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Which Groupset?

So I am building my first ever bike. I have a steel 853 frame on order and I plan to build it with a 'classic' style. I had originally planned on using a 105 groupset but having seen the Campagnolo Athena it just has the perfect look to go with he bike. However I am not at all familiar with Campag and on having a quick browse on the internet it seems there could be issues with compatibility with other components and special tools required for installation and maintenance. Can anyone out there give me the benefit of their experience?

If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.

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16 comments

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PhilJC | 9 years ago
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I've been running Veloce for 8 years or so on my steel Condor Fratello. The bike has commuted through summer and winter as well as the odd circuit race etc. Still running original shifters, replaced front mech once and now on third rear mech. Still works fine. Cables replaced as and when needed. Indexing still spot on - good kit! Wheels are Record hubs (old style with grease ports) hand built by Paul Hewitt. Not missed a beat in 8 years - freehub body still clicking away nicely!

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Flying Scot | 9 years ago
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Can't you retrofit the metal ratchet and pawls from the older/ dearer ones?

shimano don't sell any of the parts, Campag at least allow you to rebuild them.

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Pub bike replied to Flying Scot | 9 years ago
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Flying Scot wrote:

Can't you retrofit the metal ratchet and pawls from the older/ dearer ones?

The pawl is part of the shifter body and can’t be replaced on its own. It wears out at roughly the same rate as the ratchet. If the ratchet were metal it would wear the pawl out faster. It might be possible to sub in some metal parts however but I’ve not attempted it. I’d rather just have a standard stock part that is reliable.

My experience with Shimano shifters is that they last a lot longer and I’ve yet to wear any out, so I’ve not needed any spares. Others may have different experiences of course…

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Daveyraveygravey | 9 years ago
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My bike has mainly Veloce parts with some Mirage and a Miche cassette. No real problems with it but I find getting parts in a rush can be a headache, which I'm sure if it was Shimano I could go to any bike shop and get over the counter. The left crank arm fell off a year ago and it took over a week and lot of phone calls and internet searching before I was back on the road again.

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matthewn5 | 9 years ago
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Having only had Shimano in the past I built up my first Campag bike this summer, not too hard at all if you're handy with bikes. Yes you need a new bb tool, a bigger torque wrench for the split crank (if using UltraTorque cranks ie Chorus and above), a Campag cassette lockring tool and a special chain tool with a 'peening anvil', but it's totally worth it.

Looks are subjective but it looks the part, shifts perfectly from day 1, and in my view, the hoods feel nicer in your hands.

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ajmarshal1 | 9 years ago
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If 105 was your original consideration and budget is on your mind, Veloce is Campagnolo's comparable offering and very, very good. I'm building up a classic steel frame with silver Veloce at the moment and it looks every bit as classic as silver Athena.

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Pub bike replied to ajmarshal1 | 9 years ago
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ajmarshal1 wrote:

I'm building up a classic steel frame with silver Veloce at the moment and it looks every bit as classic as silver Athena.

The ratchet and pawl inside the Veloce Powershift shifters is plastic and has worn out twice for me after 1,000 miles and then 1,500 miles. On my third set now. I managed to get hold of a set of new old-stock Ultrashift Veloce shifters with a metal ratchet which I’ll switch to when my current shifters inevitably wear out. On the plus side the Veloce chain, cassette and chainrings are very hardwearing.

I feel 105 would have been a better choice for me and although I think I would have spent more on chains and cassettes, they’re a lot quicker to change than shifters, and they are service items after all. I don’t consider shifters to be service items.

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ajmarshal1 replied to Pub bike | 9 years ago
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Pub bike wrote:
ajmarshal1 wrote:

I'm building up a classic steel frame with silver Veloce at the moment and it looks every bit as classic as silver Athena.

The ratchet and pawl inside the Veloce Powershift shifters is plastic and has worn out twice for me after 1,000 miles and then 1,500 miles. On my third set now. I managed to get hold of a set of new old-stock Ultrashift Veloce shifters with a metal ratchet which I’ll switch to when my current shifters inevitably wear out. On the plus side the Veloce chain, cassette and chainrings are very hardwearing.

I feel 105 would have been a better choice for me and although I think I would have spent more on chains and cassettes, they’re a lot quicker to change than shifters, and they are service items after all. I don’t consider shifters to be service items.

That's fairly unlucky. I have had four sets of Veloce ergos (three power shift, one ultrashift) and none of them have failed. I'll take some apart and have a good look around inside now out of interest!

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Pub bike replied to ajmarshal1 | 9 years ago
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ajmarshal1 wrote:

That's fairly unlucky. I have had four sets of Veloce ergos (three power shift, one ultrashift) and none of them have failed. I'll take some apart and have a good look around inside now out of interest!

First set was QS from 2007, 2nd set QS from 2010 or 11, 3rd set Powershift. If I’d ridden the bike more earlier in its life maybe they could have been replaced under warranty but it didn’t get much use the first three years. The Powershift ones haven’t worn out yet, so maybe they are more reliable, but the ratchet is still plastic.

The symptoms of failure in both cases were that a single click on the button yielded more and more shifts at the back until a gear couldn’t be held.

Unfortunately for me, Campag decided to change the rear derailleur geometry and thus the cable pull ratio for Powershift…So I had to change the RD as well even though there was nothing wrong with my existing one. Shimergo/hubbub type fixes don’t exist for this combination - I tried.

On top of that, at the time there was no long cage derailleur available, so I had to replace with a medium cage derailleur. So now the chain is slack when in the smallest-and-the-smallest, which isn’t a problem as such as I never ride in that combination, but it is just one more thing.

I was left feeling that I just wanted to chuck the whole group in the bin and get a nice shiny Ultegra or 105 group to put on there, where I know I just would not experience this kind of nonsense. For sure Campag suits this Italian frame down to the ground, but this experience means I’ll avoid it in future.

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dunnoh replied to Pub bike | 9 years ago
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Pub bike wrote:
ajmarshal1 wrote:

That's fairly unlucky. I have had four sets of Veloce ergos (three power shift, one ultrashift) and none of them have failed. I'll take some apart and have a good look around inside now out of interest!

First set was QS from 2007, 2nd set QS from 2010 or 11, 3rd set Powershift. If I’d ridden the bike more earlier in its life maybe they could have been replaced under warranty but it didn’t get much use the first three years. The Powershift ones haven’t worn out yet, so maybe they are more reliable, but the ratchet is still plastic..

I too have worn out my Veloce shifters after about 3000 miles - not great. I also wont be buying campag again and that's due to trying to get bits at short notice. A freehub failed and I couldn't buy a wheel anywhere in the short window I had. I then went to Belgium and the shop only had a single set of wheels that were campag. When my rear mech failed on the cobbles it couldn't be mended as all the mechanics held Shimano only. Luckily I found a shop and they took one off a store bike, but it was all rather stressful.

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Pub bike replied to dunnoh | 9 years ago
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dunnoh wrote:

A freehub failed and I couldn't buy a wheel anywhere in the short window I had.

My freehub also failed after about 1,000 miles on a set of Campag Vento G3s. The pawl spring had snapped in two. I was able to get a new spring quite quickly (cost £1 I think) but I was surprised at the longevity or lack of it. I’ve not had a problem since with it though. The simplicity was encouraging but I could have been left driveless if the spring had snapped in a different place.

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Oolon Colluphid | 9 years ago
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The 853 steelie will thank you for hanging Campag on it  4

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Jimmy Ray Will | 9 years ago
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The Athena has a lovely classic look... good choice.

As mentioned above, the chain can be fiddly (KMC chain link is cheaper and better than buying a special campagnolo chain breaker), and you'll need a special tool to remove the cranks (but not put them on if I remember correctly).

Campagnolo is good.

Oh, one potential cheat if you have a pair of 11speed shimano wheels... just use a shimano cassette, the spacing is the same. However, if you are buying from new, buy wheels with a campag freehub.

If you really want a classic look, build a set of Ambrosio Zenith hubs onto Ambrosio Excellight rims (both silver anodised). They are really nice set of wheels, not super light, aero etc, but reliable, comfortable, fast enough and serviceable... and probably yours for £250 ish.

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Flying Scot | 9 years ago
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It's got to be Campag, it especially compliments slim tubed frames, Shimanonis just too chunky and .....japanesey.

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therevokid | 9 years ago
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i had athena then upgraded to chorus.

power torque cranks require special tools to remove. I've found that shimano
bb cup tools fit the campagnolo bb cups. be careful of the bar shape as some
can crank the ergo shifter body ! indexing was a cinch. chorus chain with kmc
power link ... flawless so far  1

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Bedfordshire Clanger | 9 years ago
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Campag is great, it's best not to mix parts but it isn't a problem to go all Campag anyway. You'll need some tools if you intend to do your own maintenance. Campag bottom brackets require a special tool to remove, either buy one or get your LBS to do it. The pin is fiddly to fit on Campag own brand chains. You don't need the expensive Campag chain tool to do it but not all chain tools will be able to fit the pin. You can always use a KMC link or a KMC chain if you want to or get your LBS to fit the chain. Campag cassettes have a different spline pattern so you will need to change your freehub body if you want to reuse a pair of Shimano compatible wheels or else get a Ambrosio cassette with Campag sprockets and Shimano spline pattern. Ideally, you would buy a nice new set of Campag hoops to adorn your new bike. There is no dark art to fitting a Campag groupset, it's all simple enough and there are plenty of video guides on the web. I've ridden Campag for four years and I did my first Campag build in the summer. It took me two sessions to complete and has worked like a dream ever since. It's my favourite groupset but these things are purely personal, all three major brands do a grand job once you get past a certain price point.

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