I raced on a Victory group for a long time, first on a Bianchi Reparto Corse and then a Marinoni frame, both Columbus SL. It was good stuff. Most crucial bearings were the same as the later Chorus, such as hubs and BB, and they lasted forever with some preventive maintenance. Brakes basically were Nuovo Record with a simpler QR. It all worked very well. I thought the derailleurs were ugly, and I replaced them with Super Record, which I found to shift a lot better. The power of imagination? Or is there a real difference?
In my opinion, Victory was the first mid-level Campy group that actually worked as well as the "good" stuff. Chorus took off from there, providing the same race-worthy performance at a more reasonable price than the top-level C-Rec... and then becoming the choice of those who don't like carbon.
Will Victory become sought-after? I doubt it, because it was not the
top-of-the-line... and that is what collectors usually want.
Historically important? Perhaps...
--
Jan Heine, Seattle
Editor/Publisher
Vintage Bicycle Quarterly
c/o Il Vecchio Bicycles
140 Lakeside Ave, Ste. C
Seattle WA 98122
http://www.mindspring.com/