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New Campagnolo Chorus EPS Electrifies Mid-Level Bikes; Athena & Veloce Updated, Too

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2015 Campagnolo Chorus EPS electronic road bike group

While SRAM’s presumably about to enter the electronic shifting game, and Shimano’s firmly entrenched in the upper end, Campy has just expanded EPS’s mid-market offerings.

The all-new 2015 Campagnolo Chorus EPS group takes the recently redesigned mechanical group and gives it a jolt of power with new derailleurs, Ergopower shifters and internal battery. Like those new groups, Campy’s stating it’s an electronic equivalent to the mechanical group – not superior, just an alternative that “represents the same fantastic functionality.”

Like the Record and Super Record EPS groups, the thumb button is slightly moved for easier use, and the internal battery houses the brains of the unit, too. Here’s how the rest compares…

2015 Campagnolo Chorus EPS electronic road bike group

The Chorus EPS derailleurs provide the same shifting force as the higher end groups, leaving materials as the distinguisher. Meaning, a bit less carbon than the top end, and compared to the existing Athena EPS group below it, the Chorus version gets a bit more carbon fiber on the derailleurs. Same IP67 waterproof rating, too.

2015 Campagnolo Chorus EPS electronic road bike group

Battery simply gets Chorus branding.

2015 Campagnolo Chorus EPS electronic road bike group

The crankset will be the same new 4-arm carbon version as the new mechanical group, with all three chainring options (50/34 – 52/36 – 53/39). Pricing and weights TBA.

2015 CAMPAGNOLO ATHENA & VELOCE GROUPS

2015-campagnolo-athena-veloce-groups-shifters

Athena and Veloce mechanical groups also get updates to the shifters and cranksets. On the controls, the downshift (thumb) lever moves lower and closer to the hood, more like EPS controls. They say this gives the rider better access to the shifter in any hand position and reduces the amount of throw and effort required to initiate a shift.

2015-campagnolo-athena-veloce-groups-cranksets

Both cranksets get their new SC-14 chainrings, first introduced on the limited edition Super Record RS group and tested in the peloton.

2015-campagnolo-athena-veloce-groups-SC14-chainrings

Those rings use revised shift ramps and profiles to refine shifting. The changes to these two groups are subtle, but they’re a nice application of higher end tech to freshen up the performance of lower end groups.

Campagnolo.com

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wannaWRX
wannaWRX
9 years ago

In the previous versions Athena EPS was not compatable with R and SR EPS groups and vice versa, because of different wiring. Will Chorus EPS be the same way or will they all have the same wiring in 2015?

cio
cio
9 years ago

Soo, what about the Centaur groupset? or is it now discontinued?

Mark
Mark
9 years ago

I guess SR/R/C mechanical levers don’t get the EPS style button because they are Ultrashift?

T
T
9 years ago

Where’s my EPS hydraulic disc brakes?

3G
3G
9 years ago

Bummer! I just put the Chorus mech 11 on my roadie. Oh well.

m68k
m68k
9 years ago

Hopefully Centaur is gone. There are too many groupsets at Campy.
They should focus. 5×2 is still enough.

Tomi
Tomi
9 years ago

Still no satellite shifters for EPS ?

jason
jason
9 years ago

Shimano holds a patent for satellite shifters so you wont see them from Campagnolo. Oddly enough the patent was from the old 950 (?) era XTR remote shifter that was a cable actuated shifter that mounted on a bar end. Movistar modified some TT shifters to work as remotes for Roubaix though.

Tomi
Tomi
9 years ago

I doubt such patent could be enforced as the Mavic ZAP system offered such an option in early 90’s.

Ventus Customs
Ventus Customs
9 years ago

Is the Alloy Athena set now gone from the offerings?

Eyal
Eyal
9 years ago

Can the E-Chorus group be used on a frame that’s not made of the electronic shifting?

David
David
9 years ago

Jason – Shimano and Campy regularly quietly share technologies. they get together 3-4 times a year in Japan or Vicenza to discuss business, the industry, and how to eliminate SRAM. It’s been going on since the early 90s. Even if Shimano has the patent, it won’t preclude Campy from having some access, and they’ll need to since SRAM is going straight to wireless.

Steve
9 years ago

Look forward to testing these new gruppos and comparing them to the dozen top electronic and mechanical ones I just evaluated at http://intheknowcycling.com

MS
MS
9 years ago

What about the seatpost?

anonymous
anonymous
9 years ago

When I saw the Microshift design I immediately thought they should do this change and switch the Veloce-Athena shifters to EPS style buttons. I will have to try it again. While I like ultrashift, I don’t use it often, and it isn’t that much easier than tapping twice on Shimano.

@Cio
Centaur was almost identical to Veloce anyways, and with 105 becoming 11 speed this year, it would be hard to justify 2 10 speed groups.

@MS
I don’t think Campy is going to support mechanical seatposts anymore.

Colombus
Colombus
9 years ago

David, sounds like the type of thing one reads on “the forums”.

Mike
Mike
9 years ago

Centaur = Athena. They renamed it a few years back.

greg
greg
9 years ago

Columbus,
while i cant say anything about supposed meetings, it is a fact that shimano’s di2 breaches some of campy’s e-shifting patents, and campy breaches a bunch of shimano’s. but they work it out. that implies that they had some meetings of some sort at some time or another.
as far as how to kill sram, that’s easy. let them kill themselves. theyre doing a pretty good job as it is.

Sascha
Sascha
9 years ago

@Mike

Daytona became Centaur…Athena is a separate groupset…

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