# Powershift 10 Speed Reviews?



## turbomatic73 (Jan 22, 2004)

Any first-hand (ie, by actual users) opinions of the Powershift 10 speed shifters? For example, newer Veloce and Centaur...I have been digging around for reviews by people that have actually ridden them and can't find a whole lot of info. I am wondering if users find it inconvenient to have to shift down the cassette 1 click at a time or if the (supposed) increased quickness/lighter click makes up for the fact. Also, does the thumb button execute the shift when it's depressed, (click down) or when you release it (click up)?

I have the older 10 speed shifters that allow for a full sweep of the cassette in one long stroke, but have thought about buying a pair of the newer "powershift" levers to take advantage of what looks like improved comfort and braking performance. Surprised to find very little in the way of actual reviews floating around on the forums...am also wondering if it's any more or less durable than the older mechanism that has the g-springs & such...

thanks!


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## campagnoloneutron (Sep 15, 2005)

You may not find too many reviews on this but as with yourself, very likely its the new ergo lever design that is the driving force for many that adopt these shifters. In this way the user can enjoy the new much improved design and stay with their 10sp commitment (especially if it is considerable). The limited shift function(one gear at a time) is in most cases not especially desired but may be tolerable depending on the individual. Personally I dont like it, I like to be able to dump a few gears in one shot, I find it useful from time to time.

To answer your question about the shift button; its a ratchet,it shifts on the push down, then springs back to reload ready for the next use.

If your overall 10sp commitment is minimal and the other parts are worn maybe its time to go to one of the 11sp systems where you will get the extra gear and the new levers and the multi gear shift function all in one. No compromise and extra benefits. Perhaps give a thought on that aspect. Do what works best for you.

The new system internals are designed to be more durable and require less maintenance than the old style internals. Obviously any moving parts wear with continued use and need replacing at some point, so the newer generation will eventually need some work. I do a lot of kilometers each year and have not had to service the new generation of ergo levers in regard to wear related issues in the couple of years since I moved to the new 11 speed system. Comparatively I would have had to rebuild the old ergo levers a couple of times in the same time-frame.


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## rm -rf (Feb 27, 2006)

I wore out my old Veloce rear derailleur after 18,000 miles. The pivots were a little loose, enough to not always shift cleanly into the next cog. I found a good closeout on the 2010 derailleur, and it made a huge difference. It has redesigned, larger pivots, so it should last a long time. It worked fine with my 2006 Veloce shifters.

The sale also had the 2010 Veloce Utrashift shifters, before they changed them to Powershift. It shifts 5 smaller cogs and 3 larger cogs. These are really nice. I like the new hood design, it's very comfortable. The brake levers have a lot more leverage when riding on the hoods. I also use another hand position, just holding the longer knob and resting the edge of my palm on the hoods. It's aero and is great for resting my arm muscles, but I only do it on smooth roads, since it's not as secure.

It appears there's *no small parts available for any new shifters*. Only full assemblies. It's too bad that the springs aren't available separately any more. Perhaps they don't break as often now? I broke 2 sets of G-springs and the shift lever return spring on my old shifters.

I never tried the Powershift levers. I have a compact crank with a wide range rear cog, and always want to shift 3 rear cogs when I drop to the small chainring. I can still do this with just two thumb presses on the Powershift levers.


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## jazclrint (Dec 29, 2009)

I talked to the Campy rep about rebuilding today too. He said that the new ergos should last way longer than the previous ones, and not need rebuilding. A simple disassemble, cleaning, lube, and reassemble is all that should be needed. All I could thin was, "dear god, they last longer?"

Also, I confirmed the new Power Shift shifts the same as the old Escape.


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## masi85 (Feb 20, 2007)

I just took one of my bikes with a complete 2011 Veloce group on it to reacquaint myself with how it works since I don't ride this older alloy frame that much. When shifting to a smaller sprocket in back you have to push and release the thumb shifter before the shift actually takes place. Otherwise every other shift happens immediately including the left thumbshifter which dumps the chain from the big to little chainring as soon as you push down. Also, the shifting with Powershift is light and easy like Shimano which I personally prefer especially on long rides. The front shifting is about as good as the latest Shimano and definitely better than SRAM. The rear shifting is super fast and better than Shimano and about equal to SRAM if slightly better because you have dedicated levers for up and down shifting. Yes the rear thumbshifter only shifts one gear at a time but its light action lets you shift down a bunch of gears very quickly in the exact quantity you want. The only slight downside I can report is the new Campy alloy cranksets are not quite as stiff as Shimano 105 5700 and up to Dura Ace (all hollow alloy) or SRAM force (only carbon). I have never ridden a Rival alloy crankset so I don't know how that compares. Anyway for the money Campy Veloce and Centaur are great deals if you buy them in the UK now (Veloce groups are only $450 which is $125 cheaper than 105 at shinybikes).


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## turbomatic73 (Jan 22, 2004)

Thanks for the reply. I finally got my 2012 Veloce shifters in the mail a few days ago. Ribble had them for a ridiculously cheap $95 with the cable set included. I needed a new cable set anyway, which typically runs about $40 for the campy stuff, so I figured why not just try out the new style shifters.

For the $, thus far I am very impressed. Yes the thumb button only shifts one cog at a time--and, as noted above, it only shifts when you release the button--but the action is so light it's easy to dump a few cogs quickly. The up-shifts are also light, quick and snappy, reminiscent of the Dura Ace I've used on my other bikes for several years. Overall, I'd say the new style power-shift mech is a step up from the old 10 speed Centaur shifters I had been using, even with the loss of multiple down shifts--the shifting is MUCH smoother and the lever action is quicker, more precise and polished. The lever shape is (of course) also more comfortable, which many have noted.

Also, for anyone that wants to know--I am mixing the new power-shift shifters with an older (2006) Centaur derailleur and Shimano 9 speed cassette. This setup worked well enough with my older Centaur shifters, but now works flawlessly (ie even better) with the new Veloce shifters. I think campy tweaked the cable pull ratio just slightly with the new power-shift mech so it's a bit closer now to Shimano's old 9 speed setup. So...you loose a gear, but you benefit from being able to use your Shimano wheels (of which I have many) and cheap Ultegra/105 9-speed cassettes. I had been toying with the idea of building up a campy-specific wheel to tighten up the shifting with my old setup, but with the new Veloce shifters there doesn't seem to be a need. It shifts just as quick and precise as the 10 speed Dura Ace setup I have on one of my other bikes. 

Hopefully the power-shift mechanism will be more durable than the old g-spring type mechanism. I use this bike for cyclocross and had to change out the springs about once every two years. Although it was a cheap fix, it seemed excessive. Since spare parts are not available for the new shifters, I'm hoping I'll get a good number of miles out of them. Of course, for $95, if all I get is a few years, I'd be happy.


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## tmf (Mar 7, 2012)

turbomatic73 said:


> Also, for anyone that wants to know--I am mixing the new power-shift shifters with an older (2006) Centaur derailleur and Shimano 9 speed cassette. This setup worked well enough with my older Centaur shifters, but now works flawlessly (ie even better) with the new Veloce shifters. I think campy tweaked the cable pull ratio just slightly with the new power-shift mech so it's a bit closer now to Shimano's old 9 speed setup. So...you loose a gear, but you benefit from being able to use your Shimano wheels (of which I have many) and cheap Ultegra/105 9-speed cassettes.


Thanks for this info. One of my bikes currently has Dura Ace/Ultegra 9sp (specifically the levers, and both derailleurs are Dura Ace, the cranks are Ultegra), and I've been toying with the idea of upgrading to 10 speed Centaur (levers, derailleurs, brakes and crankset). Based on personal experience and acquired knowledge, will I be able to use my Shimano 9 speed wheels with the Centaur 10 levers and derailleurs? I was planning on having Wheels Mfg convert a couple of my cassettes to 10sp Campy compatible, but based on your setup it looks like that might not be necessary. Is there a certain combination of components necessary to make this work (Campy 10sp levers with Shimano 9sp cassette), or is there some flexibility? Are you using a Shiftmate? Any and all advice and experience is appreciated.

For anyone that has concerns about my Dura Ace parts, they will be moved to another bike to upgrade if from a 105/Ultegra mix. The most recent Campy parts I've owned are C-Record from the mid-80's, so I want to try out some of the more recent offerings without a lot of investment. I have a bunch of wheels with Shimano 9sp cassettes, so being able to use them with 10sp Campy would be great.

Also, has anyone used the Wheels Mfg converted cassettes with Campy 10 speed geartrains? If so, how did it work?


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## turbomatic73 (Jan 22, 2004)

My setup = Campy 10 speed shifters + Campy 10 speed derailleur + Shimano 9 speed cassette. It works really really good. Not just passable, but really good. Just as good as the Dura Ace setup I have on my other bike. No need for the shift mate doo-dad. If you don't feel you will miss the extra cog, there's no need for the 10 speed conversion cassette. The extra click in the shifter will be dialed out when you tune the limit screws on the derailleur. I have a friend that uses this exact same setup for racing CX (as I do)...he says the results are the same (A+). 

I have heard that you can substitute a Shimano derailleur in the above equation by mounting the cable differently...see article below. I have never tried this, but I have heard it works.

http://www.cxmagazine.com/shimano-campagnolo-ergopower-compatibility


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