Any reason to get Athena over Centaur?

bobinski

I am thinking of moving from Sram to campagnolo on my new bike. There is very little option in the shops to try the two out. Shimano is ubiquitous. A brief forum search suggests Athena holds no advantages and perhaps even some disadvantages. If it makes any difference i have small hands

Calpol

Athena is 11 speed. Inevitably campagnolo groupsets will move toward 11 speed down through the range in time. Vis a vis Shimano making 105 11 speed for 5800.

If you have small hands then I think that Campagnolo is the better of the road bike groupset designs. Athena is a nice groupset but misses two very important benefits of Chorus (next tier up)

1. Multiple up and down shifting on the sprocket. This is really nice once you have it
2. Ultratorque crankset - much easier to remove for service

I have a mix of Athena and Chorus on my summer bike. Chorus shifters and chainset, Athena mechs and brakes. Its a sensible compromise.

If you stay 10 speed with Centaur (which is fine in itself) then you preclude upgrading to Chorus cheaply in the future.

bobinski

Thanks for the very helpful reply Calpol.
Yeah, small hands make it a little tricky moving from the 34 to the 50 with Sram rival. The lever throw is quite long.I don't recall any similar issues with Veloce on a De Rosa i used in Italy a few years back.

I cannot really afford the jump to chorus. Which is a shame because there are clearly benefits to doing so especially the multiple shifting.

thanks again.

thegreatdivide

Things to note:

Centaur is about to be discontinued. From 2015 Veloce will be the only 10-speed groupset on offer (although there will be plenty of close-out sales because of this).
Veloce and Athena shifters are to be upgraded so that they have the same shape and a similar down shift lever as the EPS grouspets.
Multiple up and down shifting is nice to have but not essential. I can managed just fine with either.
As for the small hands debate – I have small hands and have NO trouble shifting in any bar position on any of the Campagnolo groupsets (I run Veloce, Athena, Record, Record EPS and Super Record). IMO the issue is the shape/reach of the bars and the position of the shifters on the bars. I can manage to down shift with my little fingers while my hands are on the tops!

thegreatdivide

Apart from the weight saving, snappier shifting (SR is perfection) and bling factor, the best bit about the top 3 groups IMO is the ability to ‘double shift’ - punch both buttons at the same time and drop into the small ring and down a few cogs on the cassette. It’s perfect when climbing and keeps your cadence nice and smooth.

Calpol

thegreatdivide wrote:

Apart from the weight saving, snappier shifting (SR is perfection) and bling factor, the best bit about the top 3 groups IMO is the ability to ‘double shift’ - punch both buttons at the same time and drop into the small ring and down a few cogs on the cassette. It’s perfect when climbing and keeps your cadence nice and smooth.

Good point.
I would add that when I go back to my winter bike (Veloce) I wish it had Chorus shifters as it really does feel much nicer to me. Before I had tried Chorus, Veloce was more than adequate.

natsnoz

All spot on points by calpol. I also have mix of Chorus and Athena. Love it.

How Far is too Far

If you go for 11 speed you can use a Shimano/Sram freehub wheel with an 11speed Shiman or Sram cassett as well as a Campag 11 speed wheel and Cassett.

Gives you a lot more freedom to use different wheels.

With 10 speed groupsets you will only be able you use a campag free hub with a Campag cassette.

I have been using an 11 speed Athena grouset for the last 3 months and have done over 3500 miles with it, so far so good, shifts fine with lovely ratios on the 27/12 cassette running a compact C/S.

cycleclinic

I have record 10 and Athena on two different bikes I like both about to get SR RS too I no doubt I will like that as well. I also Veloce and you know what it shifts fine not a nicely as record but hey the whole groupset cost less than 1/4 of a record groupset so what do you expect. Ultimately all you need is a system that a) comfortable and changes gear quickly. How slickly it does it is almost irrelevant.

jamie4759

10 speed Campag is different to the 11 speed in terms of shifting at the back. The 10 speed feels clunky like Campag used to, whilst the 11 speed is smoother - like that Japanese brand. 10 speed for a winter build is best, but the 11 speed is good too. 11 speed is a bit more finicky and you will have to get used to tinkering with the barrel adjuster on the rear mech now and then to keep it tip top (10 speed doesn't need this as much as it is not so sensitive). Whatever you get, make sure you get the Chorus shifters, as they are much better than the Athena and Centaur shifters. All of my power shifters have been poor quality, but the Chorus 10 and 11 speed shifters are great. A good combo would be Athena with Chorus shifters, as you get a Chorus cassette and Chorus chain. Nothing wrong with Power Torque if you have the right kit. I take mine to a local Campag shop and they have sorted all of my Power Torque chainsets out in seconds. People moan about having to have the right kit for Power Torque, pumping up a tyre is difficult without the right kit!!!! I would buy the components individually as bizarrely enough, that can sometimes work out a little cheaper, especially with Ribble's offers on Campag parts (the groupsets are not reduced though). You may even be able to source a Chorus chainset, shifters, chain and cassette, and then get the Athena brakes and front mech, cheaper than a full groupset. I think Shiny Bikes and Ribble are about the best for value. Good luck and enjoy. Shame that they are discontinuing Centuar as it has been a great groupset in its time.

jonny_trousers

Just another quick thought on shifters: it might be possible to buy new-old-stock. A little while ago I bought new, old ultra-torque Veloce ergos and they really felt very similar to my Chorus ones. Ebay's the place to look.

Tiesetrotter

Shame they are killing the Centaur. I swapped from Shimano about three years ago and will never change back. There is no difference in quality or change capability. I just love the set up with the buttons and single sweep.

I suppose I better plan for the 11spd thing.

rolf_f

Jonny_Trousers wrote:

Just another quick thought on shifters: it might be possible to buy new-old-stock. A little while ago I bought new, old ultra-torque Veloce ergos and they really felt very similar to my Chorus ones. Ebay's the place to look.

I have heard that old shape 10 speed Record is still made though it seems more likely that there are just large stocks of it. Not investigated further but Cycleclinic of these forums list them for £236.

Not sure that Centaur is to be mourned anymore. Campag ruined that when it was changed to Powershift/torque. Prior to then it was a sort of 10 speed version of Athena/Chorus looking noticeably classier than Veloce. Afterwards it was just a pastiche that looked no better than Veloce - arguably worse with the ugly carbon wrap levers replacing the genuine article that it had in Ultrashift form and hideous alloy chainrings.

Still, it is bad news in that it further downgrades Campags support for 10 speed. Even in hilly Yorkshire I find more reasons not to go 11 speed than to change.....

spanner239

JAMIE4759 wrote:

Nothing wrong with Power Torque if you have the right kit. I take mine to a local Campag shop and they have sorted all of my Power Torque chainsets out in seconds. People moan about having to have the right kit for Power Torque, pumping up a tyre is difficult without the right kit!!!!

Power Torque is a total and utter farce for the average home mechanic. I had a bike with a Veloce Power Torque crank that I needed to remove. I literally phoned 7 or 8 bike shops to see if they could do it and none of them had the tools. Bought the Park Tools and they couldn't shift it, the lever bent before it even got close to shifting the crank, sent them back as not fit for purpose and got a refund. Ended up buying the Cyclus tool to remove the crank (for £100+). Ultra Torque is fine but the cheapest crank is around £300. Anyone want to buy an expensive Cyclus paperweight???

Miles253

spanner239 wrote:

JAMIE4759 wrote:

Nothing wrong with Power Torque if you have the right kit. I take mine to a local Campag shop and they have sorted all of my Power Torque chainsets out in seconds. People moan about having to have the right kit for Power Torque, pumping up a tyre is difficult without the right kit!!!!

Power Torque is a total and utter farce for the average home mechanic. I had a bike with a Veloce Power Torque crank that I needed to remove. I literally phoned 7 or 8 bike shops to see if they could do it and none of them had the tools. Bought the Park Tools and they couldn't shift it, the lever bent before it even got close to shifting the crank, sent them back as not fit for purpose and got a refund. Ended up buying the Cyclus tool to remove the crank (for £100+). Ultra Torque is fine but the cheapest crank is around £300. Anyone want to buy an expensive Cyclus paperweight???

Yeah I'm with you on this, nobody wants an expensive tool that does so specific a job, that it's only used once in a blue moon. Changing a tyre is likely to be done quite regularly, changing your chain set, not so routine.