Chorus11 vs Athena11 shifters

[joeyb1000]

Anyone had experience with both? I've seen a few people get Athena derailleurs, but Chorus levers. Is the performance very different?

[bikerjulio]

My 11-speed upgrade with first impressions.

I bought both and talked about them in this thread.

Athena has an "escape" mechanism providing one upshift at a time, whereas Chorus provides multiple shifts.

For the money I think Athena are good value. Just depends how much you can afford to spend.

[flatlander_48]

A top drawer mechanic that I knew in Taiwan told me he had several customers go for a full Athena set up only to later replace the shifters for Chorus. The reason is that they were long time Campagnolo riders and missed the "snap" of the other gruppos. The Athena line shifts fine, but it doesn't have the same tactile sense.

[Richard]

It's more than "feel." Chorus and above are "Ultrashift" where one can shift multiple cogs up or down with one push of the lever or thumb button. Athena and down spec are "Powershift" where each push only moves the lever one cog. If you never had Ultrashift or came from Shimano/Sram (or nothing), Powershift would seem fine. Ultrashift spoils you.

[flatlander_48]

It's more than "feel." Chorus and above are "Ultrashift" where one can shift multiple cogs up or down with one push of the lever or thumb button. Athena and down spec are "Powershift" where each push only moves the lever one cog. If you never had Ultrashift or came from Shimano/Sram (or nothing), Powershift would seem fine. Ultrashift spoils you.

Understood, but that wasn't part of the story that I was told...

[jpdigital]

All of my bikes have had Campy 10 speed Centaur in some way, shape, or form.

My original experience was on Centaur Ergopower levers, then eventually got into UltraShift (first, the ones with the 'ghost shifting', and eventually a set that shifts properly---but that's been discussed at length on another older thread). Now I currently have one bike with Centaur PowerShift. Now, with all that being said...

The UltraShift Centaur shifts wonderfully. It has that mechanical, engaging feel Campag is known for. Multiple shifts up & down, pretty much all the stuff you've already read & heard.

As far as the PowerShift Centaur, I ended up getting it for a 2nd bike that I planned on using primarily in races. I figured I was alread familiar with the ergonomics, and PowerShift was less-than-precious in the event of a crash. I must say I was pleasantly surprised with the PowerShift mechanism, it's lighter than my 10-speed UltraShifts, but it certainly doesn't feel vague. In fact, for shifting while in the drops, and especially while sprinting, I prefer the PowerShifts, as it has a lighter engagement and since it only goes one cog at a time, overshifting is a non-issue. I will say the mouse-ear feels little cheaper compared to the mouse-ears on the UltraShifts, but it doesn't ever feel like it's on the verge of breaking; it's suitied for the needs of the design, I suppose.

The only potential drawback from the PowerShift for me is actually in the front derailleur engagement. When dropping from the big ring down to the small ring, the entire shift happens in rather chunky motion. I'll simply tap the mouse-ear down to move the derailleur, and the derailleur makes one huge motion, with no trim. Any trim of the FD has to be done with the paddle shifter. But besides that, I actually don't mind PowerShift at all.

Hope you find my input helpful...

[refund!?]

Always, always get the best shifters to go with whatever else you're using. So in this case go with Chorus or Record. All other conversation on this subject is just idle chatter.

[humanbeing]

I'm using Ultrashift Athena levers on one bike and Chorus levers on my newer bike because Athena had gone powershift. Both bikes use Athena derailleurs.
The only descernable difference i notice is a more distinct sensation of the ratchet on the shift up to the big ring on the left hand. However I have an impression of the Athena shifter "wearing in" and can't answer whether the sensation in the newer Chorus shifter will change.
Very impressed with both.
Have a great ride,
Peter

[bikerjulio]

I'm using Ultrashift Athena levers on one bike and Chorus levers on my newer bike because Athena had gone powershift. Both bikes use Athena derailleurs.
The only descernable difference i notice is a more distinct sensation of the ratchet on the shift up to the big ring on the left hand. However I have an impression of the Athena shifter "wearing in" and can't answer whether the sensation in the newer Chorus shifter will change.
Very impressed with both.
Have a great ride,
Peter

In 2010 for instance, when Athena was Ultrashift, the internals were identical to Chorus and Record, so any differences are more likely due to installation. I have not seen to much hard information on wear related to the "new" shifter internals introduced in 2009.

[humanbeing]

I thought I read somewhere that the internals of Athena levers were identical to Chorus and up except for the bushings which are nylon in the Athena and metal in Chorus up.
I could be wrong though.

[bikerjulio]

I thought I read somewhere that the internals of Athena levers were identical to Chorus and up except for the bushings which are nylon in the Athena and metal in Chorus up.
I could be wrong though.

Yes, you are wrong. Guess you didn't read the thread.

Powershift and Ultrashift internals are quite different. Current Athena is PS. Chorus and Record are US.

[humanbeing]

Yes, you are wrong. Guess you didn't read the thread.

Powershift and Ultrashift internals are quite different. Current Athena is PS. Chorus and Record are US.

Yeah sorry, I wasn't clear, I wasn't talking about current powershift Athena which I don't consider worth talking about.
If you read my post you'd note that I have Chorus shifters because Athena are now powershift and I wanted ultrashift.
When Athena was ultrashift the internals were different to Chorus up as the Athena levers used bushings and the Chorus up used bearings.
Of course now as you've pointed out they are different as Athena is powershift and Chorus up are still ultrashift.
Have a great ride,
Peter

[ultimobici]

Yeah sorry, I wasn't clear, I wasn't talking about current powershift Athena which I don't consider worth talking about.
If you read my post you'd note that I have Chorus shifters because Athena are now powershift and I wanted ultrashift.
When Athena was ultrashift the internals were different to Chorus up as the Athena levers used bushings and the Chorus up used bearings.
Of course now as you've pointed out they are different as Athena is powershift and Chorus up are still ultrashift.
Have a great ride,
Peter

To the bolded, completely wrong. The internals were the same on Athena, Chorus & Record. Replacement part no is EC-RE100 & EC-RE101 on all three.

[bikerjulio]

Agreed, and what I said in post #9.

Waiting for the temps to warm up and get out on the bikes again. And to reiterate, I'm not at all snobbish about the current Athena shifters. They work fine. Not the same. But perfectly fine.

[humanbeing]

Yes you are right!
Checked the spare parts list and internals are the same, only Super Record has different internals.
Good to know, still doesn't explain why my Chorus shifter feels different - identical set up, functions perfectly - just feels subtly different.
Have a great ride,
Peter

[PaddyB]

What are the differences between 2010 Athena and 2013 Chorus? There are still some 2010 Athena shifters and cranks available online. I was thinking about snatching some up for my next frame.

[ultimobici]

What are the differences between 2010 Athena and 2013 Chorus? There are still some 2010 Athena shifters and cranks available online. I was thinking about snatching some up for my next frame.

It's all on the Campagnolo website.
2010 Spares http://www.campagnolo.com/repository...0-A-010909.pdf
2013 Spares http://www.campagnolo.com/repository...A-27-11-12.pdf

By the looks of these, 2010 Athena & 2013 Chorus are identical inside. I'm pretty sure the lever blades are full carbon on Chorus and carbon wrapped alloy on Athena.

[PaddyB]

I read somewhere that some of the earlier Ultra Shift levers are oversensitive and that it is really easy to over-shift on those. Would I have this problem with 2010 Athena?

Also, any differences in the 2010 Athena UT cranks and 2013 Chorus?

[bikerjulio]

Paddy, the early problems with U/S were with the 2009 production, they were fixed with a running internal change in late 2009. 2010 levers should be fine. The only thing to worry about is that you cannot tell the difference by looking at them, and I have yet to have anyone explain Campy serial ##'s on the box. So, you have to trust the seller.

I have a set of Athena UT carbon cranks. I doubt there is any significant difference to current Chorus, but you could always check the spares catalogs yourself. Note that parts may be identical, but if the logos are different they will have a different P/N (ie cranks).

[redvespablur]

Apparently the Athena UT crankset is lighter than the Chorus. Chorus hollow and Athena solid - but many myths exposed on this thread. I have both Chorus and Athena 2010 shifters and they both shift great - although I have always thought the Chorus had better "feel". My ultrashift Veloce also shifts great so.....

Paddy, the early problems with U/S were with the 2009 production, they were fixed with a running internal change in late 2009. 2010 levers should be fine. The only thing to worry about is that you cannot tell the difference by looking at them, and I have yet to have anyone explain Campy serial ##'s on the box. So, you have to trust the seller.

I have a set of Athena UT carbon cranks. I doubt there is any significant difference to current Chorus, but you could always check the spares catalogs yourself. Note that parts may be identical, but if the logos are different they will have a different P/N (ie cranks).

[pmf]

I built up a bike with 2010 Athena. It was a 1996 steel Merckx frame, and I thought the silver Athena had that classic look to it. At the time, the Athena levers were only available a in black "carbon wrapped" finish -- not silver. The shifters were ultrashift. A year later, I built up a bike for my wife and she wanted to try Campy. I noticed that Athena had been downgraded to powershift, so I ordered the group and substituted Chorus shift levers. They work perfectly with the Athena group. I do notice that the Chorus shifters seem to shift smoother than my Athena shifters. I've had trouble with the left lever getting jammed on my Athena shifter as well. If I were to do it again, I'd have bought the Chorus shifters. Today I absolutely would. Its actually not a very costly upgrade. I think it was something like $75 more when I did it. Beyond the Chorus group, you're just paying for light weight.