Veloce Upgrades
 

Building up a Gunnar Sport and the budget pretty much dictates Veloce, but within that group I could probably afford to upgrade one ...maybe two compoents. So what would one or two items would you pick to move up to Centaur?

Don't upgrade the shifters to Centaur because they are identical internally.

Rear derailleur is supposed to be better according to the guys at Brandford bike. Centaur hubs are better too.

The Veloce BB and Crankset is a boat anchor. You could improve by swapping these out. How about the wheelset? An upgrade there is probably the best bang for the buck.

LOL.....That's true.

I don't know if the veloce crankset weighs a lot, but the BB does.

I wasn't sure if he was talking about the full group or not? Most of the bikes these days have aftermarket cranks and aftermarket wheels.

He should specify what he has so we can be more accurate with our opinions :p

Actually I was planning on using a set of Aeroheads with Speedcific hubs (oddsandendos) to get a pretty light wheelset, rather than the Veloce hubs.

Wait a min. Is this true? They are priced VERY close but I was told the Centaur was like Chorus and Record but with bushings rather than bearings and no carbon. Is Veloce the same for real?

http://www.branfordbike.com/brake/brk02.html

Scroll down to Veloce. It will mention that Veloce is identical internally to Centaur.

I have even called Branford to confirm it.

Veloce/Centaur have bushings. Chorus/Record have bearings.

Only Chorus/Record have bearings in the shifter. Centaur/Veloce are identical.

For the upgrade, the BB/crank makes the most sense. The Veloce BB is old-school and a pain in the arse to install with the 6-numb lockrings. The internals are fine but the lockrings suck.

If you go to a Chorus BB & crank, you get a much nicer BB. If you go to a Chorus BB & Record crank, you get a full range of arm sizes - up to 180 mm.

BTW, I have a two sets of Campy wheels - one with OS Centaur hubs, the other with Veloce hubs. On paper the Centaurs should be nicer, but the Veloce's roll just as well, if not better (but are newer).

Much better pricing at AE Bike.

Cool thanks for the comments 53-11 and Galen. Saved me $20 when I do my upgrade. :D

Galen,
Do you really think the Veloce BB is harder to install than a Chorus BB? If anything you get better leverage with the notched lockring then you do with the internal splined lockring design. Many report difficulty with the small female splined Chorus lockring. Personally I think both designs are fine.
George

George,

I have a little trick I use on all internally splined BB's. I hold the tool in the cup with the crank arm bolt. If you have the Park spline tool, it is short enough that you can thread the crankarm bold through the hole in the tool and just snug the bolt up against the tool. This way, the tool cannot jump out of the cup when you lay some torque into it. On shimano BB's the spline tool is to long so I have a large 'C' clamp that I use to hold the spline tool inside the cup, so the tool does not pop out.

I have a knockoff tool for the Veloce BB which does not fit very tightly. Could be part of the problem but I just prefer the splined type.

Hi Galen,
I just purchased the Park BBT-5 splined tool you speak of to remove my rear cassette...same tool as you know for the BB. A great tip you provide and one I will remember. There is a tool out there that is derivative of the BBT-5 but threads right to the spindle to prevent the spline from slipping...the same concept. Waldo posted the name of the tool the other day. I will opt for your suggestion and use the BBT-5 if I retrofit a Chorus BB. The Veloce notched lockring design is as old as dirt. I was surprised you said you didn't like it. Even if you strip the notches the lockring outside diameter is proud to the BB shell and can be removed with monster pliers. The Chorus design is more elegant but the Veloce design has its merit as well. Only other thing to add is I have a full 10s Veloce Bianchi and believe it is the best mid-range gruppo out there bar none. The high end stuff is fractionally lighter but hard to fault the value you get with Veloce.
George

Hey Goerge,

I started with Centaur 3 years ago (but for a Record 180 mm aluminum crankset and Chorus BB) and as things have worn out, I have replaced them with Veloce.

Only reason on earth to buy more than Veloce is the bling factor IMHO. Weighing in at about 200 lbs, a few grams of component weight is meaningless to me.

yeah...the upper echelon Campy stuff is beautiful jewelry...no question. I go almost a buck ninety in weight myself and quite honestly believe all the weight talk...a few grams here and there...is fufu dust especially if riding in the flats. If I thought there was a tangible benefit, I would upgrade...I don't see it.
The motor rules.
George