2004 Campag Chrous Or Centaur

In terms of function, there is not much in it (in my opinion). Both solid 10 speeds that should last you a long time.
How much is the look of the 04 Chorus worth to you (plus the minor weight saving)? If it means going into debt or settling for mediocre wheels, then it probably is not worth it. If you have the money, $350 isn't that much extra for a work of art!

I'm in exactly the same position, trying to decide on Centaur or Chorus for my Klein/Ksyrium new build.

For the triple versions, the weight difference between Centaur and Chorus groups is about 190gms. 66gms of those 190gms is in the bottom bracket, so I intend to buy a Centaur group with a Chorus bottom bracket. That will make my groupset only marginally heavier than a full Chorus g/set but 250GBP (450USD) cheaper.

LBS informs me that there are no compatibility issues with doing this, and in the past I have found the Centaur bottom bracket to be a pile of cr@p! The Centaur b/b is the same design as all the groupsets below it (Veloce/Mirage/Xenon) but the Chorus b/b is basically the same design as the Record.

Hope this helps.

Go with the Chorus, you won't be disappointed.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by rmartin
[B]I'm in exactly the same position, trying to decide on Centaur or Chorus for my Klein/Ksyrium new build.

For the triple versions, the weight difference between Centaur and Chorus groups is about 190gms. 66gms of those 190gms is in the bottom bracket, so I intend to buy a Centaur group with a Chorus bottom bracket. That will make my groupset only marginally heavier than a full Chorus g/set but 250GBP (450USD) cheaper.[/QUOTE]

'04 Chorus is essentially '03 Record but with the former chorus BB and cassette.
You might need to take care with your chainline and FD adjustment when mating a chorus BB with centaur cranks - the centaur BB has a longer spindle than chorus, 111mm spindle compared to the choruswith a 102mm spindle, designed to deliver a lower Q-factor. The difference might not matter for triples that both use the 111mm bb (or 115mm bb for Ø 32 or 35 mm oversize seat tube)
I used to run Chorus cranks on a centaur BB with no problems, but have not tried the other way around.

I was faced with the same decision when upgrading a couple of months ago - I went from 9sp daytona (centaur) to '04 chorus - now that it's dialled and worn in it's a thing of beauty. One thing to consider - if you're a heavier/stronger rider chorus gets you stiffer, stronger cold-forged cranks compared to the centaur cranks which are cast and machined.

Other points:
I'm told chorus running gear may be more durable than the centaur.

Having had bikes with daytona/centaur vs my new chorus setup, I'd go the chorus - you'll forget about the extra bucks in a week. As to the 'buy a better set of wheels' view - it's easier to flog a good condition set of wheels (like ksyrium elites) on ebay in 6-12 months to fund a wheel upgrade (to, say, ksyrium SLs) than it is to flog groupset bits.

I was comparing Chorus to Centaur last year - noticed that the Chorus pedals have 3 bearing sets, while Centaur/Daytona have only two, forged crank instead of cast, and there were a few other changes.

From Record to Chorus, the only differences I noticed was more carbon and titanium parts for Record, while there seemed to be some design changes when going from Chorus to Centaur. I went with Chorus, it has given me no problems.

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by armchair_spacem
One thing to consider - if you're a heavier/stronger rider chorus gets you stiffer, stronger cold-forged cranks compared to the centaur cranks which are cast and machined.

Other points:
I'm told chorus running gear may be more durable than the centaur.

Having had bikes with daytona/centaur vs my new chorus setup, I'd go the chorus - you'll forget about the extra bucks in a week

This is great news to hear,ive decided to go for the Chorus groupset.Should $^it allover my Campag 8speed Mirage LOL that my Lemond came with...

I got my new bike with Chorus 2004 in October 2003 (early adapter🙂

It's rugged, it's smooth and it's beautiful.

If you can afford it... take it over Centaur🙂

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by rmartin
I'm in exactly the same position, trying to decide on Centaur or Chorus for my Klein/Ksyrium new build.

For the triple versions, the weight difference between Centaur and Chorus groups is about 190gms. 66gms of those 190gms is in the bottom bracket, so I intend to buy a Centaur group with a Chorus bottom bracket. That will make my groupset only marginally heavier than a full Chorus g/set but 250GBP (450USD) cheaper.

LBS informs me that there are no compatibility issues with doing this, and in the past I have found the Centaur bottom bracket to be a pile of cr@p! The Centaur b/b is the same design as all the groupsets below it (Veloce/Mirage/Xenon) but the Chorus b/b is basically the same design as the Record.

Hope this helps.

There is a compatibility issue with a centaur crank and a chorus BB. Even tho there is a Chorus 111, it's asymetric, and intended for use with a triple crankset. All the shop rats have to do is look in the QBP catalogue and it will tell them the difference.

The Chorus is fitted and ive been riding it for about a week.What can i say except unreal.Its quiet,smooth and the carbon shifters and rear derailler look the part.My only concern is the strength of the shifters in a crash(not that im planning on testing it out).