Warren Chen, our Veloce road tester in Prescott, Arizona, has assembled his new Steelman frame (photo right) and offers these first thoughts on the gruppo:

Veloce 'Speed'

In the process of assemblying the bike with the Veloce gruppo, few ideas arise as how to proceed with this road test. Appearances and performances are the two main areas, that the road test will cover. The former is more important in the beginning of the test, and the latter after some usage.

When the gruppo arrived, a great deal of time was spend on opening the box and examining the content, and deciding where to start. Some aspects are anticipated while others are a total surprise. The first overall impressions are solid, detailed, elegant, rough, simple, weird, vintage, clean, functional, machined, and ergo.

Ergo levers is the second item out of the box, and something is not pleasant. After some thoughts, the cause emerges. The grip is fabricated out of synthetic rubber(?), the pattern looks like leather, but one can see that it is not. Thus, there is an affected mood to its appearances.

Assembly: The routings of the cables on the levers are easy to understand, and there were no problem installing both.

Brake calipers are the first item out of the box. The cable adjustment bolts are metal alloy. The bodys are polished to a shine...small bolts and small parts appear to be slightly rough.

Assembly: The front brake is clearly different than the rear. The length of the pivot bolts are different between the two calipers, and the brake pads are oriented in the correct direction.* The pads are different from last year.*

Chain...a new line...UD...a brass color glean.

Assembly: Chain is pre-lubricated.

Veloce logo engraved† on the front hub...nice detail.

Assembly: There are no problem here. Campagnolo do not recommend radial spoke pattern on the front hub. After tensioning, spokes left grooves in the spoke holes. The alloy seems to be quite malleable. The warning is warranted.

Rear derailleur, new for 2001, appears to be solidly constructed.

Assembly: The rear derailleur is visually pleasing to the eye. This is a point worth repeating. The angle adjustment bolt is located by the primary pulley and not by the anchor bolt. This seems like a logical engineering solution. The bolt is closer to its function.

Rear hub...weight...

Assembly: The weight is definitely noticeable, even after the wheel had been put together, and placed on the frame. The hub is functionally good; but eventually, better technology and market demand will it obsolete. Eighty gram lighter would be a nice weight...380.

Bottom bracket, SC-S, heavy.

Assembly: This model was exchanged for the AC-H model. The weight is about 80 gram less. A logical cost ($5-$10) versus weight (80 gram) decision. SC-S on a stock frame from a bicycle manufacturer would market well as a product. But as a part of gruppo product package, it does not seems to be performance viable, especially when there are better model in its own midrange product line.

Crankset...delicately finished...front and back!

Assembly: Simple, to the point.

Front Derailleur...the engraved† logo again...old world craftsmanship...definitely classy.

Assembly: This is difficult to describe. The derailleur matched perfectly to the height of the braze-on on the frame. This could be due to a good frame design or it could be by chance.

Nylon material at the end of the adjustment nut of the skewer...so the tightening of the nut could be done by feel...good detail.

Cogs are individual pieces, separated by emerald color spacers...possible savings in replacement cost...new shifting ramp design in 2001.

Assembly: With the chain on 13-sprocket, 1st position and the 53-chainring, would rub against the seatstay. This was totally unexpected. Another set, 12-23, will be ordered to form a custom set. More info on this later...Another detail, 11 or 12, 1st position sprocket, require a different lockring.*

Other Notes:

Noticed some metal filings in couple of the spoke holes.

The bike have been tested on the road for a very short ride around the neighborhood. The shifting is very smooth, resulting probably from the prelubricated cables, the new chain, and new ramps on the sprockets.

The ergo lever have the reputation of being stiffer than the upper line, but these levers, new ergonomic shape, for 2001, do not feel stiff. This is definitely a personal judgment call. The ride feels very responsive, machine and parts.

Finally, at this price point, gruppo would have to compromise somewhere. The compromise seems to consist of rough machine finish of small surface area, plus the weight of couple components. However, the overall function and appearance of the gruppo seem to be very good.

† The marking looks like engraving, but it is probably done by machine.
* There is more in-depth technical information at www.branfordbike.com (a Campy Only sponsor).