Force or Centaur?

Back by popular demand, the general all-things Road forum!

Moderator: robbosmans

sigismond0
Posts: 235
Joined: Tue Feb 05, 2013 8:29 pm

by sigismond0

I guess if you already have Campy stuff, you ought to go for Force to shake it up. I already have old Record and old Force, so my next bikes will have to be Shimano (which means it has to be DA9K) and something new from Campy (probably Centaur or Chorus). Keep all my bikes kitted out the same and they lose their identities, you know?

by Weenie


Visit starbike.com Online Retailer for HighEnd cycling components
Great Prices ✓    Broad Selection ✓    Worldwide Delivery ✓

www.starbike.com



Devon
Posts: 782
Joined: Fri Apr 12, 2013 1:19 pm
Location: Sydney, Australia

by Devon

Definitely understand that.

Devon
Posts: 782
Joined: Fri Apr 12, 2013 1:19 pm
Location: Sydney, Australia

by Devon

After some further research I have now found that the two options will in weigh and cost the same (give or take) so it is in fact down to ergonomics.

To confirm, people believe that Centaur is (mechanically) equal/better than Force, despite the fact it is a low lower down the overall manufacturer's range?

sigismond0
Posts: 235
Joined: Tue Feb 05, 2013 8:29 pm

by sigismond0

All pre-Red 2012 Sram components are more or less equally mechanically equal to each other, they're just a matter of weight, looks, and prestige. I'd put Force in line with Chorus if I were to make a random statement.

That's one place Sram has Shimano and campy--there's no huge functional difference between their tiers like between Athena and Chorus, and all of their parts play perfectly together unlike Shimano's ever changing slight differences. (Well up to Red 2012 and 22 anyway.)

ticou
Posts: 459
Joined: Mon Mar 19, 2012 3:31 pm

by ticou

Chorus shares it's dna with S/record. Which is why I brought it. It doesn't go downstream.

sigismond0
Posts: 235
Joined: Tue Feb 05, 2013 8:29 pm

by sigismond0

ticou wrote:Chorus shares it's dna with S/record. Which is why I brought it. It doesn't go downstream.


Right--All pre-Red 2012 Sram plays well together, whereas Campy has a lot of different tiers that don't get along at all. Shimano is similar in that with almost every new release there's a different lever pull ratio for brakes or shifters.

Rush
Posts: 362
Joined: Thu Mar 01, 2012 2:10 am

by Rush

sigismond0 wrote:Campy is so radically different from the others because of their bunny ears that it's tough to compare. On one hand, the hoods are crazy comfortable, on the other it's a real pain (and for some bars outright impossible) to shift from a sprint position in the drops. Having to hook the thumb up for shifting from the drops is rather uncomfortable in my book, so I tend to avoid the drops on my Record bike and stick to the hoods. On my Force bike, I spend most of the time on the hoods, but have no reservations about hitting the drops when the mood strikes me. Shimano's got that whole weird "oops I shifted while braking" thing, though I haven't ridden it enough to really comment there. Guess I need to start picking up DA9K components, eh?


I can't get my head (and hands) around the bunny ears either. Both SRAM and Shimano make shifting systems that work with just your fingers and don't require you to rotate your wrists to change gears.

I've just put Force on my new bike. My old bike has ancient Shimano STi Ultegra (8-speed). I think the 6700/7900 Shimano shifters are pretty ordinary, but the 9000 feels nice.

In some ways I still prefer the old Shimano design of all. Maybe I'm just used to it. I still thinking of tracking down 'new' 7800 parts for my next bike.

Devon
Posts: 782
Joined: Fri Apr 12, 2013 1:19 pm
Location: Sydney, Australia

by Devon

Rush wrote:I can't get my head (and hands) around the bunny ears either. Both SRAM and Shimano make shifting systems that work with just your fingers and don't require you to rotate your wrists to change gears.

I've just put Force on my new bike. My old bike has ancient Shimano STi Ultegra (8-speed). I think the 6700/7900 Shimano shifters are pretty ordinary, but the 9000 feels nice.

In some ways I still prefer the old Shimano design of all. Maybe I'm just used to it. I still thinking of tracking down 'new' 7800 parts for my next bike.


The thumb shifters are an odd concept, I agree. I think it's jsut become a case of tradition. They are nice ocne you get used to them though. I have a mate who's just got Centaur on his team bike and is raving about the shifters (he used to run Shimano).
Last edited by Devon on Tue Apr 23, 2013 2:53 pm, edited 1 time in total.


andyindo
Posts: 367
Joined: Tue May 12, 2009 10:03 am

by andyindo

If you used to Campy then get Centaur(imo the ergonomics of campy are far superiour) but try get the older centaur shifters that let you dump multiple gears at a time. The new ones only let you shift one gear at a time and are inferior to the older style.

FWIW, I had Force and I now have Super Record, Chorus 11 and my race bike has record 10mix with centaur levers. There isnt a huge difference in feel. Sram always felt cheap to me and the hood shape was rubbish and the brakes weren't progressive either. Campy brakes rule. All my opinion though.

Also i sometimes used to go into a harder gear when shifting with SRAM in a race when I actually wanted an easier gear because I didnt push the lever far enough. I hated that.

Saying that, Force is good and I wouldnt cry if I had to ride it, but I prefer Campy.

Devon
Posts: 782
Joined: Fri Apr 12, 2013 1:19 pm
Location: Sydney, Australia

by Devon

andyindo wrote:If you used to Campy then get Centaur(imo the ergonomics of campy are far superiour) but try get the older centaur shifters that let you dump multiple gears at a time. The new ones only let you shift one gear at a time and are inferior to the older style.

FWIW, I had Force and I now have Super Record, Chorus 11 and my race bike has record 10mix with centaur levers. There isnt a huge difference in feel. Sram always felt cheap to me and the hood shape was rubbish and the brakes weren't progressive either. Campy brakes rule. All my opinion though.

Also i sometimes used to go into a harder gear when shifting with SRAM in a race when I actually wanted an easier gear because I didnt push the lever far enough. I hated that.

Saying that, Force is good and I wouldnt cry if I had to ride it, but I prefer Campy.


Hmm, I rode my friends 2013 Centaur bike and I was able to dump gears... :noidea:

sigismond0
Posts: 235
Joined: Tue Feb 05, 2013 8:29 pm

by sigismond0

Current levers labeled as Powershift and older Quick Shift allow you to downshift three gears and upshift one gear at a time. Ultrashift levers let you upshift five at a time and downshift three. Older Ultrashift (10sp) lets you upshift the entire cassette in one thumb sweep. Ultimately this doesn't matter a whole lot unless you're cresting huge hills and want to pick up a bunch of gears for the descent in a real hurry. On PS and QS, you just have to tap the button a few times instead of one huge sweep.

Are you sure your friend's Centaur bike doesn't have pre-2010 Centaur levers?

I'll have to chime in that I like Sram's hood feel. That's all a matter of personal preference, so telling someone else that Sram feels like garbage and Campy is like heaven is a really useless statement. Just because you don't like them doesn't mean they're trash. I've always thought Sram had the best overall brake feel, partly because it's consistent across their lineup instead of jumping around like Shimano and Campy. I'm also a big fan of the feel of Sram shifts--the sound of a rifle firing on shifts may seem cheap to some, but Shimano and Campy are nowhere close to having that super-positive shift feel.

wingguy
Posts: 4318
Joined: Thu Mar 08, 2012 11:43 pm

by wingguy

alexh wrote:After some further research I have now found that the two options will in weigh and cost the same (give or take) so it is in fact down to ergonomics.

To confirm, people believe that Centaur is (mechanically) equal/better than Force, despite the fact it is a low lower down the overall manufacturer's range?


First I'd like to know where it is you're researching because (aside from your 10/11sp confusion) the numbers I can see suggest that Centaur will come out a little under 200g heavier than Force, which is more than give or take. Price wise I'd be amazed if 10sp Force wasn't being discounted a great deal more than Centaur right now given that 11sp Force does exist and will be on sale imminently. Second I simply cannot see where the balance of contributors to this thread think that Centaur is better or equal to Force. It sounds like your mind was made up before you asked the question.

Which is fine, I just thought I'd point it out.

Devon
Posts: 782
Joined: Fri Apr 12, 2013 1:19 pm
Location: Sydney, Australia

by Devon

I was all set to buy Force, and have only been tempted towards Centaur recently (since I made this post). Centaur is about £100 cheaper from the cheapest prices for each I can find. Weights quited by manufacturers and shops can never be trusted, however most sources agree that the two are +- 2000g

by Weenie


Visit starbike.com Online Retailer for HighEnd cycling components
Great Prices ✓    Broad Selection ✓    Worldwide Delivery ✓

www.starbike.com



bm0p700f
in the industry
Posts: 5777
Joined: Sat May 12, 2012 7:25 pm
Location: Glermsford, Suffolk U.K
Contact:

by bm0p700f

Using the thumb shifter when in the drops does not worry me as shift down then go on the drops. Centaur get the benefit of those very lovely carbon cranks but the down side it the tool intensive power torque system. On an issue if you do all work yourself.

Campagnolo shifting is ofcourse perfect so is SRAM. So the question is which hood shape do you like best and can you cope with double tap. Personally I can't so I will never have SRAM.

Post Reply