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FEATURES: GETTING TO KNOW ATHENA
Brad Roe
October 26, 2009
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After a tough 65 miles at Levi's Gran Fondo on the 2010 Athena 11-Speeed group, we came away very impressed with the shifting, ergonomics and overall performance of the new addition to the Campagnolo 11-Speed family. After the ride we had the chance to talk with Campagnolo North America’s Tom Kattus to get the inside scoop on all things Athena.
 Tom Kattus (center) and the Levi's Grand Fondo riding crew
Tom: The idea was kicked around to upgrade the Centaur group to 11 speeds, but we have pretty good traction in Europe with Centaur as an OEM spec with several manufacturers, so why change a good thing? So rather than change an existing group, Mr. Campagnolo presented the idea of bringing back the Athena name (much like we did with Super Record) and making it our entry level 11-speed offering.
 Super-Record ergonomics trickled down to Athena 11-speed
Tom: The target for Athena 11 is the cycling enthusiast that is focused on quality, but is frugal in their buying decisions. They understand the quality Campagnolo represents, but can’t justify the additional expense of Super Record, but want the same attributes-Someone that is a recreational cyclist participating in weekend group rides and riding for fitness but who doesn’t necessarily have racing on the mind. The Century, Gran Fondo and Charity Ride participant will love Athena 11. Quite frankly, Athena 11 will also hold up to the rigors of racing.
 "This one goes to 11"
Tom: The most obvious is the extra gear that comes with Athena 11; “this one goes to eleven.” As with all of our groupsets, Athena 11 is completely serviceable and we offer all of the internal and external parts to completely rebuild and service the entire group. With the proper care and maintenance; Athena 11 will last for many years of serviceable enjoyment; it also falls into our 4-year warranty program providing you register your complete group on line at www.campagnolo.com. Another key feature is you can shift 5 gears at a time down the cassette and 3 up the cassette as well as have the trimming feature for the front derailleur. We also offer either a forged aluminum crank or a carbon fiber crank option- both with our Ultra Torque system. Of course Athena 11 has the beautiful Italian handmade finish that Campagnolo is famous for.
RBA: What has been the initial response to Athena with riders (Dirt Demo) and with companies who want to spec Campagnolo on their 2010-2011 bikes?
Tom: Athena 11 has been very well received by both the people that have had the opportunity to ride it and the OEM customers we have presented it to. We had 5 bikes set up with it at the outdoor demo and the bikes were out all day for 2 days; the comments were fantastic and very positive. Everyone was really impressed with how quick and positive the shifts were and the ergonomics of the group are second to none. They were also very impressed with how quiet and smooth the drivetrain is and how efficiently it shifts under load. On the OEM side; we have had great response and you will definitely see Athena 11 spec’d bikes showing up at retail around the world in ‘10/’11. It’s pretty exciting!
RBA: What price-point of OEM bike can we expect to find the new Athena 11-Speed?
Tom: You can expect to see Athena 11 on bikes ranging from $2,400. - $3,500. Depending on frame material and wheel spec.
RBA: Why would a rider choose Athena 11-Speed over Chorus and what is the price difference?
Tom: It really comes down to economics and weight; the groups function equally as well. Athena 11 retails at $1,415. with an alloy crank and $1,590. with the carbon crank option and weighs 2356 grams and 2234 grams respectively. Chorus 11 retails at $1,980 and weighs 2140 grams.
RBA: Your favorite attributes of Athena 11-Speed?
Tom: The beautiful finish, exceptional ergonomics and the fact that it functions exactly the same as our top-of-the-line Super Record group.
For more info visit: www.campagnolo.com
For the complete interview with Tom Kattus and more info on Athena 11-Speed, check out the March 2010 issue of Road Bike Action magazine.
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