components: Test: Campagnolo Centaur 2018 - Assault on the entry-level class

Test: Function at the highest level at an entry-level price - that is Campagnolo's full-bodied promise for the new, old Centaur entry-level group. Campagnolo Centaur may still say something to one or the other, because the group actually only disappeared from the portfolio of the traditional Italian forge for a year. However, the Centaur had not experienced any technical innovations for a long time and it is therefore not surprising that the 2018 Campagnolo Centaur only has the name and orientation in common with its predecessor. The new Centaur is an 11-speed group with completely newly developed components - from the crank to the brakes to the Ergopower levers.

With the new entry-level group, you openly launch an attack on the entry-level segment in the road bike sector and, of course, above all on Shimano's tried-and-tested 105 group. With an RRP of just under €674, it's a bit higher than the street prices of the Japanese competition, but you can score points for the weight - but more on that later. In any case, last month we had the chance to find out everything worth knowing about the new Centaur on Gran Canaria and of course to put the group through its paces ourselves. But before we get to the driving impressions, there are a few technical details on the individual components.

Campagnolo Centaur 2018: Cranks and chainrings - 4-arm and Ultratorque

Let's start with the largest and for many probably also the most exciting component - namely the crank. This is made entirely of aluminum, comes in the now established 4-arm design and is based on Potenza, Record and Co. in terms of design. Like the complete group, the crank is also available with a black matt finish or in silver/polished. The Centaur crank will be available in two gradations: 52/36 and 50/34. Both variants use the same crank arms, so the bolt circle remains constant.

A quiet highlight is undoubtedly the Ultra Torque axle, which Campa fans probably already know from Record and Super Record cranks. Two axle halves are firmly connected to the crank arms on both sides and are connected in a clever construction with a twist-proof toothing during assembly. The rigidity values ​​are excellent and thanks to the firm connection, problems such as cracking or squeaking almost never occur. The system is also a highlight of the Centaur because it is actually of a higher quality than the one introduced last year Potenza crank the slightly cheaper power torque is used.

Campagnolo Centaur 2018: Rear Derailleur, Front Derailleur and Cassette – In the Simplicity…

... lies the strength. That's probably what the Campy Lab thought when they thought about the new Centaur rear derailleur. Cassettes with a wide range and correspondingly large sprockets are always an issue, especially for groups of beginners. There will also be an 11-32 variant for the Centaur. However, this circumstance usually poses a problem for the development departments: The short cages of the rear derailleurs are usually not designed for the large sprockets and so there are two versions of the rear derailleur with cages of different lengths from the competition. Campagnolo took a different approach with the Centaur and only offers the rear derailleur in one length - for all available cassettes and sprockets up to a size of 32 teeth.

This is made possible by a completely new rear derailleur design, which not even Campa's premium Super Record group has in this form: improvements have been made to the deflection angle of the cage and an upper deflection roller with extra-long teeth is used, which improves the shift quality even in extreme situations should be maintained at a very good level. At 230g, the rear derailleur is also very light in this class. The front derailleur is available with a clamp and as a brazed-on variant and differs only slightly from the Potenza counterpart. The weight is minimally higher, the shift quality and the operating forces should be just as low as with higher quality groupsets.

As already mentioned, there will be cassettes in the gradations 11-29, 11-32 and 12-32. Except for the anodized finish, they are identical in construction to the Potenza variants and are also on the same level in terms of weight and shifting quality. You can only see the difference visually at second glance - but the Centaur cassettes are a few euros cheaper. Certainly also an attractive option for price-conscious Potenza drivers. The same applies to the chain, which is also identical in construction to the Potenza model, apart from the smallest details.

Campagnolo Centaur 2018: Ergopower levers – like the big ones!

Campagnolo attaches particular importance to the ergonomics of the Ergopower levers - this also applies to the entry-level groupset. It is promised that the Centaur Ergopower does not differ from the Super Record models in this area. Unsurprisingly, the "one lever, one function" philosophy has been adhered to, which Campa fans have known and appreciated for many years. The small triggers on the inside for the thumb are based on the EPS variant of the Record groups and are slightly bent downwards. The brake lever is made of a plastic composite that is said to be just as strong as metal, but much lighter and cheaper than carbon.

The design of the hood was again based on the big role models of the top groups, but opted for a little more comfort: On the inside of the contact surface there is a thin gel padding, which is intended to relieve the hands on longer rides on poor ground.

The also completely new Centaur Dual Pivot brakes should not only be lighter than comparable products from the competition, but also offer significantly more power. This is partly due to a new rubber mixture that is used for the coverings. Friends of wide tires can also breathe a sigh of relief: there is enough space between the arms for tires up to 28mm - at least that's what Campagnolo tells us. Our sense of proportion says that a few millimeters more could possibly be possible here.

Campagnolo Centaur 2018: prices and weights in market comparison

*** We have used average "street prices" for the prices of the Shimano components, as there is no official RRP from the German distributor Paul Lange. The sales prices are usually well below the RRP - this should also be expected in the case of Campagnolo.

Campagnolo Centaur 2018: First riding impressions

At the Campagnolo press camp on Gran Canaria, we had the opportunity to extensively test the new entry-level group on a beautiful ride across the Canary Island. What is immediately noticeable is that you really haven't promised too much in terms of ergonomics. In any case, I wouldn't trust myself to be able to distinguish between Centaur and Record in a blind test. As a friend of the Campagnolo philosophy of separate levers, I immediately felt at home and was impressed by the really low hand forces. Sure: The shift feel doesn't quite reach the level of the top group, the distances are too long for that and every now and then the rear derailleur or front derailleur takes a few tenths of a second longer to change gears. Nevertheless, it must be said very clearly that the new Centaur delivers a really convincing performance for a cheap entry-level group and does not have to hide from the competition.

The groupsets with a black finish were installed on our test bikes. The first visual impression is simple, inconspicuous, but by no means cheap. The matte finish on the crank is particularly appealing and there really isn't much to complain about in other respects either. The fact that the brake levers are made of plastic does not detract from the function, but it does feel a little strange at first. After such a short test, we can't really say anything about the quality of the surface coating - but we hope to be able to do that soon.

The marketing promise can also be kept in practice when it comes to the brakes: the Centaur stoppers have a lot of power! In combination with the new Scirocco wheels (more on that from us soon), almost digital braking behavior set in and it was a bit difficult to find the right dosage, especially on the initial descents. However, once I got used to it, that was no longer a problem and I was pleased with the really excellent stopping power.

Overall, the Campagnolo Centaur 2018 is a really well-rounded thing. The price is attractive, the weight is more than competitive and the most important thing: In terms of performance and ergonomics, many things are reminiscent of the significantly more expensive groupsets from Vicenza. The group should be available in specialist shops in the next few weeks.

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