Campag 10 speed cassettes?

jamie4759

Hi all. Can I please apologise in advance for the daft query that is about to be raised? I have Campag 10 speed on a winter bike and 11 speed on a summer bike. Both have 12-27 cassettes. These have been good for me as I tend to spin as opposed to grinding out big gears. Anyway, as of 2015 Campag will be offering the 12-27 cassettes for 11 speed groupsets, however, there will be no 12-27 cassettes for 10 speed. My options are a) stock up on Centaur 12-27 cassettes for the winter bike, or b) keep 12-27 cassettes on the 11 speed bike and use 12-25 cassettes on the winter bike, or c) just phase out the 12-27 on both bikes and slowly replace them with 12-25. I do run a compact on both and I cannot think of many occasions when the 27 sprocket has been used, but you never know when it will be needed I suppose. What do you all think? Would 12-25 be the nearest to 12-27 or am I missing something? P.s Is it just me that is wondering what Campag are playing at?

cadseen

Stock up. :-) Plus someone will have old stock..

cycleclinic

Miche do a 12-27T cassette. Cheaper than Campagnolo and just as good. I run Miche cassettes on my bikes and have done a few years now without regret. 12-27T is avilable in 10 and 11 speed.

34T-27T is a very short ratio. 12-25T should get up everything with that inner ring. I ride on a 53/41 with a 12-27T cassette I never use 41:27T except on insane Italian mountian roads and probly some british ones I have not ridden yet.

rolf_f

thecycleclinic wrote:

34T-27T is a very short ratio. 12-25T should get up everything with that inner ring. I ride on a 53/41 with a 12-27T cassette I never use 41:27T except on insane Italian mountian roads and probly some british ones I have not ridden yet.

I don't think we know where the OP lives. 34-27 isn't really a short ratio around where I live.

jamie4759

Morning all. Thanks for your feedback. I live in South Derbyshire and ride in the Peaks, and over the slightly flatter South Derbyshire / East Staffs / Leicestershire areas. I tend to have a good mix of climbs although I can find routes that are 'flatter'. I suppose another option would be 13-26 which Campag do for Veloce. Decisions decisions!!!

fleshtuxedo

Is 12-25 really the biggest 10 cassette that Campag will continue to produce? Blatantly trying to upsell to 11 speed then...

In the arms race of non-compatibility bullsh*t, I think Campag are definitely stretching their lead over Shimano.

g00se

FleshTuxedo wrote:

Is 12-25 really the biggest 10 cassette that Campag will continue to produce? Blatantly trying to upsell to 11 speed then...

the 2015 Veloce range is:

11-25, 12-23, 12-25, 13-26, 13-29

(Veloce is the only 10 speed group they do now - everything else is 11)

fleshtuxedo

Madness - is there more demand for 13-26 and 13-29 than there is for 12-27?

nochekmate

JAMIE4759 wrote:

Morning all. Thanks for your feedback. I live in South Derbyshire and ride in the Peaks, and over the slightly flatter South Derbyshire / East Staffs / Leicestershire areas. I tend to have a good mix of climbs although I can find routes that are 'flatter'. I suppose another option would be 13-26 which Campag do for Veloce. Decisions decisions!!!

Jamie,

The way you are riding at the moment 12/25 will be more than enough to get you up any hills within a couple of hours of our riding area. Crikey, even I've managed to get up Wrynose Pass on a compact with a 12/25T cassette and you are generally a lot stronger than me up the hills of late. Don't overthink it - 34/25T will get you anywhere in this region (or stock up on 12/27s if you wish).

rolf_f

FleshTuxedo wrote:

Madness - is there more demand for 13-26 and 13-29 than there is for 12-27?

I think that the problem is just that they seem to have dropped Centaur in its entirety. I can understand that as far as the bulk of the groupset goes but getting rid of the Centaur cassettes seems to me to be a rather nasty little development. A basic consumable and now they only support 10 speed via the Veloce cassettes which, whilst perfectly functional, look crap after the first bit of water gets on them.

12-27 seems to get the chop not so much through any intelligent planning but simply because they only ever made it for Centaur (and only for a short while for that matter).

The decent thing would be to keep the Centaur cassettes in production. It's all a bit odd though given that apparently Record 10 speed shifters are still being made. Obviously, as Campag force everyone to get the pointless extra gear, demand for 10 speed cassettes will plummet so hopefully NOS will remain available for a long time. In the meantime, I might get a Miche and Campag 12-27 and compare and contrast!

JAMIE4759 wrote:

I suppose another option would be 13-26 which Campag do for Veloce. Decisions decisions!!!

I got three of these earlier this year from Halfords for £15 each for my commute. I wish I'd bought more. They are surprisingly good. Just lose out a bit on middling descents where I spin out before my friends!

g00se

There are quite a few on ebay.

As for comparing Miche and Campag, I have had a 10 speed one in the past and currently have an 11-speed cassette with a big climbing sprocket I got for the alps (Primato, not Supertype). They work fine but the quality isn't the same - they 'ping' more when changing gear and it feels like they are a fraction slower in letting go of the chain under load - not anywhere near enough to effect the ride, but enough that you 'feel' it. The finish is akin to the Veloce cassettes (chromed) and they appear to be pressed rather than cut.

The Supertype cassettes look good but the price is silly.

cycleclinic

The shifting on my miche cassettes is just as crisp as on a campagnolo cassette. Tried both found they are the same.
It is only the record 10 speed cassette with a record chain that shifts better. A bit pricey though.

bigmat

thecycleclinic wrote:

The shifting on my miche cassettes is just as crisp as on a campagnolo cassette. Tried both found they are the same.
It is only the record 10 speed cassette with a record chain that shifts better. A bit pricey though.

Interesting. My experience of Miche cassettes was that the shifting was rubbish (the chain and crankset were also terrible) but then I changed to Record cassette and chain which might explain why it was a night and day comparison. Have since run Record, Chorus, Centaur and Veloce cassettes and they are all fine, the more expensive ones seem to have lasted ages though (although maybe because they are used on my best bike which generally covers fewer miles).

As for getting rid of 12-27 (meh), never mind that - no 11-23?! FFS Campag.

bontie

Fwiw I have a vgc 13-26 for sale if you're interested...