Chorus vs Record

If your Colnago frame is a mid-range model made in Asia, then Chorus would be fine, but for a real made-in-Italy one, would think only Record is acceptable. Face it, Chorus says you're a man who knows quality, but one who is forced to compromise due to limited means 🙂

colin nago said:

Does Record work any better than Chorus, or are you paying the extra money for a small saving in weight.
Can't decide which to get on my new bike.
Decisions, decisions.

I asked the same thing a few years back, so I thought I'd forward the link in case it is of help.

http://www.cyclingforums.com/cycling-equipment/368265-record-vs-chorus.html

This was before 11s, so perhaps things have changed. The general opinion seemed to be that they worked equally well, but Record was slightly lighter in weight. I've also heard people say things like one year's Chorus is the previous year's Record (higher models shifting to the lower ones), though I am not sure how true that is.

For me, I was actually going to get Chorus, but I ended up with Record, just because the store I happened to go to was out of Chorus at the time. As price was not a huge factor for me back then (unlike now!), my main reasons for wanting Chorus were simply that I liked the name better and I liked the idea of not having gone for the top-of-the-line quite yet (was going to save it for the next ride).

Now, having ridden on Record (2007 version) for a few years, I've decided that I like the feel of my Ultegra better. So, if I am fortunate enough to buy another expensive ride some day, I will probably go for Dura Ace (mechanical version, assuming it still exists then 😉). But that's just me. Others have expressed a strong preference for the feel of Campy.

Anyway, have fun choosing. The good thing is that you can't really go wrong with either one.

Chorus used too be the previous year's Record. That's not really the case any more, but it doesn't really matter. The difference between Record and Chorus is a little more CF with Recordd and a little less weight. Functionally, the both work equally. I say this as a happy Record user.

dhk2 said:

. Face it, Chorus says you're a man who knows quality, but one who is forced to compromise due to limited means 🙂

That sounds like me!

colin nago said:

That sounds like me!

If you are value oriented, then you will opt for the ATHENA components ...

colin nago said:

Does Record work any better than Chorus, or are you paying the extra money for a small saving in weight.
Can't decide which to get on my new bike.
Decisions, decisions.

For 2009, Take Record, remove the ceramic in the BB and rear derailleur pulleys, you get Chorus. Remove the carbon body plate in the rear der, and add 11s rings to an otherwise Centaur aluminum crank and you get 2010 Athena. I think Chorus is a great value(cheaper than 6700 and spam red) and iffa ya want aluminum look, Athena.

Can't believe the only difference between Record and Chorus currently is ceramic bearings. IMO, that's basically charging a chunk of extra money for the Record decals. Of course, some people will pay to see the name Record on their bikes, but personally I find this kind of marketing a shabby and cynical way to treat customers, as if the customer is an idiot. Or perhaps they are selling as much as they want to produce, and have found that high prices for the top gruppo preserves the exclusivity of the brand name.

Shimano have of course moved prices up too. Last time I bought an Ultegra 9 sp cassette from my LBS, retail was $99. Can you post a similar comparison of the 09 Shimano groups?

dhk2 said:

Can't believe the only difference between Record and Chorus currently is ceramic bearings. IMO, that's basically charging a chunk of extra money for the Record decals. Of course, some people will pay to see the name Record on their bikes, but personally I find this kind of marketing a shabby and cynical way to treat customers, as if the customer is an idiot. Or perhaps they are selling as much as they want to produce, and have found that high prices for the top gruppo preserves the exclusivity of the brand name.

Shimano have of course moved prices up too. Last time I bought an Ultegra 9 sp cassette from my LBS, retail was $99. Can you post a similar comparison of the 09 Shimano groups?

There's always been very little that separated Record from Chorus. Now, there's very little that separates Super Record from Record and Chorus. I don't think Campy is treating their customers cynically. Campy is comfortable where they are in the market place and aren't really interested in expanding their market. I guess you could say that the expense helps to perpetuate brand identity, but when you really start comparing similar groups, the price differences between Campy and Shimano aren't that great (I don't know anything about SRAM pricing). Every year Campy essentially sells all that they make, so it's not as if Campy's strategy is hurting them. I could be wrong, but I think Shimano has increased prices more than Campy lately.

A few years ago I bought a frame with the intentions of building as my b-bike for crits, and general foul weather rides. My A-bike was full Record 10, but wanted to build the b-bike with Chorus. I looked for used parts and found very little in the way of used Chorus stuff on ebay (and the couple items I did buy were very used), but used Record stuff was far more plenitful and not much more, so now I have two Record road bikes and a Chorus/Centaur cross bike. I would say the advantages a few years ago were:

Record-
ti pinch bolts (no rust, and lighter). Alloy chainring bolts, don't rust but can break easier than the stainless ones used in Chorus. Other than that, it's really just weight.

Chorus-
cheaper (when you can find it), alloy g-spring carrier, which is more durable than the plastic one found in Record shifters. Dual pivot front AND rear brakes. ok, I understand the thought process of putting a single pivot in the rear where less force is required, but honestly, I like a powerful rear brake and have never crashed because I locked up the rear. Lock up the front though and you are upside down.
:eek:

dhk2 said:

Can't believe the only difference between Record and Chorus currently is ceramic bearings. IMO, that's basically charging a chunk of extra money for the Record decals. Of course, some people will pay to see the name Record on their bikes, but personally I find this kind of marketing a shabby and cynical way to treat customers, as if the customer is an idiot. Or perhaps they are selling as much as they want to produce, and have found that high prices for the top gruppo preserves the exclusivity of the brand name.

Shimano have of course moved prices up too. Last time I bought an Ultegra 9 sp cassette from my LBS, retail was $99. Can you post a similar comparison of the 09 Shimano groups?

Aluminum bits in the rear derailleur and front derailleur..less titanium in the cogset(Chorus is all steel) so ceramic isn't the only difference.

See Campagnolo.com for specifics.

alienator said:

There's always been very little that separated Record from Chorus. Now, there's very little that separates Super Record from Record and Chorus. I don't think Campy is treating their customers cynically. Campy is comfortable where they are in the market place and aren't really interested in expanding their market. I guess you could say that the expense helps to perpetuate brand identity, but when you really start comparing similar groups, the price differences between Campy and Shimano aren't that great (I don't know anything about SRAM pricing). Every year Campy essentially sells all that they make, so it's not as if Campy's strategy is hurting them. I could be wrong, but I think Shimano has increased prices more than Campy lately.

2009 Campagnolo prices have actually come down. shimano prices have stayed pretty stable.

7900 and SuperRecord are 'about' the same. Comparisons are sometimes tough and 'deals' can be had anywhere on anything but this is a pretty good 'guide'.

Configure/Buy Gruppo Component Package - Competitive Cyclist

As the Chorus shifters are the only Campagnolo shifters I have used, it is difficult for me to write a good comparative review of the other shifters without simply regurgitating things I have read, so I will instead focus on comparing it to comparable shifters from other companies. What I can tell you is that I have found in the past is that typically the second from top of the line group, which is Chorus in this case, is the best value. The top of the line product, Record in this case, usually features all the latest features, which are more likely to have flaws, and lighter weight materials and construction which may or may not be more prone to breakage. Even if they do have all the details ironed out, which Campagnolo does, the top of the line is so much more expensive that the small benefits are not worth the extra cash unless you are a professional racer, or have gobs of cash.

sure the differences are minimal but- if you don't get the best you'll always wish you had

NEVER SETTLE !!!!!!!!!!

pat5319 said:

sure the differences are minimal but- if you don't get the best you'll always wish you had

Says who? A salesman? That's just the sort of thing they say. People can also look back and feel stupid for spending as much as they did. It's another reason why salesmen aren't to be trusted.

pat5319 said:

sure the differences are minimal but- if you don't get the best you'll always wish you had

NEVER SETTLE !!!!!!!!!!

Put your dough into the frame and fork. Then the wheels/tires, then the saddle and brakes. The rest just doesn't matter. I would rather have a nice frame with Sora than a crappy frame with SuperRecord.

Peter@vecchios said:

Put your dough into the frame and fork. Then the wheels/tires, then the saddle and brakes. The rest just doesn't matter. I would rather have a nice frame with Sora than a crappy frame with SuperRecord.

Agree. And for some 'flatlanders" (like me), brakes would't matter either.

I’ve built 9 bikes in the past 5 years, all from frames and components purchased on eBay. All but one of the builds utilized Campy groups, some new from eBay stores and some used from individual sellers. The groups on the completed bikes were a mixture of Record, Chorus and Centaur, with some carbon in the mix. Having ridden all the completed bikes, I would be hard pushed to identify any major differences in operation. The higher the group, the lighter the components, albeit by only a few grams. The finish on the aluminum parts of all groups is similar.
The choice is your!

A happy Record user here. I actually searched out some "retro" Record parts for this build at the distributor -- full alloy cranks for instance. Was disappointed I couldn't locate a full alloy R derailleur.

Functionally, Chorus is indistinguishable from Record. I'd just wanted Record and could afford it.

Shifting is different (lighter action) on the new, post 2007 Ergos, that are also ergonomically redesigned. Some people find them more comfortable. I haven't ridden them enough to make a decision. The older Ergos are one of the reasons I preferred Campag over Shimano.

nm