 John Stevens has begun riding in sunny Hawaii with his new Chorus gruppo, and offers these first impressions of Campagnolo's #2 gruppo. (Text in italics is from Tech Talk and Road Test director webmaster@campyonly.com. Click here to see John's Second Installment
After I finally decided what bike to build up and got the wheels built up and the bottom bracket installed, all went smoothly. Upon opening the box I realized again why I like Campagnolo so much. The parts are nicely polished and each component comes with instructions. The kit came with everything needed for assembly including ferrules for the cables. I have a bottom bracket tool so there was no problem. If the bottom bracket is torqued to proper specs, it runs a hair on the tight side, but perfect once the cranks are installed. The only parts that could use some more polish are the hubs, but I really like the ease of bearing adjustment the new hub offers. They do roll smooth. I matched the hubs with a set of Campy Omega 19 rims and used 15/14/15 DT spokes. I really like the headset. I had a '98 Veloce headset on my Waterford frame and then put on a Stronglight Delta, but this Chorus headset is much smoother and easier to dial in. Once all the parts were installed, I was pretty much able to get everything close on the bike stand. The first test ride was only 10 miles or so.That seemed to be enoughtto dial everything in. Both front and rear derailleurs are a snap to tune. The shifter bodies seem just a little narrower than my '98 Chorus, but they are VERY comfortable. Yes, the shifting was a little on the tight side at first, but with about 300 miles on them they have smoothed out. My '98 Chorus shifters have about 7000 miles on them and I just think about shifting and click to the next gear. I like the new calipers better too. They are even more solid and pull smoother than my Veloce calipers. Comment: The '98 Veloce calipers have a bushing for a bearing and the John's new brakes are on ball bearing bearings. Most riders instantly feel the smoother, easier to modulate and seemingly more powerful brakes when they ride Record or Chorus dual pivot brakes compared to Daytona or Veloce. The entire gear train runs very quiet, but boy those cogs are real close. I would make sure you rear spacing is really 130mm, because the cain runs close to the frame. The chain is very close to my rear stay and my rear spacing is 129.5 with the wheel out. As for the chain, I don't know if I like the perma link idea. I like to remove the chain for a good cleaning every so often. The new link prevents frequent removal. Comment: Campy only recommends using 2 perma links in a chain before tossing it out. They also recommend spacing the perma links as far apart as possible. I would also recommend buying the special tool Campy sells. You can use a regular chain breaker to drive in the pins, but you must be very careful. I actually used my stock chain tool and a cone wrench to drive in the perma link pins. The cone wrench went between the chain tool pin and the perma link pin to provide a flat surface to drive in the pin. It works, but it is not simple. The ride: Well, now that I have gotten a few rides in my overall impression is very favorable. The overall packeage is very easy to set up and within a ride or two I had everything tuned in just right. I really like the gearing. I have never had a 39 tooth inner chain ring and I chose the 12-25 cassette. This combination works very well in my area and yes the extra gear does make for a better spin when trying to find the perfect gear. Dislikes: 1. The perma link is easy to mess up a good chain right out of the box. Even when the chain is assembled correctly the perma link seems loose. 2. Would be nice to have the hubs polished like the older hubs, I have to admit the '98 Record hubs are prettier, but that is trivial. Comment: I seems that the alloy of aluminum that Campy is using in the hubs causes a blue/gray to the hub. I took a new set of Record hubs to a surfacing shop and had them put on a neuclear shine and they got a little brighter, but nothing like the old hubs. Veloce still has that magic shine this year. I guess technology has killed asthetics a little. The new hubs are a ton lighter. 3. The pedals are hard to release from even
on the lowest setting, but they are solid and wide platforms. Positive points: 1. Very easy to set up, tune, and adjust, and it stays in tune. 2. No plastic anywhere, very accurate and precise, that goes for braking and shifting. 3. Real quite drive train. 4. Once you have 10 speeds you have wheel reuse such as being able to put 10 speed cassetes on my '98 Record wheel set. 5. I really like the cut out portions on the up shift lever and I am glad this years Chorus has it. My '98 Chours levers do not. This may seem like no big deal, but when your hands are real sweaty and or you get stuck in the rain, your finger don't slip off the shift lever. Click here to send comments to John
|
