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Chorus / Athena

by Martin Thomas
Sat, Jun 15, 2013 18:05
3

I've been having all sorts of grief with my drivetrain lately and I'm just beginning to entertain the possibility that it might make more sense to replace the entire groupset rather than keep tinkering with each thing as it goes wrong. At the moment I'm using Campag Centaur but I have a policy of upgrading when components need replacing so I'm contemplating going for Athena. But then I noticed that for not much more than £300 more I could get a Chorus groupset.

Does anyone have experience of both groupsets? Is Chorus worth £300 more than Athena? Also, if you're using one or the other, I'd be very interested to hear plus and minus points for each groupset. What I want at the end of the day is a trouble-free gruppo that is a joy to use and a delight to look at. Not asking too much, surely?

TIA for any pointers.

If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.

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Martin Thomas | 11 years ago
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Thanks both. At the end of the day it'll come down to me deciding whether I can justify shelling out £800+ for a box of bike bits I guess. Perhaps if I have a couple of glasses of wine before I order it, it might feel easier...

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robert.brady | 11 years ago
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I have Chorus on the summer bike and Athena on the winter bike.
In terms of shifting performance I can honestly say that I can't notice the difference.
I have Ultra Torque cranks on both which are blissfully easy to work with; I've heard Power Torque is a bit of a pain.
The shifters, though, are a world apart. Chorus shifters have a much more solid, positive feel and the ability to shift across multiple sprockets both ways is surprisingly useful.
If you're happy with Power Torque and your current shifters then you'll be happy with Athena. If you want lighter weight, carbon bling and better shifters, stump up for Chorus.

Rob

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SD | 11 years ago
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I haven't got any long-term experience of either groupset (have only ridden Chorus for a short ride), but Athena is Power Torque, whereas Chorus is Ultra Torque. This means that Chorus shifter internals are much easier to repair, the shifters have a better shifting feel and the chainset is much easier to remove when replacing BB bearings. Basically, if you will be servicing your own equipment, Chorus is a much better bet

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