Campagnolo Xenon

Price Paid:  $750.00 at Big Swingin' Cycles

Favorite Ride:
golden gate bridge northward

Bike Setup:
Performance/Forte' 'add on' brake levers atop the bars, (work but hope to upgrade to a 'name-brand' as i was told not to 'trust' them by someone who seemed knowledgeable)custom rear wheel w/campy record hub, 14 guage spokes and mavic touring rim(had to change the original wheel due to all of the extra weight i carry)Mavic/Ultegra Open Pro front wheel, Topeak rack, rack trunk, Shimano mountain pedal, Continental Gatorskin 28s(the largest i could put on the bike---having some comfort issues in my olde age -48 but folks say i'm looking younger as i get back into shape...;)Cateye Mity 8 cyclocomputer, Shimano Ultegra brake calipers, Campy Xenon shifters and drive train(of course)

Summary:
(Recreational or commuter would do as well)(tho' my commute is only re: ten minutes twice per week, i generally use bike for everything-beater for shopping when i must carry more than my clip on racks 20 lb max and have put several thousand miles on bike/drive train over the four years or so that i've had her/it/whatever) looking forward to gradually uprading to Chorus/ten spd if feasable someday (i'm low income) but frankly i can't imagine what would--what COULD work better than this...-it is truly a joy and blessings upon their wee Italian hearts...!

Strengths:
Smooth shifts--! i've never had a good bike or drive train before this...-all i know is that when i need to put my foot down it's there for me,...no issues w/adjustment per se' -ok i'm having some issues now years later w/some noise in some gears on the rollers the only place where it's an issue...sometimes in the past it doesn't want to go into the lowest gear on the front(it's a triple)and i need that gear here in San Francisco due to the hills and me not being quite in shape and all but usually after a nice clean w/baby wipes it does that just great...as for the noise it just needs a tuneup (which i've never done since it was new) like a dream...!!

Weaknesses:
None detected

Similar Products Used:
only low end shimano, so 'no'

Price Paid:  $350.00 at probikekit.com

Favorite Ride:
25-80km hilly loops

Bike Setup:
http://tomandzoe.com/gallery/detail/Bike/europa.jpg

Summary:
Installed this group on an 80s steel frame. Installation simple, but Campagnolo specific tools difficult to find and an annoying additional expense. Good, all-round performer - handles rain, mud, road grit well. Smooth shifting once worn in, although cables tend to strech significantly during first 2-3 weeks of use, requiring frequent adjustment (cable stops not included, as mentioned by other reviewers).

Strengths:
Cheap.
Geared low.
Shifter cables don't obscure view like <2008 Shimano groups.

Weaknesses:
Heavy.

I had a up-shift lever snap and replaced under warranty.

Also, nearly crashed a couple of times when chain links failed. This was due to the fact that I installed it myself without the campy specific $100 10-speed chain tool.

Similar Products Used:
Shimano 105 and Ultegra.

Price Paid:  $300.00 at ProBikeKit.com

Favorite Ride:
Nishiki Landau

Bike Setup:
Nishiki Landau Mangaloy Frame
Campy Xenon
Mavic Aksium Wheels

Summary:
Excellent Value Group

I used this to update my 20+ year old bike to indexed shifting and love it. Easy to install and a big improvement.

The description and picture on this site are outdated. The 2007 group is 10 Speed, Black and in compact crank 50-34 only.

Strengths:
Value
Low Price
Shifting
Braking

Weaknesses:
Campy Tools hard to find
No Downtube cable stops/adjusters included
Only 1 chain pin don't make a mistake.

Similar Products Used:
Shimano 105 Group (1984 version)

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Price Paid:  $300.00 at ProBikeKit.com

Favorite Ride:
Nisiki Landau

Bike Setup:
Nishiki Landau Steel Frame (1984)
Campy Xenon Grouppo
Mavic Askium wheelset

Summary:
Excellent 10 Speed Intro Grouppo

I used the Xenon group to update my 20+ year old bike form 12 speeds to 20 and give it indexed shifting.

This resulted in greatly improved shifting and braking and makes it much more fun to ride. Campy does not include the downtube cable stops so I had to purchase those and also a couple of special tools - a Campy casette lockring tool and a bottom bracket tool. Neither could be found in my local stores.

The chain was the only difficult bit to assemble and I ended up getting a master link put on at my LBS.

The desciption of this site is out of date, the 2007 Xenon is 10 speed and Compact Crank 50-34 only.

Strengths:
Excellent Shifting and Brakes
Excelent Price
Value

Weaknesses:
Hard to Join Chain
DOes not include cable stop adjusters

Similar Products Used:
Shimano 105 (1984 Version)