Road Cycling - 2004 Chorus or 2005 Ultegra?

Greetings, all. My very first post here, so please, be gentle. Or at least buy me a drink...

So, I picked up a new road frame shortly before the holidays...a year-end closeout I just couldn't turn down.

Getting back to the road after a 15-year layoff, which has been spent on the MTB scene. 6' 1", 193#, 38. Not interested in crits, TTs, or racing in general. Between my wife and me, we have 3 businesses, and 2 young kids, so time is limited.

Looking for a reliable ride I can hop on and spin for an hour or two...get me away from the computer, get the blood flowing. Will still ride my MTBs (Ti hardtail and steel rigid SS), but supplement with road riding for variety and fitness.

On my MTBs, I primarily run XT, with a smattering of SRAM, XTR and Avid. I'm pretty big and strong, and can break parts.

Was originally set on '03 Chorus, but that's disappearing quickly. '04 Chorus seems a lot like '03 Record. Not intereseted in Dura-Ace...while I appreciate the technology and engineering that's gone into it, that '04 DA crank is butt-ugly to my eye. Certainly can't justify Record.

I know, logically, Ultegra will be everything I'd ever need, but conventional wisdom is that the '05 will get the DA treatment, on the crank, 10-spd, etc. It doesn't help that everyone and their dog uses Ultegra, and I admittedly like different stuff than the crowd...I'm just weird like that.

I'd be willing to wait on the '05 Ultegra if it's worth it. Heck, I've waited this long...or get '04 Chorus now. Anyone ever mix-and-match Shimano & Campy? Or is that bicycle blasphemy? How about '04 Chorus now, then '05 Ultegra crank/BB? What are the odds they'll play well together?

Anyone seen any spy photos or technical details about '05 Ultegra? I've heard the crank will be similar in design to DA, but toned down, looks-wise (thank God).

Thanks in advance.

Doug

you should be able to still find 03 chorus if you
look around. I know I've seen it on e-bay, but check
places like Branford Bikes, Ghisallo cycles, bulltek and
I think Bicyclehub (not sure if they have components).
Mix and match campy/shimano may not work, different
spacing on cassettes, gears, indexing etc. not worth
the trouble if you ask me, outside the drivetrain you're
fine.
For the money, I'd go with the campy stuff, but then
again I'm a velo-snob :lol: .
Marty

Chorus is simply outstanding and you will have a difficult time destroying it. I use Chorus and Record and it still works after a year even though I tend to destroy every piece of equipment I use. Centaur would also prove indistructable and somewhat less expensive. Centaur now comes in a 10 speed with choices of either grey or standard. Check out the Campagnolo web site.

www.Ebay.com I have found outstanding deals on a complete Campy and Ultegra as well as DA to keep your options open.

don't wait. by that logic, you'll never buy anything. (i mean, why not wait till '06 and get 05' DA technology at ultegra prices?!?)

i just overhauled my bike (formerly a mostly 98 ultegra group) with mostly 2003 DA 9 speed and picked up many parts for dirt cheap from the major online retailers and a bit here and there from ebay and elsewhere.

don't rush to buy, hold out for a 20% off coupon (check the deals forum) from performance or nashbar and go to town.

in terms of the tech, i don't have much experience with campy, but ultegra is a fine group and i've ridden and raced it hard and it's held up well.

ultegra is about 90% great. if you go with this group, i'd think upgrading to the DA levers/shifters and a third-party headset (CK, of course) and hubs.

Thanks for the input, folks. Point well taken, brunning, but it's not the first time I've used delayed gratification. When I was shopping for a new set of irons for golf, I research, tested, demoed for---I kid you not---7 years :o before I pulled the trigger. Yes, it took a while, but I've never regretted my purchase.

I'm cheap (sort of)...I don't usually rush into things, or spend wontonly. But when I do, I know I've done the research, and try to get it right the first time. And when I do crack open the wallet or credit card, having done the research, I feel a bit better if I shoot the moon.

Now, where's my OCD medication? :eek:

Hey, I did a lot of research when I decided to build up a road bike after at least 15 years off, and some MTB time recently. That's half the fun, figuring out what to get. Just settling on a frameset is an education in physics, metallurgy, and elasticity. More than I would ever have wanted to know...

In my case, my college days bike was all Record, so I was slightly predisposed to go the Campy route. When I found that there wasn't much price difference between Chorus and Ultegra, the decision was easy.

Never regretted it. Got an 02 Chorus 10 speed group with Record triple upgrade from cbike.com, another good discount campy supplier. Turned out the triple was overkill after a few months of riding.

After 1.5 seasons of riding, the Campy group still shifts prefectly, stops perfectly, does everything perfectly. Only time I've had to make an adjustment is when changing wheelsets, a couple of twists on the rear der. cable stop.

OTOH, I have a friend who has all 105 on his LeMond. It works pretty good, too. Maybe you can find a factual justification for going one way or another - I couldn't. My gut told me to stick with Campy. In the end, anything over 105 or Daytona is more personal jewelry than a measurable increase in functionality or performance.

If the decision were mine to make I'd go the Campy route. The stuff always works, looks great, and someday if you decide to sell the bike, the Campy stuff is another plus.

Campy campy campy!!, dje31, get the campy 04 chorus!!.


Benjamin