We are sometimes asked why Campy Only doesn't test more moderately priced equipment.  We're admittedly fans of Record (if you're going to use the world's best cycling components, why not ride the very, very best, right?), and our personal road tests reflect that preference.  However, taking the suggestions of these readers to heart, we recently rebuilt the Campy Only Retro Bike into a Veloce-equipped modern machine.  How does Campy's fourth-level group (below Record, Chorus, and Daytona/Centaur) compare?  We have been pleasantly surprised.  Read on  . . .

Part of our inspiration for revamping the Retro Bike came on two rides this year--the Terrible Two and Climb to Kaiser--that both featured miles of steep, unrelenting climbs.  Although we made it up the steepest pitches in a 39x28 (courtesy of a 28-tooth cog from Branford Bike), we were struck by the numbers of riders who seemed to be having an easier time with a triple crank setup.  When one of the Davis Bike Club's strongest riders showed up with a triple setup, we were hooked.

We contacted Branford Bike (a Campy Only sponsor) and ordered a complete Veloce gruppo.  (Our gruppo arrived with a mix of Daytona and Veloce parts--more on that later.)  Branford offers a complete Veloce gruppo for $459.88; a triple Veloce gruppo is $478.88 (click here for their Veloce web page).  The gruppo includes Bottom Bracket, Crankset, Derailleurs - front and rear, Hubset, Cassette, Chain, Brake Calipers and Ergo Levers with a full cable set.   By comparison, a complete Record setup (minus seatpost and pedals) will cost you about $1,299--almost three times as much.

Campagnolo doesn't offer a seatpost in the Veloce gruppo; we added a Chorus Ti post that we bought separately.  Campagnolo also doesn't make a headset in the Veloce line; we kept the headset already on the frameset. 

For pedals, we re-used a set of Record Pro-Fit pedals (yes, we had to include at least a little Record on the bike!); the lowest-priced pedals offered in 2001 by Campagnolo are the Daytona Pro-Fits ($98.88 at Branford Bike).

As noted above, our gruppo included a hubset, but we have not yet built the hubs up; that will happen soon (November 2001), and we'll let you know how they work.

The Results

How did it all work?  Here are our impressions:

Shifting with our triple crank setup (52/42/30 crankset and 12-23 cogset) is--dare we say it--as good as Record.  The 2001 Veloce derailleur shares the same geometry as the latest Record derailleur (meaning that it requires the new, 2001-model 9-speed Ergo levers or a conversion kit for pre-2000 shifters), and it shifts just as well.  Branford Bike was temporarily out of Veloce levers and sent a Daytona set instead, but they're basically the same lever with a drilled-out shift lever (it looks just like the pre-carbon Record lever), so we can assume that Veloce levers would work just as well.  The levers shift crisply, with a tad more "click" than Record, but their performance is on par with the hightest-priced line. 

The front derailleur works, well, better than Record.  Maybe it's  the Veloce crankset, which features chainrings that have a more contour in their profile (see photo), but the chain movement across all of the rings is better than we experience on our Record-equipped bike.  And once the chain is on a ring, it's possible to shift across almost the entire range of cogs without trimming the front derailleur--with Record, we can shift two or three cogs at most before trimming.  Our guess is that Record is aimed at a racing crowd more interested in fast shifting than ease of use, but overall Veloce is (in our opinion) nicer to use. 

The 9-speed cogset supplied with our gruppo is the same Exadrive set offered with Record just a few years ago.  The 2001 Veloce cogset is the same "EDC" (ExaDrive Chromed) set from 2000, and it features the same ramping for improved shifting that debuted with Campy's top lines.  Branford Bike says the "loose cog" cogset is their most popular 9-speed set.  It also offers the chance to change out single cogs (such as the two or three cogs you may use most often that will wear out first).

The Daytona Ergo levers feature a lever body that looks like the "Carbon" body on Record and Chorus, although it's not marked as such.  The righthand lever body carries the wording "9 Speed"; the lefthand lever says nothing.  Although they lack the ball bearings of the Record line, they work just as well.  The levers themselves are alloy, virtually identical to Chorus and Record. 

Braking is on par with Record as well.  Not surprising, considering that the brakes share the same design (see photo), but without the titanium and alloy bits that Record adds.  For 2001, Veloce upgraded the brake pads with the longer, contoured shoes that Record got two years ago (yet another example of Record features trickling down through the gruppos . . . )  Record also adds ball bearings in the workings of the brakes, but even though the Veloce calipers turn on bushings, it's hard to feel the difference on the road.  Power and modulation are as good as Record.

The crankset, incidentally, left us with absolutely nothing to complain about as far as performance is concerned.  As noted below, it's actually lighter than the Record triple crank, and we couldn't discern any additional flex in the arms that we don't experience with our top-of-the-line setup.  

The bottom bracket we used is the AC-H model (Alloy cups, Hollow steel axle).  The bottom bracket also comes in a solid-axle version, and with steel cups and solid axle.  The AC-H bottom bracket comes in two parts: a one-piece sealed unit with one cup, and a hermetically sealed axle/bearing unit that also includes a second integral cup.  Screw it in (grease the threads first) and you're done.  There is no way to lubricate or adjust the bearings--when they wear out, you'll replace the entire unit.  For 2001, the Veloce triple crankset now uses a symmetric bottom bracket--there is no increased offset on the drive side as in years past (which means that if you install this crankset on your pre-2001 bottom bracket, it will be set up wrong).  As noted earlier, you'll need a special tool to install this bottom bracket--your old Campy or standard tools won't do you a bit of good.

As noted above, we haven't used our Veloce hubs yet, but fresh out of the box the front hub's bearings were almost bone-dry and were adjusted so tightly that they would barely turn.  We adjusted and lubed the bearings, but we were surprised that this hub made it past Campagnolo's quality control.  The finish on the hubs is quite nice--highly polished alloy--but the axles are black-colored steel without the much more elegant look of Record.  

The Trade-Offs

So what's the down side of Veloce?  Finish and weight.  If you absolutely must have the best and lightest, Record is the way to go, but for plain old riding and enjoyment, Veloce is very, very, hard to beat.

The Veloce gruppo is nicely finished--all of the parts are polished alloy--but the finish is, quite simply, several steps below Record or Chorus.  The level of polish isn't as nice as on Campagnolo's higher-priced gruppos.  Look at the back sides of the crankarms (see photo), which feature no polishing at all, and you can see where Campagnolo was saving money to offer an entire gruppo for less than the price of a Record carbon crankset.  On various other small items, like the adjusting barrels on the brakes, it's also obvious that less money was spent providing a high level of finish.  

Based on several months' use, we're also convinced that these parts won't age quite as well as Record--maybe the alloy isn't as hard as in the more expensive lines, but small scratches and wear marks seem to appear more easily (see photo at left).

Veloce also carries a weight penalty.  Count on having your bike weigh about a pound more with Veloce--for example, the Veloce rear derailleur is about 80 grams heavier than Record (almost 3 ounces); the Veloce brakeset is 60 grams (about 2 ounces) heavier.  (Interestingly, the listed weight from Campagnolo's web site for the Veloce triple crankset--731 grams--is less than for the new Record triple crankset, at 745 grams.)

Still, for the price it's very hard to beat Veloce.  You won't see it in the Tour de France, but we've used it on several ultramarathon rides (including a double century) and we can definitely recommend it for the other 99.999 percent of us who aren't trying to shave a few seconds off our time to the top of the Alpe d'Huez.

Triple Shame

Well, maybe not shame, but you can expect to take a little flak from your fellow riders when you show up with a triple crankset.  A common comment: "What's wrong, can't climb any more?"  Or, "You haven't been training as much any more?"  Simply put, most folks equate a triple crankset with slow riders.  In truth, we have come to view our triple setup as more of a "wide range" system; we hardly ever use the small chainring, and then only in extreme situations.  Imagine that the inner chainring isn't there, and you end up with a double crank, right?  Our advice--ignore those naysayers, enjoy the big and middle rings, and smile at those other riders when you're scaling a steep climb with a nice, easy spin.

Your Feedback?

Are you using Veloce?  We'd like to hear your comments!  Email us:  webmaster@campyonly.com