I just acquired an older (1995?) steel Marinoni frame and will undertake the task of acquiring components to build it. Even though it’s Canadian, I think Campy is more appropriate. I like to find bargains but I also want to use good stuff. I am thinking Centaur or Chorus. But I really am not sure about the different group lines within the Campy brand. Is this basically the same difference as Ultegra to DA where the average person could never tell the difference but the more expensive saves you a few grams? If so, then I don’t care. I can lose a pound or two in a week by laying off the ice cream. But if there is a functional/quality difference then I would like to consider that. Centaur is relatively inexpensive - but, good enough? Do I get anything extra by getting some Chorus?
Also, are there good discount sources for Campy? I got a lot of my Shimano stuff for a song by just watching Performance or Nashbar for sales and using coupons. FYI, this will probably not be my race bike - just a trainer and bike to use on longer rides.
Total Cycling (www.totalcycling.com) in the UK has the cheapest prices I’ve seen anywhere on complete Campy groups. I’m not sure what shipping will end up being to the US, but I think you might still save a bit.
Carbon is the main difference…you get a splash of it here and there with Chorus, most noticeably on the brake levers. I went with it because I felt it would look “cooler”, and we all know how important that is!
Centaur seems like a great deal (around $750 give or take), and it’s probably what we’ll go with on my wife’s new road bike - because, of course, she’ll never be as “cool” as me…
Take a look and let me know. All you’ll need to come up with are wheels, and I might be able to be convinced to let a set go that came with the bike these parts are off. Please PM or email…my contact info is in my profile.
Centaur should be more than adequate. I probably have 10K miles on an 8 spd Mirage group (The cheapest Campy group, I think you can only get it OEM), so their stuff is quality. The only goofy thing is that Chorus and Record use a different bottom bracket (needs different tool, cranks are not compatible) than Centaur and below. I have Centaur on my P2K.
Bike Nashbar has some good deals. I got a Chorus crankset and bottom bracket for $200.
You also may want to check the rear dropout spacing. Circa 1995 was 7 or 8 spd, with new 10 spd rear dropouts are a bit wider. Not as big a deal with a steel frame, since it usually has a bit more give than carbon or Aluminum.
Good luck, you are obviously a smart man if you are building a bike with Campy.
My road bike has the old Daytona, now called Centaur, and it works great. Very durable too, never had a problem. The Chorus has a definite cooler look, especially with the carbon brake levers/shifters
Congrats for choosing Campagnolo, you’ll never go back! Just say (Shima)NO!
I’ve got Daytona/Centaur on 2 bikes and Chorus on another. Honestly I can’t tell a significant difference. The shifting may be a bit crisper on the Chorus, but for $50-100 more, I can live with Centaur. The internals of the shifters are virtually identical if you were to look at the drawings for the parts. I seem to actually get more miles out of the Centaur bottom brackets, plus you can get them dirt cheap ($20 or so). I typically get those at www.lickbike.com or sometimes totalcycling.
By the way, some would consider Centaur as just a notch below Ultegra. Definitely a quality group.
Centaur or Veloce will be perfect for what your training bike. Great thing about campy is that is durable and small parts can be replaced. I am currently changing out my old 8 speed record group for a 10 speed chorus. Thing is the 8 speed still works perfectly even though it is starting to look beat up. I will save it to build a rainy day bike.
are you setting it up as a road bike or a tri bike?
i ask because i’ve just switched to a centaur set-up, and there’s really only one thing i don’t like about it.
it sounds crazy, but the hoods are really annoying. it’s the first time i’ve ever given any thought to the material that the hoods are made out of, but the shimano stuff i had before on my old bike kept its grip when my hands were sweaty… the hoods on my centaur ergo shifters get really slippery once i start sweating, which is usually pretty early into the ride. so standing on hills and holding onto the hoods isn’t an option, or at least not a good one.
so, if you’re doing it as a road bike, check the material of the hoods…
of course, all this could well just be my own idiosyncrecies.
Take the brake hoods off, then use some of the cloth electrical tape and put this on (wrap it) before you put your hoods back on. I had this same problem and this cured it. You might have to coat the hoods in alcohol to get them back on.
