Hi Tom ,
I should not post this to the list , because I may have incorrectly remembered some things . But , on the other hand , maybe somebody can correct my mistakes . If I remember correctly . . .
Croce d'Aune was an expensive ( and quite interesting ) engineering & marketing experiment . It was designed from the start to be an engineering & marketing experiment .
It was designed to be limited production . They were disappointed when it turned out to be as EXTREMELY limited as it did .
Compared to the merely ordinary "C-Record" , it was intended to sell for at least as much as the merely ordinary-top-of-the-line .
It was designed to be complex and exotic .
It was designed to be stiff and ultimately responsive .
Remember that this was during the period when Campagnolo was being very "reactive" instead of "proactive" . This was during the period when Campagnolo lost its way a little bit , and tried to play "catch-up" with Shimano .
I think Shimano had already come out with a group which was functionally about 98 % as race-ready as Dura-Ace - but , was made to really LOOK attractive . It was intended to go onto high-priced , prestigious , connoisseur , boutique bicycles . It was aimed at people who were looking to spend money , but who were also looking for APPEARANCE , and perhaps even color , not mere function . This was the Santé group , wasn't it ? Or was the Santé group one step down from the one I'm thinking of ? There wasn't another group also , was there ? Either way , at first it actually cost close to the same price as Dura-Ace . Later it was marked down somewhat .
Croce d'Aune was the Campagnolo version of that idea . Only , instead of supplying interesting colors and interesting finishes , to attract wealthy connoisseurs - Campagnolo supplied interesting engineering concepts .
Croce d'Aune was more complex , more heavy , totally technically fascinating , and finished to the highest standards . It was expensive .
The wealthy connoisseurs and aficionados . . . stayed away .
Also , the long-time loyal fans of Campagnolo were confused . The new "click-shifting" "index-shifting" "C-Record" was confusing enough . But to introduce the Croce d'Aune , in addition ? Was the Croce d'Aune going to replace the "C-Record" ? Was it better or worse ? Which one were we supposed to day-dream about , more ? How can there be more than one ultimate ?
The Croce d'Aune did not sell , but did cause confusion .
End of experiment .
Cheers ,
Raoul Delmare
Marysville Kansas
Is the Croce d'Aune a bargain version of C Record, or does this perhaps
represent a time sequence within the group? As this is slightly beyond the
timeline for being on topic, please respond off list if you feel
uncomfortable answering on list. Sorry if this too far off topic.
Tom Sanders
Lansing, Mi