Campagnolo Potenza

964cup

I'm building an Enigma Etape up as a combination winter commuter / light tourer - think rack, dynamo lights and so on - and I'm wondering about groupset choice. It will be Campag, mostly just because, but also because my existing dynamo wheelset is Campag (and yes, I know Shimano 11-speed works with Campag cassettes and vice-versa, but I'm just fussy that way, so indulge me).

The Etape's big brother Excel is full Super Record, so I'm used to ultrashift and blingy carbon. But this bike is supposed to be about utility and will be locked up outdoors on occasion. I'll use Pitlocks and so on, but suspect it would be better to temper my natural instincts and downgrade my groupset expectations.

So although I'd quite like to go Chorus, I'm thinking either Potenza or Athena. I've got Athena on another bike; it works well enough. Potenza has the hideous new four-arm crank, but also a 32-capable RD, which appeals when climbing with panniers. I've neither seen nor ridden it, though.

Does anyone have a view on Potenza, or experience of using it? Is there any material advantage over Athena other than the 32-tooth capacity? Is it worth thinking about a mixed groupset - using the Potenza RD & cassette with, say, some Chorus parts? I'm assuming that Athena won't interoperate with Potenza because I think it's still on the pre-2015 pull ratios, but I equally assume a Potenza RD will work with Chorus/Record/SR 2015+ shifters.

bondurant

I'm pretty sure your last assumption is correct. Also, the new campag cranks allow standard double or compact chain rings, think the same would be true for Potenza.

bondurant

I'd want the crank to be ultra torque though.

964cup

Yes, I'm toying with a hybrid - Chorus UT carbon old-school 5-arm cranks, Chorus or better shifters & front mech, Chorus brakes, Potenza RD & cassette. I really hate the new crank design, to the point that my Excel is brand new 2015 SR apart from the crank, which is a 2013 5-arm SR Ti that I picked up on here.

However, the Potenza kit is madly expensive as individual items, the cassette particularly, while the groupset taken as a whole is relatively reasonable (for Campag). Used kit is not really an option as it's so hard to find out if the levers/mechs are 2015 or later. Obviously the crank and brakes can be used.

I really don't understand Campag's cassette pricing. £123 for Potenza 11-32, vs about £50 for Ultegra 11-32. 's mad.

Incidentally, the Potenza PT arrangement apparently includes a self-extractor - although I have the Park Tools PT crank puller adapter for the bearing puller anyway.

cal_stewart

Bondurant wrote:

I'd want the crank to be ultra torque though.

This power torque is the devil.

svetty

Cal_Stewart wrote:

Bondurant wrote:

I'd want the crank to be ultra torque though.

This power torque is the devil.

No it's Campag so must be the dogs b*****cks

Tiesetrotter

Can't comment on the difference between Athena and Potenza. I went Centaur, Ultegra and then to Potenza.

It is a definite improvement on both Ultegra and Centaur. The shifting is immediate and the new button system/placement is truly excellent. But I think Athena has the new placement as well? If it does can't see the difference. That was my only dislike of the old system the buttons were too far up for my 'ickle hands to reach on the drops. I went back to Potenza after I mashed the Ultegra rear mech and levers in an over zealous cornering moment. I was relieved to get rid of it. Those inner change levers were awful ..... swing, click, release, wait then finally change gear ............. yuck.

I have SR on my bling bike and really I think I'd stick to Potenza if I wasn't such a tart. There is so little difference and you don't have to remortgage your house if you are mad enough to buy SR cassettes. In fact the thing with SR is that it slows you're riding down ......... one off and you've broke your finances!

cycleclinic

Potenza may be power torque but it should have a self extracting crank bolt making life easier. Why not fit a shimano body to your wheels and use a shimano or miche cassette for the 11 to 32 option. Miche will be releasing an 11 speed campad 32T sprocket soon. So full cassettes witn this will be available for a similar price to an ultegra cassette.

on-yer-bike

Ive fitted Potenza to my wifes Canyon and it works like a dream. The crank assemby isnt like the Athena power torque because it is self extracting so no special pullers are needed. Get over the new design cranks, they make the pre 2015 ones look dated now. Shes running 11 – 29 with the shorter cage rear mech.

964cup

Ordered Potenza, with the medium cage and the 11-32. Spent ages hovering over the buy button for a Chorus gruppo, then talked sense into myself. Will I regret it? Probably, knowing me, the bike will be on Chorus by the middle of next year. But I'm going to try really hard to be sensible first.

on-yer-bike

964Cup wrote:

Ordered Potenza, with the medium cage and the 11-32. Spent ages hovering over the buy button for a Chorus gruppo, then talked sense into myself. Will I regret it? Probably, knowing me, the bike will be on Chorus by the middle of next year. But I'm going to try really hard to be sensible first.

Is the medium cage the bigger of the two? You will need the bigger one with 32

964cup

on-yer-bike wrote:

964Cup wrote:

Ordered Potenza, with the medium cage and the 11-32. Spent ages hovering over the buy button for a Chorus gruppo, then talked sense into myself. Will I regret it? Probably, knowing me, the bike will be on Chorus by the middle of next year. But I'm going to try really hard to be sensible first.

Is the medium cage the bigger of the two? You will need the bigger one with 32

Yes. It's a peculiar naming convention these days because you see so few truly long-cage mechs. Long cages are generally for touring triples, where you have both a wide-range cassette and a massive difference between the largest and smallest chainrings. There's obviously quite a lot of chain to take up if you have a 53/39/28 (to give an extreme example) at the front and a 12-27 at the back.

964cup

Bah. Cheapest retailer with the right combination of bits turned out to rely on the world's second-worst courier firm, so after repeated delivery failures the order's been cancelled, the parcel sent back, and I've gone with Chorus bits apart from the Potenza RD & cassette. Managed to score a proper five-arm Chorus chainset off here, so I can carry on being curmudgeonly about the new design, too. Despite the used crankset, I still spent vastly more than I would have on Potenza even from someone with a decent delivery service, so perhaps not my best decision, but hey - I was on drugs at the time...viewtopic.php?f=40011&t=12549327&start=20#p20020294

meesterbond

I've gone with Chorus for my next build - managed to pick up shifters, both mechs and brakes for £350 or so off the classifieds here... which now allows me to to completely blow the budget with a power2max Campag PM...

It does look fantastic though...