Campagnolo Potenza

[ultimobici]

Who really pays attention to new low level group sets anyway? IMHO it's only about Super Record/ Dura Ace & Red. All the other groups are a compromise- this is something we should all agree on right? Debating the level of compromise is of little value to members interested in building the best bikes possible.

No. While this is Weightweenies, it isn't Snobweenies.

[Wookski]

No. While this is Weightweenies, it isn't Snobweenies.

More like PennyWeenies

[Liggero]

Total BS flame bait. No comparison between 105 and Record or SR.

105 is a fine groupset but really, own and ride both then comment.

Oh and FWIW, I owned a Ducati too. It was crap. I don't get the analogy.

I own both, shimano lowest groupset is smoother than any campy ever. Just by the cassette and the chain, the japanese beat campy every single time in performnce and silence. Yes campy is lighter, yes it looks better. Which one works better, shimano. Funny though you disagree with this, 90% of riders certify it. Campy not the bees knees anymore, since 1996. that's 20 years ago.

Wake up!!

[Dez33]

Who really pays attention to new low level group sets anyway? IMHO it's only about Super Record/ Dura Ace & Red. All the other groups are a compromise- this is something we should all agree on right? Debating the level of compromise is of little value to members interested in building the best bikes possible.

I don't run top tier on my second and third bikes. So all groupsets are of interest to me.

[lone wheeler]

^+100^

[Liggero]

Who really pays attention to new low level group sets anyway? IMHO it's only about Super Record/ Dura Ace & Red. All the other groups are a compromise- this is something we should all agree on right? Debating the level of compromise is of little value to members interested in building the best bikes possible.

EPS is a big compromise in cost, huge. And even bigger in cost of spare parts in case of accident. I wonder if anybody in the whole planet earth uses EPS in ciclo-cross. Shimano I´ve seen them all in ciclocross, EPS in ciclocross must be more expensive than running a Formula 1 team.

There you have the compromise.

[XCProMD]

Liggero is right: all the rest of the industry should stop immediately their activities and let Shimano do their stuff for all.

I'm running to warn my mates about the EPS and cyclocross thing and will disassemble my own bike this evening.

I'm sorry, didn't realised it was so wrong.

[karmaz]

Liggero is right: all the rest of the industry should stop immediately their activities and let Shimano do their stuff for all.

I'm running to warn my mates about the EPS and cyclocross thing and will disassemble my own bike this evening.

I'm sorry, didn't realised it was so wrong.

I lol'ed.

Potenza disc version would be a nice setup for my commuter bike. Maybe next year?

[glepore]

I was ok with Campy's pricing strategy when it was a "lifetime" group-but now that no small parts are easily available (shifter dies? buy a shifter body) the price differential makes no sense. I was a Record guy until I tried di2. No contest now.

[russianbear]

I was ok with Campy's pricing strategy when it was a "lifetime" group-but now that no small parts are easily available (shifter dies? buy a shifter body) the price differential makes no sense. I was a Record guy until I tried di2. No contest now.

I think it's much easier to change a shifter body than opening up the shifter mechanism and replacing a spring or whatever. Sure it costs more, but then you have a brand new shifter for $80. Glad Campy went this route, especially considering people upgrade for the sake of upgrading nowadays, not because their stuff wears out.

[BlackMadone]

Total BS flame bait. No comparison between 105 and Record or SR.

105 is a fine groupset but really, own and ride both then comment.

Oh and FWIW, I owned a Ducati too. It was crap. I don't get the analogy.

I own both, shimano lowest groupset is smoother than any campy ever. Just by the cassette and the chain, the japanese beat campy every single time in performnce and silence. Yes campy is lighter, yes it looks better. Which one works better, shimano. Funny though you disagree with this, 90% of riders certify it. Campy not the bees knees anymore, since 1996. that's 20 years ago.

Wake up!!

I went from Dura Ace to Record and haven't looked back. Tell me about those exploding cassettes and cable breaking 9000 shifters again...

[Devon]

Who really pays attention to new low level group sets anyway? IMHO it's only about Super Record/ Dura Ace & Red. All the other groups are a compromise- this is something we should all agree on right? Debating the level of compromise is of little value to members interested in building the best bikes possible.

No. While this is Weightweenies, it isn't Snobweenies.

+1

A lot of people use the lower groups for training and/or CX. I use Centaur, and will probably swap to Potenza when my current kit wears out (very soon). I don't ride professionally, and the mid-tier groups give the best performance-price ratio for amateur racing.

This comes more into it if you actually do build the "best bike possible" as you'd be mad to train and ride through winter on a SR/Red/DA equiped bike - and therefore run a mid-spec training rig.

Also can we consider that the "best bike possible" is down to your earnings. Not all can afford pro-tour level kit, yet still want to achieve a decent eprforming, lightweight machine.

[WMW]

I own both, shimano lowest groupset is smoother than any campy ever. Just by the cassette and the chain, the japanese beat campy every single time in performnce and silence. Yes campy is lighter, yes it looks better. Which one works better, shimano. Funny though you disagree with this, 90% of riders certify it. Campy not the bees knees anymore, since 1996. that's 20 years ago.

I much prefer the function, feel, and "noise" of my Chorus shifters to anything the S companies make. The ability to shift many gears at a time is nice too. They are also very light and have slogged through 40k miles and 7 years and still work like new.

Isn't this weightweeenies? The Chorus groupset is 383g lighter than Ultegra, and has a bunch of carbon bits. How much per gram is weight worth to you? I have no doubt that Potenza is competitive with Ultegra on weight, price, function, and longevity. If you don't like the feel of Campy, that's fine.

[RussellS]

I guess I am a bit behind the times. I just saw the new Potenza group on a Road Bike Action website. Never even noticed this thread until after reading the article. I am a bit confused with how or where this new Potenza group fits. Its been awhile since I looked at the Campagnolo catalogs, but I recall there being the following groups. Super Record, Record, Chorus, Athena, Centaur, Veloce, Mirage. Where does Potenza fit in this lineup? And does Campagnolo need another group? I think Campagnolo needs to cut the number of groups and compete price wise with Shimano/SRAM. Super Record=Dura Ace=Red. Chorus=Ultegra=Force. Veloce=105=Rival.

[Calnago]

Campy and Shimano have very different "feels". There is no question Shimano is smoother... It glides over sprockets. It's different than Campy, which has a much more definitive "clunk" to it. Clunk may be a bad word cuz it sounds kind of, well, "clunky" lol. But I love that feel. In 2009 when Campy first released 11sp there was a "softer" feel to the shifting. As a result of feedback from pros and others (I even called them to say, "leave the smooth to Shimano, bring back the feedback, that's why people like Campy"), they returned to a more positive, yet precise clunk again and I, and many others, seem to prefer it over the silky gliding action of Shimano. They both work just fine.
I just feel more "manly" running Campy. lol