Tested Campagnolo
rantaur CT 2008
Centaur occupies the middle
ground in Campagnolo's
groupset hierarchy and is
largely onaparwithShimano's
UltegraSLonthecosHo-wagt*
scale For 2008, improvements
include lighter weight and smoother
shifting, and in some areas theres
little to choose between it and the
more expensive Chorus groupset.
Jargon busters
a-Compactdrivetrain
Campagnolo term for its compact (ranks.
These feature a HObcd (bolt centre
diameter) chainiing interface as opposed to
standard Campy cranks which are now
BSbd.This allows for smaller diameter
(hence fewer teethl ihainrings.
Ultra-TorqUe HaliabottQmbracket
axle is bonded into each crank arm, and they
meet in the middle- of the bottom bracket
and lock together with a single bolt that
squeezes the two toothed ends of the axles
logelher. It sounds daft, but it works.
11OCYCUNG PLUSXMAS20O7
io good, might ma
question the need to step up
10 Chorus?
QS QuickShiftis Campy'*toned downbut
speeded up shifting action. The inside of its
Eigo lever/shifter uniis underwent a revamp
that resulted in reduced noise, slightly
limited throws compared to nonQS Ergos,
but an overall smoother and faster shift.
Nowproven to be typically Campy durable.
U Itra-DriVe The name given to the
shaping of Campy'srear sprockets. These sti
feature relativelydeeptoothprohles,but
have been topped and shaped to allow
better shifting, so long asyou are running
Campy chains that is.
Front QSmech £27.50 braze-on/
£30.50 band-on
For 2008 tampagnolo has dispensed with foe need to
buy a front mech specific to the type of aan-^s and
claiming set-up you are using The new QS front
mechs can have up to a 16 tooth difference between
the inner and outer thawing*, and work with enter
standaid or wmpaa l^out cliainrings. Witf( Recofd
featuring the carbon composite and allonge <lesigi>,
and Chorus ieaturing an alloy cage («igl« are 72g
and 769 respectively) it is no surprise that the Centaur
font rnech is a weighty beastie ai over 90g.The overall
layout and shaps is almost exactly the same as its mo
bigger and more expensive siblings, buuhe shifting
seems tighter and nioie precise than the higher lad
msths, and now worts with the meth cage aligned
simght, 50 no more having B anqie it onwards
slightly It just goes to show that steel could well be ihe
best material (or a front me* cage due to its stiffness
and itswearresisiance. Installation andset-upare
simple and requiredarmnimum amount of cable
tweaking to shift perfectly.
Weight 91s Fitting Braze-on/band-on
Simple to setup and
performs faultlessly
I oj™ Contain- Price
Rearmech
Front mech(braie)
__—— ii i ^—
Chainsetincb/b
_— ~
Brake callipers
Cassette
Control I even
 - Bikeshop
tech £72.99 Cassette £74.95
Cassette- simple, hard There's no point Trying to impiove on something lhat works well, Campy sprockets used lo hate deep teeth on
wearing, solid and
i:«Yt weigh toa much and lasts foi ages.The 2008 rear mech them, ami while this resulted in ciunkier shifting
dependable
looks lor all ihe world lite its predecessor, mainly because nothing compared to Shimarto, it also meant ttiey lasted
has changed. The mech features a caibon composite outer link for ages in comparison. Uhja-Crive changed that a
plate, wtikh is nice but doesn'i save weight or increase stiffness little, wiih the teeth'topped' slightly 10 fadlitate
hugely, its more an eye-candy statement [or ihe carbon-tarts guir. ker and smoother shifting, along wtharange
among us. One nice thing is this mech can be serviced properly; of new chains. For 2005 the only change to the
there's no faffing around trying to decrease R ihen lube it, you can Centaur sprockets is the addition of'macro' spawn,
tale it apart, complexly. This, coupled with e<cellenidi;rat:!.;y. which are basically just smaller on their outside
means you'll have this m«h for years unless you crash It, Shifting is diameter, but otherwise unchanged. Again, it is a
quiet and precise - a lot of people rue Ihe day Campy introduced simple case noi changing sornerhirig that rs
its qu;e( shirt Ergo levers, but the only real difference is that less prawn to work? Steel sprockets oil an alloy carrier
p rewe is needed to shift and il isn't as noisy- and the rear mech thai are galvanisedandthai hawa chrornoly-
isatight and precise unit. If you'retjoingio/un (he big 13-39 rear urikel plating that is PlfE-impregnaied last along
sprockets make sure you buy tire medium cage version; anyl hi ng tvne.and so they should.
uiicierand short cage should be your choice. !it 24Sg (11-25 as tested)
Weight 2?6g Siios Short cage, medium cage BatiH 11-13,11-25,12-25,13-26,13-29
on brake callipers £89.99
Intotal there is only Kg in weight difference between
Centaur and Chorus cold forged brakes, but if you take thf
biake blocks out they weigh the same, wfiich could well
tell you a lot about Centaur brakes. The (rant is a dual pivot
item, to increase braking power at the s'ight expense of a
little more required cable pull. Ihe rear is a single-pivot
unit to reduce weight, as outright powe(isn't required or
ihe rear brake.Hie font brake features reasonable
After trying assorted bra*? pads the feeling remained, so
ii's clearly not dcwm to the friction material and is more a
trail of the braSrt performance. The rear can be a I rtile
grabby at times (depending upon your rims, of course),
Good performance and buiswitchirqiogoodqualiryaftennarfetpadssixhas
Rearraech-cosmeik
powerful but lacking Sa isstop solves that problem arid reveals a smooth brake
, [he superb In fed wiih more than enough power available.
performance remains
Weight |f]175g,M159g
S £129.99
The QSErgolevers were received with mixed feelings by a lot of
Gmpy fans, as it was seen by many that the company ivas frying ro
lone down the positive shifting action to become more lite Shimano's
buttery smooth and almost silent lever movement. Here at Cycling
Plus we were happy after our first rides with it, as it was clear Campy
wasn't toning things down, but Mhei refining them to allow quieter
stiiliing. Centaur Ergo shiftets are the sams shape as every other
Campy Ergo, including Record, and it's a shape a !ot of riders lite.
Aesthetically many people prefer the loot of Irgolevers compaied to
thealmost Seventies joystick-like looks of, say, Shimano's Dura-Are.
Unchanged for 20O8, the Ceniaur lews are excellent quality and have
Shifts smooihly, light
been proven to be reliable with vay low wear rates. Virtually identical
wight and hard waring
in many ways 10 Chorus, and offering ihe feel and shifting action
similar to Record, ihese are a little gem in Campy's Ergo lever line-up.
Weight 342g
Chain £25.99
There is no Centaur chain, so it comes with a Chorus chain. Virtually identical to
This is the revised chain from 2007, featuring a nairowr Chorus - but a whole
width of 5.9mm, and sculpted side plates to reduce weight lot cheaper
and also aid in shifting when dropping fioma larger
sprocket to a smaller one. Already this has proven to be just

UJ
as good as a Record chain, but for less money and without
the hollow lint pins for we$ii saving Although not as
qmeiasaSriimana chain, the shining is eas.ly ona par but
wh a better wear rate Campy states you should use its HD
Link chain tool, but as it costs moie lhan [he Chorus chain it
is unlilfly thai anybody will use it. fake care and pay Wiih the addition of a carbon composite UI [ ra- tc rqL>e cranksct for
attention to keeping the links parallel when joining and you 2008, and ihe revised front mech cage profile, Centaur is a well made
could use any good quality chain tool groupse: a: an alarmingly good price.
Weight 271g
9 Superb performance groupset that makes perfect
economic sense
Campagnolo;..-,'.".., ifn(>tlntouk;in™.:i:ii.]/uy[liprr I
XMAS 2007 CYCLING PLUS 111