Campyno

More changes in the wind for my bike.
Campy Veloce

Rear Mech












and shifters:

















At the moment I'm still running a hybrid campy-shimano system.

John at R+E told me that the Campy and Shimano 10 speed systems have pretty damn close to the same spacing and if I wanted, I could run a Campy 10 speed shifter on a shimano 9 speed cassette without too much trauma. All I would have to do is adjust the shifter such that it had two clicks for either the top or bottom gears. Sweetness.

They went together pretty well. Getting the indexing just right takes a little bit of doing but well worth it.

The issue was the front. I'm running an Ultegra Triple mech and crankset. For some damn reason or other, it was auto shifting when I was standing up in the big gear. John changed the cable run just a little bit. Instead of running it under the hook on the front, he sort of ran it around the hook. Same idea as this hack for making the rear work.

The difference was amazing. Everything is all smooth.
Eventually, I'll be converting the rest of the drive train to campy. Except the casette because I'm not giving up my phil wood hubs. Phil Wood doesn't make squat compatible with campy and doesn't intend to. All that doesn't really mean much to me now though.

So. Does it make a difference? Do the Campy shifters perform better than Shimano? Was it worth the $460 I spent on that project?

Performance. How do they match up?

The shifting feels lighter and more precise, particularly in the front. Shifting from the middle to the big chain ring is almost effortless. Plus, being able to trim up the front derailleur reduces rub.

When I first held the things, I thought the downshift lever would feel a little bit awkward being on the side and all. Different that the STI but still good.

Also, the Campy system has a few features that Shimano doesn't. There is a button on the brake lever you can push to hold the brakes open wide (good for cantis). The cable adjustment screws on the downtubes and at the derailleur is easier.

The Campy equivalent of B Adjustment screw is a little weird. I actually had to read the instructions to figure out what they did. But I don't use that much so it's not a show stopper.

Overall, I like the Campy Stuff better.