Back by popular demand, the general all-things Road forum!
Moderator: robbosmans
-
graeme_f_k
- Shop Owner / Manufacturer
- Posts: 631
- Joined: Mon May 26, 2008 12:21 pm
- Location: UK
-
Contact:
by graeme_f_k on Wed Oct 04, 2023 5:05 pm
Aakoo wrote: ↑Tue Oct 03, 2023 5:47 pm
^ The search cannot find anything on the website with the word "Centaur", so I'd say it's discontinued.
Looking at the Campagnolo factory B2B website and all the groupset parts are listed as either "available" or "in production".
I have just downloaded the October 2023 deletions list - the items that we can no longer order for manufacture - no sign of Centaur 11 on there.
So, as a Service Centre principal, I think I can safely say, you're wrong ...
The fact that they aren't talking about it on the website - that's a different matter, marketing & not technical.
A Tech-Reps work is never done ...
Head Tech, Campagnolo main UK ASC
Pls contact via velotechcycling"at"aim"dot"com, not PM, for a quicker answer. Thanks!
-
graeme_f_k
- Shop Owner / Manufacturer
- Posts: 631
- Joined: Mon May 26, 2008 12:21 pm
- Location: UK
-
Contact:
by graeme_f_k on Wed Oct 04, 2023 5:25 pm
ultimobici wrote: ↑Tue Oct 03, 2023 4:53 pm
graeme_f_k wrote:
Just to note, Centaur 11 hasn't been discontinued.
Problem is, while it may still be available, the website suggests it is not. No mention of it on the public site. The only listings for mechanical groups are Chorus, Record & Super Record.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Yes, I know.
Sadly, I can't give any insight on that one ...
A Tech-Reps work is never done ...
Head Tech, Campagnolo main UK ASC
Pls contact via velotechcycling"at"aim"dot"com, not PM, for a quicker answer. Thanks!
-
Aakoo
- Posts: 41
- Joined: Tue Nov 01, 2011 7:22 pm
- Location: Espoo
by Aakoo on Wed Oct 04, 2023 7:27 pm
graeme_f_k wrote:Aakoo wrote: ↑Tue Oct 03, 2023 5:47 pm
^ The search cannot find anything on the website with the word "Centaur", so I'd say it's discontinued.
Looking at the Campagnolo factory B2B website and all the groupset parts are listed as either "available" or "in production".
I have just downloaded the October 2023 deletions list - the items that we can no longer order for manufacture - no sign of Centaur 11 on there.
So, as a Service Centre principal, I think I can safely say, you're wrong ...
The fact that they aren't talking about it on the website - that's a different matter, marketing & not technical.
So this is Italian style marketing scheme, where you don't actually inform the customers about the products you sell, but keep it a secret that is unveiled by someone who has access to your b2b site?
-
Bondurant
- Posts: 217
- Joined: Tue Mar 01, 2011 12:28 pm
by Bondurant on Wed Oct 04, 2023 7:58 pm
I'm struggling to see what you find difficult to understand. Brands quite often focus their public facing websites on stuff they care about pushing. Equally, they may still manufacture stuff that people still need from their back catalogue.
-
Aakoo
- Posts: 41
- Joined: Tue Nov 01, 2011 7:22 pm
- Location: Espoo
by Aakoo on Thu Oct 05, 2023 11:27 am
Maybe I do have trouble understanding why bother making a product that you do not want to sell? It's not like Campagnolo can sell the Centaur to bike manufacturers since their share of the road group OEM market is nonexistent.
But great to hear that it's still available, it would probably be the only choice for a rim brake steel bike if I were to build one.
-
ultimobici
- in the industry
- Posts: 4463
- Joined: Sun Nov 21, 2004 2:45 pm
- Location: Trento, Italia
-
Contact:
by ultimobici on Thu Oct 05, 2023 4:43 pm
Bondurant wrote:I'd imagine it's so customers can still get spares apart from anything.
Not sure I understand what you are referring to.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
-
usr
- Posts: 961
- Joined: Thu Mar 25, 2021 5:58 pm
by usr on Fri Oct 06, 2023 2:46 pm
Aakoo wrote: ↑Thu Oct 05, 2023 11:27 am
Maybe I do have trouble understanding why bother making a product that you do not want to sell?
E.g. because you very much want a buyer to buy that product in case they would otherwise buy from the competition, but you absolutely don't want them to buy that product if they would otherwise buy your more expensive option.
It's certainly not clear at all that this could be achieved by secrecy (my money would be on keeping quiet does not help at all), but there is a certain logic in this approach.
-
usr
- Posts: 961
- Joined: Thu Mar 25, 2021 5:58 pm
by usr on Fri Oct 06, 2023 3:07 pm
AJS914 wrote: ↑Thu Oct 05, 2023 6:23 pm
It does seem bizarre that Centaur doesn't even appear on the groupset page. Why? It costs nothing to keep the links alive.
If they aim for luxury brand status (I believe they do, and I don't believe that it will work well because luxury is at odds with authenticity), they might fear that the expensive stuff could seem "cheap by association" when reasonably priced offerings are visible.
If they maintain the capability to manufacture (storing tools instead of disposing of them) it's probably more for maintaining good relationships with OEM buyers (all three of them?), whereas the website is aimed at consumers.
-
gwerziou
- Posts: 347
- Joined: Wed Feb 20, 2019 7:25 pm
- Location: Ballard, WA
by gwerziou on Fri Oct 06, 2023 5:48 pm
AJS914 wrote: ↑Thu Sep 28, 2023 6:45 pm
I think Campagnolo is just trying to go boutique. They see $5500 S-Works framesets and $7000 Colnagos now and they want to be the groupset to go with those plus the $2000 wheelset.
The mid-level buyer wants intregrated cables and Rival, Force, Ultegra/105 di2 fit that niche. The question is can Campagnolo sustain the company on just the high end parts when nobody at the mid level wants Chorus/Record mechanical. Mechanical will exist at the lower end of the spectrum but Campagnolo doesn't even have Centaur/Potenza anymore. Chinese groupsets are also getting better and better. I wouldn't be surprised to see them on lower end name brand bikes soon.
Half of total sales is Ekar, so Campy is doing fine. I am super intrigued by the Microshift etc groups coming out.
• A hi-zoot bike, pretty sweet
• An old bike, more fun than the new one actually
• Unicycle, no brand name visible
-
ksjogo
- Posts: 7
- Joined: Sun Sep 13, 2020 9:30 pm
by ksjogo on Fri Jan 12, 2024 2:51 am
Are there any signs of the next generation of (mechanical) road groupsets coming out?
Am unsure if I should buy a record now or wait.
-
BigBoyND
- Posts: 1416
- Joined: Mon May 31, 2021 1:51 am
- Location: Berlin, DE
by BigBoyND on Fri Jan 12, 2024 7:43 am
gwerziou wrote: ↑Fri Oct 06, 2023 5:48 pm
Half of total sales is Ekar, so Campy is doing fine. I am super intrigued by the Microshift etc groups coming out.
Given how much trouble Sram has had to get close to Shimano's shifting quality, I don't expect the cheap/new kids on the block to make something that will satisfy the typical WW member.
-
m68k
- Posts: 13
- Joined: Sun Jul 14, 2019 10:47 pm
by m68k on Sun Feb 18, 2024 11:44 pm
It's the 18th of February 2024, and the Campagnolo website says: "Coming soon" with a countdown, which end on the 20th of Februar at two o'clock, central European time.
The background picture looks like blury muscle.
Does anybody know, if this will be a powermeter version of the Super Record WRL crankset or the arrival of a new Record and Chorus or Ekar WRL?
-
gorkypl
- Posts: 535
- Joined: Fri Sep 21, 2018 9:31 am
- Location: Poland
by gorkypl on Mon Feb 19, 2024 12:05 am
m68k wrote: ↑Sun Feb 18, 2024 11:44 pm
It's the 18th of February 2024, and the Campagnolo website says: "Coming soon" with a countdown, which end on the 20th of Februar at two o'clock, central European time.
The background picture looks like blury muscle.
Does anybody know, if this will be a powermeter version of the Super Record WRL crankset or the arrival of a new Record and Chorus or Ekar WRL?
It's a lower tier version of Ekar. Pm crankset for wrl should come soon.
Fuji Cross 1.5 - Shimano 105 5800 | Cinelli Superstar Disc - Record 12s | Custom steel Karamba - Ekar 13s