urbanknight

Other than about $10, what's the difference between them? The 9 spd Veloce is $10 more, but they both come in the same gear combinations and weigh about the same (1g difference according to the site I'm looking at). I have Veloce components, but is there a reason to go with the Veloce or are they just the same thing with a different word stamped on them?

Patriot

If it's an older 9s Veloce cassette, it is basically the same cassette. Matter of fact, you could even get away with the 9s Xenon cassette, which is even cheaper (though heavier).

dekalbSTEEL

https://probikekit.com/kitbuilder.php...SPEED%20DOUBLE

probikekit.com calls the 9speed Mirage cassette Mirage/Xenon
231 grams for $22.26 free shipping

I have it on my caad7


campy's website shows the Mirage cassette in their Xenon group specs.
https://www.campagnolo.com/groupsets.php?gid=6&cid=all


So there really is no Xenon cassette, per se

Patriot

I thought they used to have a seperate cassette for Xenon. Oh well, no matter. I wouldn't complain about a 9s- 231g cassette for $22.

urbanknight

That's exactly where I was looking. $22 for Mirage, $32 for Veloce. I guess I'll go with the Mirage if they're basically the same. Now if I could find a deal on a 28h Campagnolo rear hub, I will be confident that the new cassette will fit on my new wheels when I get around to building them. Just gotta get the 26 cog soon so I don't kill my knees. Thanks for the help guys!

tvphobic

OK folks, I know the Veloce cogs very well and had a Mirage cassette on my 2002 Bianchi San Remo which I sold in 2004. I will argue that the difference is really cosmetic. The sprockets were exactly like the Ultra-Drive Veloce cassette that had been in the line for awhile, the ramping and cutouts were identical. The sole difference, what urbanknight asked for, is that Veloce cogs are nickel plated (Campagnolo calls it "nickel-chrome" but I suspect the chrome content is low) and the Mirage cogs are plain steel. If you inspect the Mirage cogs their color is mottled from the heat-treating stage; the Veloce or old ED-C cassettes are consistently nickel colored. I believe the nickel or chrome plating adds little to the wear resistance of the cogs as it is not as hard as heat treated steel (look it up in a table if you doubt)

I would buy, in fact I plan to buy, a few Mirage cassettes soon, they function flawlessly.

urbanknight

Thanks! Great comparison. And I was in fact wondering if there was a corrosion difference, which you don't seem to think is a problem. I suppose they'll wear out before they rust. Once again, thanks all. Ordering my cassette today.

tvphobic

They would rust if they were stored in a shed! Ride with a reasonably lubricated chain and the rust disappears as soon as it happens. Winter is a different story; you have to rinse during salt season.

cs1

You are correct about the plating. But, all Campy cassettes are hardened. The plating serves more as a protectant and wear resistant. When my father was still running his punch press business, we had many parts hard chrome plated. Hard chroming is very hard and resists wear much better than bare steel no matter how hard the steel is. Campy cassettes are all basically the same from Chorus down. They just save money by eliminating steps on the lower level groups. Like plating and machining. In most cases the end user can't tell the difference. If the Mirage isn't plated I personally would not use it. Good luck on whatever you choose.

Tim