) Centaurs my bike came with to new Centaurs with the current Ultrashift design that was introduced about 3 (?) years ago (possibly now branded Power Shift but they are the same design). I find the new design a big improvement ergonomically, but was disappointed to discover that the new ones will only shift up on the thumb lever one click/sprocket at a time - on my old ones you could go up several clicks/sprockets in one go (as you still can shifting down)

I think daviesee is right about avoiding the Quick Shift (QS) model that came in between my old and new ones - I think they are only compatible with derailleurs from the same model year

I don't think there are different versions for double or triple chainrings

bigmat

You want the oldest new-shape levers you can get - think they came out in 2008? I thought Centaur were available in alloy or carbon then - I got the carbon (NOT carbon wrap, by the way, so actually better spec than more recent Centaur / Athena levers). These ones allow you to do multiple shifts up and down the cassette. The rear mech / left shifter is designed so you can do minor adjustments to trim the position and avoid chain rub.

rolf_f

daviesee wrote:

I don't know about anyone else but Rolf is confusing me.
Ultratorque/Powertorque are chainset/bottom bracket designs. :?:

Indeed - hence why I referred to those levers as belonging to the Ultratorque groupsets. When the groupset was changed to Powertorque in 2010, the multi downshift was scrapped. So you don't want the current new shape - you want the original newshape.

You can tell them apart very easily. The new levers have the ugly circle or square logo in the middle of the lettering on the lever and the carbon wrap is a finer weave than the solid carbon of the original levers.

daviesee

Rolf F wrote:

Indeed - hence why I referred to those levers as belonging to the Ultratorque groupsets. When the groupset was changed to Powertorque in 2010, the multi downshift was scrapped. So you don't want the current new shape - you want the original newshape.

I get that. No problem.
It is confusing referring to levers as groupsets though as my 2008 Ultratorque groupset (which you want over Powertorque) came with Quickshift levers (which you don't want).
Confused? You will be after this episode of, Soap.

rolf_f

daviesee wrote:

Rolf F wrote:

Indeed - hence why I referred to those levers as belonging to the Ultratorque groupsets. When the groupset was changed to Powertorque in 2010, the multi downshift was scrapped. So you don't want the current new shape - you want the original newshape.

I get that. No problem.
It is confusing referring to levers as groupsets though as my 2008 Ultratorque groupset (which you want over Powertorque) came with Quickshift levers (which you don't want).
Confused? You will be after this episode of, Soap.

I wasn't referring to the lever as groupsets - just as the levers that came with those groupsets. Campags groupset terminology seems a lot less confusing than the levers and as the new shape levers changed with the crankset, it's probably the lesser of the evils. Any more of this and I'll be back with Venn Diagrams......

jonny_trousers

Thanks guys. I've ridden my commute since starting this thread and there's definitely something a little iffy about the Centaurs. From a feel perspective they are almost 'bony' to the touch and I can easily feel ridges beneath the hoods. They seem skinnier than the Veloces too and the shifting is really not great on the upshift. If the general consensus is that new Ergos aren't as good as ones from a couple of years ago I might stick my Veloces back on for now. I only really changed them for the pose value in having supposedly upgraded kit and the fact that one of the Veoloces has an ugly scrape on it. They certainly felt good and shifted nicely - not sure you can multi shift on them, though, but I don't suppose that's a big deal given that type of riding I do.

Both the Centaurs and the Veloces have the older style of hood, as below, but I don't know whether that helps date them.

rolf_f

Jonny_Trousers wrote:

Both the Centaurs and the Veloces have the older style of hood, as below, but I don't know whether that helps date them.

They are older than the sort we are recommending. The current ones are better.