athena vs chorus

[Tin Turtle]

So tell me, what do I gain by spending the extra money to jump to the Chorus group? I want to switch to Campy on my Atlanta so I can get a 1996 Atlanta Campy wheelset :) I have Ultegra now, which will get moved over to a CrossCheck frame. What do I get for the extra $400-$500 that it costs to jump up to the Chorus?

[#campyuserftw]

Athena - Alloy for purist, old school. Upshift 3, downshift 1. Eleven speed.

Chorus - Carbon for modern look, less weight. Upshift 3, downshift 5. Eleven speed.

Campy is Campy. Old(er) frame will enjoy either, the look you want to see, envision is what matters (the word aesthetic no longer has meaning). These are proud frames, and seem to long for alloy:

http://www.trophyoftexas.com/about/1996_serotta_atlanta.htm

http://forums.thepaceline.net/showthread.php?t=102065

Though can be hot rods, too:

http://forums.thepaceline.net/showthread.php?t=114434

fwiw:

http://www.bikepedia.com/quickbike/BikeSpecs.aspx?year=1996&brand=Serotta&model=Atlanta+Road#.UgSYwmT73-Q

I would do Athena, save the $400.00, and snag some used, hand built, modern wheels.

[biker72]

I have Athena 11 with Chorus shifters. Perfect for me....:)

[mccx]

I have Athena 11 with Chorus shifters. Perfect for me....:)

This. Best of both function & looks IMHO.

[Mikej]

Your ego will gain with the chorus, your wallet with athena.

[BCS]

I have Centaur (the "new" shape with the good clickiness"), alloy Athena, Chorus and Record levers.

The carbon levers all feel functionally similar. Athena seems a little less refined. Hard to really describe, but there is a distinct difference from the others. The thumb button on Athena is smaller than the others. At least 5 mm if you measure along the longest axis of the button. Additionally, the alloy finger lever to upshift can gets more slippery in hot/humid conditions. I love the alloy look but, I agree with the chorus shifter substitution

Then there is the ultra-torque versus power-torque discussion.....some people care about the difference.

[Elefantino]

Putting Campy on the green Atlanta?

Bless you, my son.

[FlashUNC]

I went with Chorus shifters and Athena everything else on my Della Santa. Works great.

[sandyrs]

I went with Chorus shifters and Athena everything else on my Della Santa. Works great.

Here's one more vote for this route! Huge fan of this combo on my Circle A.

[shinomaster]

I liked Shamals on my Atlanta ;) and Chorus.

[oliver1850]

What hubs on the Atlanta 96 wheels? Be sure they're not 8 speed splined, although you may be able to change the FHB to take an 11 cassette.

[Tin Turtle]

You guys are awesome, that was everything I needed to know. I want the silver group, so Athena it is.

[joep2517]

Tin Turtle,

Have you built out your bike with Athena? What are your impressions of the groupset? I have a chorus groupset at home but am wondering about getting Athena for a new purchase.

Thanks,
Joe

[ceolwulf]

Then there is the ultra-torque versus power-torque discussion.....some people care about the difference.


Isn't that essentially just a maintainability difference?

[mvrider]

I've never owned Athena, only Ultegra, Chorus, and Record.

I would vote for Chorus or Record if you run compact gearing. In rolling terrain, the ability to perform double shifts, with multiple up- and down-shifts on the rear derailleur is really a pleasure.

On my old bike with triple gearing, Ultegra was just fine. I would imagine standard gearing would be the same.

[Mnm1945]

I owned and used both extensively. I think when considering "bang for the buck" Chorus is your best buy.

[Mnm1945]

Also, there is little benefit when going from Chorus to Record. The rear derailor has the most differences.

[chomeo]

Glad to see this thread.

i'm working on the next build for a super cool steel frame i'm about to take possession. really excited about this one. will be a year long project due to budget.

and i'm considering mixture of Athena and Chorus/Record.

[kramnnim]

I vainly "upgraded" from Chorus Ergos/FD/RD to SR. As expected, it feels exactly the same.

[oldpotatoe]

Glad to see this thread.

i'm working on the next build for a super cool steel frame i'm about to take possession. really excited about this one. will be a year long project due to budget.

and i'm considering mixture of Athena and Chorus/Record.

Or Athena with Chorus/Record levers

[joep2517]

Or Athena with Chorus/Record levers

This seems to be a good mixture. Athena drivetrain and chorus shifter. Am I correct in saying that?

I'm wanting to build out a frame with Aluminum Campy equipment. I want the old school look with current day equipment.

[beeatnik]

I rock Record/Chorus shifters and Athena RDs on two bikes. I prefer the crispness of Record over the utilitarian feel of Chorus. Both are awesome, doe.


http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3697/11244310504_27b4d468a6_c.jpg

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8529/8630266054_f35e7548aa_c.jpg

[Black Dog]

I rock Record/Chorus shifters and Athena RDs on two bikes. I prefer the crispness of Record over the utilitarian feel of Chorus. Both are awesome, doe.

Are the record and chorus shifters not exactly the same internally? I have chorus and ridden both and could not tell them apart.

[thwart]

I have chorus and ridden both and could not tell them apart.

That's been my experience as well… have 11 spd Chorus and Record ergos on 2 different (frequently ridden) bikes, no change in shifting feel whatsoever between the two.

[buldogge]

Chorus and Record (and 2010 Athena) 11 Ergo assemblies are the exact same part with different brake blades creating the set...Super Record adds a silly CF patch on the shift blade and costs $5 more wholesale per side.

-Mark in St. Louis

Are the record and chorus shifters not exactly the same internally? I have chorus and ridden both and could not tell them apart.

[chomeo]

I get it for the Chorus/record shifter. But, I keep thinking that Chorus/record derailleurs are better than Athena. is this true?

[oldpotatoe]

I get it for the Chorus/record shifter. But, I keep thinking that Chorus/record derailleurs are better than Athena. is this true?

No, just more carbon is all.

My 'preference' is aluminum stuff, like all aluminum ders, crank, and altho I don't think the Athena and below shifters are 'bad', I think the shift 'click' is a little too vague for me...as for 'dumping the gears in a sprint', haven't won a sprint, well, ever.....

[kramnnim]

I get it for the Chorus/record shifter. But, I keep thinking that Chorus/record derailleurs are better than Athena. is this true?

The pulley bearings/bushings are better.

[oldpotatoe]

The pulley bearings/bushings are better.

Well, they are ceramic..either wee ball bearings or ceramic bushings....I wouldn't say they are 'better', sure are more expensive and yes, you can sub Chorus and below pulleys onto any Campag RDer..the way less expensive, brass bushing type..that has been used for 4 decades.

[FlashUNC]

I get it for the Chorus/record shifter. But, I keep thinking that Chorus/record derailleurs are better than Athena. is this true?

I've got Chorus 11 spd on one bike and Athena on another. If I were blindfolded, I wouldn't be able to tell the difference between the two.

But the Chorus shifter/Athena derailleurs combo works just fine.

[joep2517]

I've got Chorus 11 spd on one bike and Athena on another. If I were blindfolded, I wouldn't be able to tell the difference between the two.

But the Chorus shifter/Athena derailleurs combo works just fine.

When you say the Chorus/Athena works just fine - how do you compare it to the performance of the all Athena groupset? I have a feeling I won't go wrong going full Athena but I'm just curious your thoughts. Thanks.

[FlashUNC]

I've used the Campy Escape-mechanism shifters in their 10 speed iteration, and I preferred the dump feature of the thumb shifter over the one-shift-per-click setup, so I went with the Chorus/Athena combo.

Can't speak to a full Athena setup personally. But my Chorus/Athena setup doesn't feel any different than the full Chorus group I have on another bike.

[Bkat]

I have one bike full Chorus. Another bike full Athena. The former is a tiny bit better finish-wise and is a few grams lighter. The latter is nice if you want chrome rather than the carbon look or just want to save a few dollars. I can't say I feel there's a major difference performance-wise as long as both are adjusted properly.

[joep2517]

I guess it's time to step out and purchase the Athena drivetrain. Thanks. I think the biggest obstacle (if there is one) is making sure it's setup/adjusted properly.

[PaMtbRider]

I have an Athena group with Chorus shifters new in a box waiting for an upcoming build. Between the Record 11 and Chorus 11 groups I have on other bikes, the Chorus group actually shifts better.

[chomeo]

a couple more questions. i think i know the answer but just want to check with y'all. (1) can i use chorus/records shift levers with athena brakes? fully compatible and no performance degradation right? (2) any noticeable shifting performance difference between Athena's Power-Torque crankset and Chorus/records Ultra-torque crankset? I see that the chainrings are hard anodized on the chorus/records crankset and that's pretty to look at. What about the "up shift and downshift zones?" what's that? thank you.

[oldpotatoe]

a couple more questions. i think i know the answer but just want to check with y'all. (1) can i use chorus/records shift levers with athena brakes? fully compatible and no performance degradation right? (2) any noticeable shifting performance difference between Athena's Power-Torque crankset and Chorus/records Ultra-torque crankset? I see that the chainrings are hard anodized on the chorus/records crankset and that's pretty to look at. What about the "up shift and downshift zones?" what's that? thank you.

-all Campagnolo brakes inter-compatible

-chainrings the same, power-torque to ultra-torque, shifting a wash.

[frankiefrijoles]

5 down shifts is the way to go:banana:

[AngryScientist]

i wont personally use any powertorque cranksets on any of my bikes. the beauty of outboard bearing cranksets was the move away from needing a crank puller to remove a crankset. ultratorque all the way for me.

[joep2517]

Talking about the Athena crankset, I've read about the install/removal process requiring a special tool and some of the frustrations related to that and the design. Since I, unfortunately, don't wrench on my bikes this may not be an issue.

I'm planning out a build and I was wondering is there an alternative to the Athena crankset. I'm looking for a Campy or Campy compatible 11 speed crankset in silver. Any ideas? Thanks.

[FlashUNC]

Talking about the Athena crankset, I've read about the install/removal process requiring a special tool and some of the frustrations related to that and the design. Since I, unfortunately, don't wrench on my bikes this may not be an issue.

I'm planning out a build and I was wondering is there an alternative to the Athena crankset. I'm looking for a Campy or Campy compatible 11 speed crankset in silver. Any ideas? Thanks.

I'm using a square taper Record 10 speed crank on my Athena build with no issues. Shifts fine.

[oldpotatoe]

Talking about the Athena crankset, I've read about the install/removal process requiring a special tool and some of the frustrations related to that and the design. Since I, unfortunately, don't wrench on my bikes this may not be an issue.

I'm planning out a build and I was wondering is there an alternative to the Athena crankset. I'm looking for a Campy or Campy compatible 11 speed crankset in silver. Any ideas? Thanks.

With Campagnolo, you can use any 10s cranks w/o issue as long as you use Ultrashift levers BUT I own and have installed and pulled a lot of Athena PT cranks and they are really nice pieces of gear..for not much $, BTW.

Install is 12mm allen, tighten till it stops. Yes, you need a puller with PT but with UT, you need a proper bearing puller/installer for the bearings on the crank also.

[wildboar]

Talking about the Athena crankset, I've read about the install/removal process requiring a special tool and some of the frustrations related to that and the design. Since I, unfortunately, don't wrench on my bikes this may not be an issue.

I'm planning out a build and I was wondering is there an alternative to the Athena crankset. I'm looking for a Campy or Campy compatible 11 speed crankset in silver. Any ideas? Thanks.



I'm not sure if you know that the Athena 11 crankset was made in UT before current PT iteration, if you are describing PT related "frustrations". The UT are still out there for sale, not so cheap now... if you want 11 silver UT.

[Ahneida Ride]

Consider RetroShift

http://www.retroshift.com/

I love them. but then to each his own.

[EA120711]

5 down shifts is the way to go:banana:

+1 on that!!

[sw3759]

the 1 gear at a time option would be a positive feature at times imo.
one negative thing I've noticed with my record 11 levers when riding in the drops and trying to shift 1 gear at a time I have trouble articulating 1 cog and sometimes go down 2 instead one.no one else mentioned it and I may be the only one that has that problem.of course not a huge deal to just click back up a cog to the one I need.and in reality,shifting 5 cogs a time is a feature I very rarely use.
really pretty curious if anyone else ever noticed that "dropping 2 gears when only wanted 1" from the drops.never a problem from the hoods of course.
may be time to upgrade to Athena :rolleyes:

[Ralph]

I have both PT and UT shifters. Since I live in flat to rolling terrain, and do most of my riding around here, I use the 2-3 up sweep shifting a lot. And they both do that. Mostly ride in big ring, and come to small hill I upshift 2 clicks a lot. But never downshift more than one at a time. So I have no particular preference for PT or UT. Both shift fine. Hoods same, etc. So except for bling factor, considering money saving, Athena PT would suit me fine.

For riding in different terrain, or if riding a compact, when I came to a hill and down shifted to 34, might then dump some gears so shift not so extreme. Might prefer UT for that. (Ask Shimano riders how they get along without dump feature.) But otherwise.....PT is fine. Chorus is too, just doubt if I would spend the money for it with an Athena group. Probably would just get the whole Chorus group if I wanted one. But agree Athena looks nice.

And BTW.....my PT shifters are my daily rider shifters.....and get used almost every day. Almost 3 years old and they still shift fine. No troubles. So IMHO both groups are fine. Both work fine.