First Impressions:

I really like it, and I'm really happy I spent my money on Campy. The drivetrain sounds really smooth when pedaling. Freewheel sound is nice and soooo loud. Riders notice me when catching up on a decent. They get the hint to speed up or get out of the way. You know they're thinking "Wow, what was that?"

I spent about eight hours on my ride the first day. I've never used Ergo, except for trying bikes at the shop, but by midday shifting was second nature. Unfortunately, shifting is not set and forget. The front shifter is ratcheted for, if I'm not wrong, eight positions for the front derailleur. So I can shift onto a chainring and everything is fine. After dropping a few cogs though, I may get some rubbing on the front derailleur. I'll just give the front shifter a click in the right direction and all will be well. I know that in time I will know where to position my front derailleur relative to the rear's position, so this problem will be coped with. One issue that truly is disappointing though, is that my drivetrain won't do simultaneous shifting of the front and rear sometimes. I've dropped the chain on every ride doing this. I also can't shift onto the inner chainring under power either. This results in dropping the chain every time. I have to spin one full revolution then put on the power.

The triple is just right for me. Just when I begin to struggle I just flop down to the inner ring and I can keep spinning. If I want to stomp for a while I can upshift and go. The terrain in my locale is VERY hilly and I am not VERY strong, so I will enjoy riding much more with the triple than with a double. I considered 10 speed with the 29 for some time. I just wasn't sure. So I figured if I had any doubt, I should go with the triple. I am happy I did. I got the 13-28 cog too, but I may have made a poor choice here. I rarely have to go to the 28 tooth or the 26 tooth rings, although when I do need them, I really need them. Also, the bike bombs down hills, and I wind out the 52-13. When I'm in shape I might be happier with the 12-23 or 11-23.

The group makes a spectacular complement to my bike. I ended up with an Express OS, which is as near the top of Torelli's line of steel frames as I will ever need to get. The only reason I got it was that the local bike shop I purchased it at and Torelli absorbed the cost for the upgrade. The feel of the bike and the feel of the group are fabulous. I know I paid a lot of money for all of this, but the feeling I get on this ride is so great. It's something you can't put a price on.

When picking out a group, I had to choose between Veloce or Daytona. Based on my spending budget (which I totally blew on this purchase) these were the only two I could responsibly consider. I chose Daytona without really considering the price increase, but rather on what I would gain. I based my decision mostly on the design of the oversize hubs and the aesthetics of the Daytona ergo. I appreciate the hub design immensely (see Tech Talk: Hubsets), and I just plain like the notches on the ergo shifter. The kit at Robinson's also included the Daytona seat post vs. Kalloy for Veloce. The shaft on the seatpost is steel, which I think is unusual these days, and I am a little concerned with corrosion, but I do like the spherical bulb at the top of the post. It adds to the look of the bike, and it is in plain view, from certain angles, even with the seat mounted. I also gained Daytona derailleurs, brakes, crank, and a lighter bottom bracket. As for the derailers, I don't think there is much difference. The brakes add the top of the line (for last year) shoes, and, along with the hubs, complement the Open Pro rims. The nice thing about the crank is that it is top of the line for triples (Branford Bike has a nice write up in their cranks section). The bottom bracket utilizes a hollow alloy axle vs. solid steel for Veloce, but doesn't use the three bearing design of Record and Chorus (three bearing design is not available for triple cranks, though).

The Daytona group included the oversize hubs, but I was a little disappointed with the skewers. When I actually got my ride, they built it up with a set of Record hubs. I brought this to their attention, and we agreed that I would pay the difference at cost. I got a deal on the top of the line hubs, and I have no complaints about the flippin' skewer. The action of the skewer and the chrome fork look and work nicely together. Also the spacers for the rear cogset are transparent, and this is pretty cool.

A lot of people complain about the new Campy bottom bracket. I like it. It looks clean when installed. Luckily I don't have to worry about the tool right now.

In going with Daytona ergo, I lost out on the ball bearing design used in Record and Chorus. I am willing to compromise here since I think a bushing is well utilized here. After all, the part is not constantly revolving as is a bottom bracket or hub, nor is it taking the loading that a headset sees.

My nature allows me to put up with plenty without complaint, so the shifting issues will be lived with. I hope that some tuning will eliminate them, and this is one thing I will have to talk about next time. Other than that I can continue to rant and rave about how much I am enjoying my group.