# Is Veloce race worthy?



## PixelPaul (Oct 8, 2004)

I have 2010 Veloce on my bike and want to try some racing. From the Campagnolo website I see they no longer make Mirage or Xenon, so that makes Veloce the bottom group. Does that make it more of a touring group, not necessarily up to the demands of racing? I know it _could_ be used for racing, but is it really race worthy? Would I be at any disadvantage with it, might it be better to upgrade to Centaur or Athena?


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## bikerjulio (Jan 19, 2010)

It's the motor. Not the group.


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## jmoryl (Sep 5, 2004)

To be honest, most of us buy components that are way better than they need to be to get the job done. I doubt Veloce (or 105, or whatever) will be holding you back.


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## redmr2_man (Dec 22, 2009)

sure, race the crap out of it.

There isn't much weight to be lost moving up in groups, compared to wheels/frame/cockpit/etc.


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## bigbill (Feb 15, 2005)

It's better than anything Eddy Merckx ever raced with.


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## r_o_b_s_o_n (Jan 15, 2010)

FWIW...I have an '83 Pinarello with 9spd Mirage which I use for club rides, training, centuries etc. I wouldn't hesitate to race the Pinarello w/ Mirage in a cat 3 or 4 crit or road race... it's plenty reliable (although I do find I have to over shift some times to get the chain to move up to a bigger cog.) I know I'm not going to go out and win a cat 2 race on the bike, but that's beside the point... it's just plain fun... I would hardly doubt that having Chorus or Record would make it any more fun... so... does that make my 9 spd Mirage race worthy?


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## orange_julius (Jan 24, 2003)

PixelPaul said:


> I have 2010 Veloce on my bike and want to try some racing. From the Campagnolo website I see they no longer make Mirage or Xenon, so that makes Veloce the bottom group. Does that make it more of a touring group, not necessarily up to the demands of racing? I know it _could_ be used for racing, but is it really race worthy? Would I be at any disadvantage with it, might it be better to upgrade to Centaur or Athena?


Is Ultegra race-worthy? That's the comparable groupset from Shimano.

By the way, the 2010 Veloce is Ultra-Shift, which is vastly superior to the 2011-12 Veloce which is Power-Shift. If I were you I'd thank my lucky stars and be proud of that groupset.

Praise be Santo Tullio!


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## pulser955 (Apr 18, 2009)

Yea its just fine for racing. My race bike is Veloce. Its way cheaper to replace parts after a crash then record or chorus. I just wish it had the trim shift on the front derailleur that the higher groups have. Other then that Its works really well.


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## Drew Eckhardt (Nov 11, 2009)

orange_julius said:


> Is Ultegra race-worthy? That's the comparable groupset from Shimano.


Sort of. Shimano actually uses different alloys in their lower gruppos than Dura Ace. Campagnolo differences are usually far less pronounced.



> By the way, the 2010 Veloce is Ultra-Shift, which is vastly superior to the 2011-12 Veloce which is Power-Shift. If I were you I'd thank my lucky stars and be proud of that groupset.


Centaur lever are identical to Veloce but add a Carbon option and have different graphics. They both weigh 337g.

Chorus Ultrashift levers are identical to Centaur Carbon apart from the 11 speed index disc. They also weigh 337g.

Record Ultrashift levers are identical to Chorus except they have "Record" printed on the blades in a sexy red color with two attractive cutouts at the top of the brake blades. They weigh the same 337g.

Super Record Ultrashift levers are identical to Record except they say "Super Record" instead, have three attractive cutouts, and have titanium rear ratchets which save 7g so they only weigh 330g a pair.

Sometimes you do get a little added functionality. Chorus/Record derailleurs have a bolt on the lower pivot instead of the clip used by lower gruppos and the bolt is easier to remove and harder to loose during maintenance.


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## Italia (Mar 7, 2008)

I've raced Veloce. Just put its "inferiority" out of your mind, so it doesn't psych you out. Actually, when you drop other riders with your Veloce, they'll be REALLY psyched out.


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## Bill Bikie (Jul 24, 2010)

If you're a competant rider and are near the front of the pack on your spirited club rides and your using Veloce, so whats the difference?

The stuff must be working pretty well for you now. Veloce is more then adequate.


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## bottecchia_eja (Jul 18, 2010)

bigbill said:


> It's better than anything Eddy Merckx ever raced with.


Very, very true. Same for Coppi, Anquetil, Moser et al.


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## ultraman6970 (Aug 1, 2010)

You can race in whatever you want, after all is your money. Besides in racing even the guys that have the best stuff will suffer aswell so who cares? 

You can race races up to cat 3 maybe with a steel bike with 6 gears w/o any problem. Yes i dont have respect for anybody hehehe If you are good, you can beat the crap out of those guys with a good steel bike from the 90's and down tube shifters.


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## Bill Bikie (Jul 24, 2010)

PixelPaul said:


> I have 2010 Veloce on my bike and want to try some racing. From the Campagnolo website I see they no longer make Mirage or Xenon, so that makes Veloce the bottom group. Does that make it more of a touring group, not necessarily up to the demands of racing? I know it _could_ be used for racing, but is it really race worthy? Would I be at any disadvantage with it, might it be better to upgrade to Centaur or Athena?


If you want to tour with it, It's a touring group. If you want to race with it, It's a racing group. Keep it clean and adjusted and It'll work fine. All the Campy works well. Veloce is a little heavier and not as crisp shifting as the upper level groups, which start at Chorus. I have 7 year old Veloce on a Bianchi, and I wouldn't trade it for Dura-Ace. Put your money into wheels first, like HED Ardennes.


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## FatGut1 (Dec 16, 2008)

Raced Veloce for a season on my crit bike. Pretty damn good and super durable.


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## LePatron (Jan 5, 2011)

Drew Eckhardt said:


> Sometimes you do get a little added functionality. Chorus/Record derailleurs have a bolt on the lower pivot instead of the clip used by lower gruppos and the bolt is easier to remove and harder to loose during maintenance.


Actually the newest version Centaur rear derailleurs now have a bolt on lower pivot leaving only Veloce with the clip connection. And unlike Veloce the current Centaur FD also follows the same Chorus/Record design.


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