Campag abandons entry level groupsets

[Smokin Joe]

Xenon and Mirage will be no more after this year.

Campag will be running with three carbon fibre race groupsets, the 11-speed Super Record, Record and Chorus, while Centaur and Veloce will remain as aluminium 10-speed kit and be classed as "Intense use" groupsets.

 

[alecstilleyedye]

more fool them. it'll make more bikes come with sora or tiagra in the first place, putting their owners on a shimano upgrade path.

 

[Rob S]

If you look closely at the specs of the 2009 Record and Chorus stuff you will see that Veloce will probably be the same level as current Mirage.

 

[Smokin Joe]

I suppose it makes sense as very few entry level bikes come with Campag kit anyway, it is quite rare to see a bike with Xenon componants. I find the price difference between Mirage and Veloce so little as to make Mirage stuff unattractive.

 

[mickle]

Still waiting for them to launch a Super Record quality replacement for Centaur. Tum te tum.........

 

[yenrod]

more fool them. it'll make more bikes come with sora or tiagra in the first place, putting their owners on a shimano upgrade path.

Whats wrong with shimano... ?????????

Off we go

 

[Mortiroloboy]

If you look closely at the specs of the 2009 Record and Chorus stuff you will see that Veloce will probably be the same level as current Mirage.

Rubbish! the Veloce groupset already sits third up from xenon and mirage, are you suggesting that Campagnolo are going to somehow down grade their veloce groupset, how do you propose that they do that?
In reality, all that has happened is that the top end groupsets have just been improved with the addition of carbon,the aluminium veloce groupset is a fine piece of engineering.

 

[Rob S]

Rubbish! the Veloce groupset already sits third up from xenon and mirage, are you suggesting that Campagnolo are going to somehow down grade their veloce groupset, how do you propose that they do that?
In reality, all that has happened is that the top end groupsets have just been improved with the addition of carbon,the aluminium veloce groupset is a fine piece of engineering.

Current Veloce is indeed a fine piece of engineering as I've been running their Ergos and rear mech for the last 14,500 miles.

I am indeed suggesting that Campag will downgrade the Veloce groupset. They have clearly downgraded aspects of Record and Chorus 2009 components. They've taken all the Ti bolts from the Record mechs, the shift paddle of the Record Ergos is the same as current Chorus (no patch of carbon), notably the Chorus brakes have lost their hidden pivot design and now no longer run on bearings...2009 Chorus brakes are basically now 2008 Centaur.
This is on top of changes that have crept in over the last few years, Veloce brakes lost their shoe/holders in 2007, Centaur got the same type of hub as Mirage but without the anodizing and Veloce but a different skewer etc etc. Even the 2008 Record mechs had less Ti bolts than it did in 2006.

2009 Veloce will be like current Mirage, I have no doubt.

 

[girofan]

Rob S is probably right in his summation of the new Campag positioning in the market. Campagnolo seem to wish that entry level groupsets be of a better quality than Shimano, but at a premium.
Bike manufacturers, especially Italians, will hope that speccing Campag Veloce will add kudos to their cheaper cycles!!

 

[Smokin Joe]

I have Veloce and Mirage, and I agree that there is next to no difference between the two, apart from the quality of the finish. I seem to remember there being very little price difference between the two.

 

[llllllll]

I hope Veloce does come down in price a bit, I've just started switching my commuter over to Campag (after yet more Shi(t)mano parts failing). I was planning on using a mix of Xenon and Mirage, don't really want to stretch to Veloce for the commuter, especailly as the only difference seems to be finish.

 

[alecstilleyedye]

Whats wrong with shimano... ?????????

Off we go

nowt, imo. i was talking in terms of commercial common sense…

 

[itisaboutthebike]

Mmmmmmmmmm

A useless, uncalled for extra sprocket, dropping low-end gruppo's.............the end is nigh for Campag !

 

[Nick1979]

So I've just bought an "entry level gruppo" after all, now I'm disappointed :-)

They already dropped the multi-shift capability from Veloce and Centaur last year, grrrrrr.....

 

[Smokin Joe]

Mmmmmmmmmm

A useless, uncalled for extra sprocket, dropping low-end gruppo's.............the end is nigh for Campag !

Campag will still have five groupsets, the same as Shimano. Veloce shifters are cheaper than the still nine speed Sora.

The extra sprocket will appeal to many and will no doubt be copied by Shimano and SRAM at some point, just as ten was.