Upgrade Campag Components?

plivez

Hi Guys,

I've been riding for a year now on my Wilier Laverado. Covered 2K and thinking about an upgrade.
I'm really happy with the bike fit feel etc. So was thinking about upgrading just the Groupset.
It currently has:
chainset Xenon 50/34
front derailleur Mirage 10 Speed
rear derailleur Mirage 10 Speed
shifters Mirage 10 Speed
cassette Miche 12-25

If I want to upgrade say to Campag Centaur, what bottom bracket do I need, will that fit straight in.
Could I keep the same 10 speed Mirage levers?
Thanks, excuse the ignorance.

Monty Dog

Centaur uses Powertorque bearings, same as you have. The best way of improving the feel of the gearshift would be to upgrade the levers and keep existing mechs. Unless you're going to carbon cranks and saving weight, I'd keep what you have until they wear out. Best performance upgrade is to wheels not parts.

IanLD

Does the Xenon not have a taper fit cartridge bottom bracket? If it does, you'll need to get the matching external bearings for your new chainset.

Make sure you get the correct thread for Italian or English thread.

plivez

Thanks for reply.

Any suggestions for wheel upgrade? Currently has Miche Reflex.

Are you sure on the powertorque?
Checked the sheet, think it's Square Axle Bottom Bracket?

IanLD

Your existing 10 speed set up will continue to work fine. You have alloy shifters and brake levers already, so not a lot to gain there.

Definitely a taper fit chainset with the Xenon. You'll need to get external bearings to go along with the Centaur chainset.

Look at the markings on the bottom bracket and if it says 36x24 it is Italian thread. That means you need two right hand threaded external bearings of the correct size.

Different tools too unfortunately from those you'll need to remove the existing chainset.

plivez

Thanks. Exactly the info I'm after.

Any suggestions where to purchase Centaur bits.

IanLD

Got a decent bike shop that is local? They can probably advise on the correct bearings.

Online for Campag then Ribble or Chain Reaction. Keep looking for special deals from them as well as others who you can find through google.

You've got a compact just now and your existing from changer is sized for a compact, so I'd stick with that unless you are changing both. Current Centaur front changer works on both compact and standard chainsets.

FatTed

Wait until the parts wear out, you have only covered 2K.
I would wait a year at least and buy a new (Carbon) bike if you want to upgrade with a flashy Groupset and wheels.
Still it is your money.

58585

I would say go for the centaur group, have a look at centaur 10 speed on jedi sports for ex. for a full group. You just need to check if the bottom bracket is English or Italian thread on the Willier, I think it's English but someone else will no doubt confirm.

You can keep all the bits you currently have and then if you decide to buy a new frame put the centaur onto that, then reinstall the xenon bits to the willier. Replacing bits as they wear out is a bad idea in my opinion, you get a better discount buying a full group and have the hassle of having to wait for spares to arrive or find stock when something breaks and you need a replacement.

The jump from veloce to chorus is quite noticeable for me, not in terms of performance but in the quality of the finish and a more "direct feel", easier to set-up and stays properly adjusted for longer... centaur might be about the sweet spot for many riders in terms of the campagnolo range, and should be enough to keep you happy for many years of cycling.

Tom Dean

The latest campag 10 speed (ultrashift or powershift, I forget which) has a different cable pull, so you can't use a new rear mech with your levers.

Personally I wouldn't bother replacing anything that isn't worn or broken. It's not a very cost effective upgrade. If money is an issue, spend it on wheels.

g00se

Tom Dean wrote:

The latest campag 10 speed (ultrashift or powershift, I forget which) has a different cable pull, so you can't use a new rear mech with your levers.

Personally I wouldn't bother replacing anything that isn't worn or broken. It's not a very cost effective upgrade. If money is an issue, spend it on wheels.

Hi,

Centaur since 2011 is powershift and 'officially' has a slightly different cable pull to the pre 2010 stuff (as it uses a parallelogram the same as the 11 speed kit). However, anecdotally, those that have mixed and match the older and newer 10 speed kit don't seem to have any problems.

If you do go for new levers - Centaur and Veloce are virtually identical - but have a look on ebay for new-old-sale 2009 or 2010 levers. Then, Centaur and Veloce were ultrashift, not powershift - so you get the proper campag multishift function up AND down at the rear. And you get better trimming on the front mech too.

If the front mech is QS - you might need a new front mech too with ultrashift levers. But you should be able to get a matching one off of ebay for not much cash.

Tom Dean

Sure, I know mixing new and old will work. If paying to make an upgrade I would want to go for an optimal setup though or it doesn't seem worth it.

I was looking at new shape ultrashift Veloce levers on ebay myself. £90 including cables may be OP's best option if still available.

g00se

Getting a bit like hen's teeth now and so the price is rising - but they seem to pop up at a reasonable price now and again.

Tom Dean

Yeah I just had a look and found nothing. There are some old shape chorus and record around, but expensive.

thegreatdivide

Sorry for the spam but plivez I’ve just swapped out lots of Campagnolo stuff on my Wilier Izoard so I’ll have the following for sale ASAP:

2012 Campagnolo Centaur carbon chain set with Power Torque BB cups (English) – superb condition
2010 (so new V3 shape) Campagnolo Veloce Ultrashift shifters with red hoods (so better than the current Veloce PS version) – a couple of very small scratches to one lever, the other is spotless
2010 Campagnolo Veloce front mech – nice condition
2010 Campagnolo Veloce rear mech – a bit scuffed up from the turbo trainer but shifts perfectly
Brand new Campagnolo gear cable set

I’m a bit rushed this week and prepping for the Etape Caledonia but can sort prices etc next week.

PM me if you’re interested.

plivez

Thanks again for very helpful info.

To thegreatdevide, thanks for offer I'll have a think. Where are you based?

plivez

Thanks again for the advice.

I went to my LBS. I did get the Centaur, with Carbon chain set.......attached to a carbon framed bike

pilot_pete

Something worth considering if looking at Centaur is the following which I posted on the TT forum a couple of years back;

Centaur shifters (of a certain era - mine are 2009) suffer from a known problem of the white 'cable holder' (not sure of the correct technical term, but it is the white disk that holds the nipple of the gear cable) not holding the nipple correctly and allowing it to partly jump out, which leads to infuriating shifting and a groove worn into the ergo power shifter body. There is a replacement kit which has a changed design, correctly holding the nipple and returning to positive accurate shifting. I had exactly this problem with mine. It is an extremely simple job to fix with an allen key set, a pair of pointed nose pliers and a hook tool (a cheap small screwdriver with a tiny groove ground into the tip does the trick). There are plenty of videos on youtube showing you how to do it. This is quicker and will save you a fortune. Here are some useful links;

http://wn.com/Campagnolo_2009_Ultra_Shi ... r_Overhaul

http://www.yellowjersey.org/ergo5.html

http://www.campagnolo.com/jsp/en/doc/doccatid_1.jsp

Spares list here;

http://www.campagnolo.com/jsp/en/doc/doccatid_3.jsp

Hope this helps

PP