Modern Campagnolo 11s

[FINNEY1973]

Appreciate this is a retro forum but I believe there's enough of you good folk who also ride modern steeds to help.

I'm going for a retro / modern build, principally a Vitus 992 with Athena 11s groupset. I'm a bit confused by the actual difference between Power & Ultra Torque cranksets, and also the variants of the BB cups that are available.

The bb shell on the Vitus is English thread, can anyone advise which cups I need?

Also - wheels to match. I have to confess the modern shallow section rims are hugely uninspiring. I don't want mid r deep section - the only wheelset I like is the Mavic R-SYS SLR http://www.dolan-bikes.com/index.php/ma ... elset.html - however at £1500, there's little chance of me buying a pair at that price.

Are there any older hubs that will accept an 11 speed cassette? If so, I'd be tempted to go with some and then combine with older rims and get them built up.

Again any input or advice would be welcomed before I commit to hitting the buy button!

 

[Penfold6290]

Hiya, I've just fitted an 11speed Athena groupset to my new CYFAC Proxidium frame. Power Torque cranksets have BB cups (English for your frame) which incorporate sealed bearings that screw into your frame (English, Italian and push fit types available), the chainset has a hollow axle that goes all the way through the BB cups and sticks out the other side. The LH crank has splines machined into it which mate to the splines on the hollow axle. You simply poke the axle through, put on the spring and the sealing cup, locate the crank arm and secure the whole combination up with a counter sunk Allen headed screw which needs 14mm Allen key. Quite simple really. Ultra Torque is a similar idea but the hollow axles are part of both the chainset and the LH crank and they meet in the middle and secure using a nut which winds in from the drive side.

I found the new stuff really easy to set up, although my LBS did the chain as I didn't want to spend £120 on the proper Campag 11 speed tool.

As for wheels look at Campagnolo's Neutron Ultra, they are 11 speed compatible, a nice shallow section rim and (IMHO) have a visually pleasing spoking pattern. I bought mine for Ribble Cycles for less than £500 including skewers, wheels bags and rim tape. Here they are on my new bike, pic taken before steerer tube cut to length, carbon seat post fitted and chain installed. White brake hoods and white cables were bought separately as the groupsets come in black only

 

[matthew71]

that cyfac is sweet, and I like the historic nod to castorama

 

[FINNEY1973]

very nice looking build you have there! those are the cranks i'm after! Are these the correct cups for those cranks ... http://www.wiggle.co.uk/campagnolo-powe ... 5360392738 based on a traditional BB shell with english threads?

So fairly simple to install you say? just the chain issue to overcome (£120 just for the tool :shock: )

The Neutron wheels look nice actually, I'd need to remove the decals though, currently one of my pet hates is this obsession with oversize decals taking up large parts of the rim!

Thanks for posting - that's given me some food for thought.

 

[Penfold6290]

Thanks for the compliment, I was trying to keep things slightly retro looking with the silver components as I thought black bits on a white frame don't look right to me. Those are the correct cups on the link, but if you're buying the whole groupset look here -

http://www.shinybikes.com/campagnolo-at ... -2011.html

I bought mine from them, best price by miles, ordered Friday afternoon arrived by Parcel Force on Tuesday. Very easy to install, the cups need a tool to torque up properly but it's not over expensive.

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/park-tools-holl ... -arm-tool/

I agree the decals on the wheels wouldn't look quite right on a retro bike, have you considered getting some Mavic Open Sup 32 hole rims built onto some Campag 11 speed compatible hubs?

 

[FINNEY1973]

I think this edition of the Athena is the nicest stuff to hit the market since DA 7700, and possibly a bit of a future classic. You chose well, it compliments your frame very well indeed (which in itself looks to have been finished superbly). This retro / modern mix is something I'm looking at doing a bit more of as the prices for retro parts have in many instances made it a bit galling to buy!

I've got the front & rear mechs only at the moment (I got them for £50 the pair) which has set me off on this build idea. I'll order the park tool, thanks for the link. The cranks I can get for £110, so that leaves ergo's & brakes.

Wheels really are a quandary - I'm certainly not opposed to having some built up and Mavic Rims are solid enough without being too OTT. Hubs are the issue - I'd like simple plain silver without them looking like MTB hubs as many of them seem to do these days. Not able to buy the wheels just yet, so no immediate rush, however the more options I have for consideration, the happier I'll feel about it.

 

[Penfold6290]

I agree, trying to match up 1990s retro stuff is getting expensive and bits in good condition are hard to find.

I would have bought a higher spec groupset, Chorus most likely as you get Ultra Shift levers rather than the Athena's Powershift but the Athena is the highest spec you can get in silver sadly. Having said that it looks lovely, bearing in mind my other two bikes have 1989 Athena and 1989 C Record Delta groupsets so aesthetics are key!

 

[bedraggled]

Ribble have silver Athena for £550 but have an additional 12% discount until Tuesday which knocks another £66 off.
Not all options are in stock but could be worth a look if your cranks, cassette ratio are available.
As a cheapskate I've just ordered silver Veloce.

 

[FINNEY1973]

I have the black veloce 2009 groupset on my Ribble, it's done nearly 8000 miles and has, only in the last 500 miles, started to miss a few beats. Despite the hierarchy, I suspect the Athena will be perform superbly, and I'm not sure I could tell the difference between UltraShift and PowerShift anyway?? Is a shame that Chorus or Record doesn't come in silver, but I guess those groups are the preserve of those wishing to have a full carbon affair.

Completely agree, aesthitics are key - hence why I won't but any modern offerings from Shimano!

 

[Penfold6290]

The difference between Powershift and Ultrashift is with PS you can downshift 3 at a time and upshift 1 at a time whereas with US you can downshift 5 at a time and upshift 3 at a time. I had thought that I could see how I get one with Athena PS (probably perfect for what I do) and if needs be change the Ergos for Chorus and transplant the silver levers from the Athena!

Ref wheels, have you considered getting some of these -

http://www.totalcycling.com/a-z/hubs/hu ... tAodEzEAog

laced to a pair of these -

http://www.totalcycling.com/a-z/rims_road/RR_SPORT.html

Or Hilary Stone has a pair of NOS Mavic Open Pro 32H rims for £95, modestly bedecalled (is that a word?) and strong as an ox.

http://www.hilarystone.com/rims700.html

I'm pretty sure, and someone will no doubt tell me if I'm wrong but 9/10/11 speed Campagnolo cassettes all share the same hub format.

M