Mirage vs Veloce

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by Mart
I have always been a Shimano user, not necessarily by choice, just because my bikes have always come with Shimano groupsets. I now want to give Campy a go. I have noticed there is a rather large jump in price from Campagnolo Xenon/Mirage to Veloce/Centaur, does the price difference reflect the quality ?

Thanks.

Yeah,but most people can live with Veloce ok.

Xenon and Mirage are both 9-speed, Centaur is 10-speed and, since the 2004 range came out, Veloce has both a 9-speed and a 10-speed version. I use Centaur and it's great stuff. Basically, Xenon/Mirage is the entry-level kit, Veloce/Centaur is mainstream and Chorus/Record is the really sweet (i.e. expensive) stuff. If your budget allows it, try and go for at least Veloce - you almost certainly won't regret it. If you can afford to get Centaur, even better. Beyond that, you're probably looking at diminishing returns, although the Chorus/Record kit is undoubtedly gorgeous.

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by mjw_byrne
Xenon and Mirage are both 9-speed, Centaur is 10-speed and, since the 2004 range came out, Veloce has both a 9-speed and a 10-speed version. I use Centaur and it's great stuff. Basically, Xenon/Mirage is the entry-level kit, Veloce/Centaur is mainstream and Chorus/Record is the really sweet (i.e. expensive) stuff. If your budget allows it, try and go for at least Veloce - you almost certainly won't regret it. If you can afford to get Centaur, even better. Beyond that, you're probably looking at diminishing returns, although the Chorus/Record kit is undoubtedly gorgeous.

Thanks, I will probably go with the Veloce.

I have '03 Chorus and '04 Veloce. The Veloce crank looks, well, slightly crude in its finish. It's not shiny, and grease/grime kinda sticks to it. The BB weighs a ton, too. Everything else seems just fine (the brake/shift levers, the rear deraileur). Actually, now that I think of it, I swapped out the front derail for '04 Chorus... it was bare metal, so it made a lot of noise shifting and wasn't as crisp as the Chorus.

Definitely good enough to get by. I wouldn't touch the stuff below Veloce, though. Shimano 105, and even Ultegra, are probably cheaper! Or close enough.

Why not go for an earlier Chorus, say 2001 or 2002. Although not a 10s but will cost almost the same as the latest Veloce. There are still shops that carry bits of the group (if not the complete grouppo) and you may find yourself a bargain. The quality of an earlier Chorus still tops the later Veloce.