90's Campag Compatibility?

[NeilM]

I freely admit that as an mtb'er recently turned roadie I know nothing about Campagnolo, not a thing.

So, contemplating a 90's build, using 8 or 9 speed chainset and sti shifters, what works with what?

I am thinking mid range build, Athena or thereabouts, that sorts of sets the mark.

I also need to know about cassette / hub compatibility. Will a ten speed hub accept an eight speed cassette and all that sort of thing.

 

[foz]

There are 2 types of 8 speed hub and cassette - exadrive and pre-exadrive. More or less incompatible with each other and everything else. 9, 10 and 11 speed hubs and cassettes are all completely interchangeable with each other. Shifters, mechs and cassettes must all be matched (more or less, I think there are exceptions). So the best idea is probably 9 speed - period correct, easier to find, and easier to get spares for.

 

[hamster]

The cable pulls per click for 9 speed changed in 2001. I agree with Foz - the 9 speed stuff is the most interchangeable, but make sure that you have pre-2001 mechs and shifters.
Post-2001 mechs have no 'b tension' screw.
Post-2001 shifters always have the number of speeds on the body at the top of the brake lever.

Round top shifters are probably a bit nicer than the old pointy top ones. The ratchets inside the shifters are interchangeable, so you can upgrade older 8-speed shifters to 9-speed. Shifters can be completely dismantled and rebuilt unlike Shimano. If the shifting doesn't click it's usually a half hour job to replace a couple of springs, cost around £5 total. Mercian also do a shifter rebuild service.

 

[foz]

I forgot about the 9 speed cable pull change. Doesn't matter if you go pre or post 2001, but shifters and mechs must match! 9 speed cassettes are all the same spacing.

 

[NeilM]

Brilliant, thanks.

So the best bet is to find some 9 speed shifters first, and then match the mechs to the shifters, good stuff.

 

[kbmpi]

viewtopic.php?f=22&t=286977

There are your shifters

Get some RD and a cassette, and there you go.

BTW, Athena (Later renamed Daytona and then Centaur) was third tier gruppo of campy back then, so pretty much equivalent to todays chorus. So they were very well made and built.

Ie.: in 2007, the Centaur gruppo used UT cranks, carbon plated RD-s, the cranks had cold forged chainrings, and the gruppo offered differential skeleton brakes as well. Nowadays centaur uses PT crankset with pressed chainrings, the skeleton brakes are gone too.
Chorus used hidden bolt and ball bearing brakeset in 2008, in 2009, when campy introduced SR, the chorus got downgraded with non-concealed pivot bolts on the brakes, and they also dropped the bearings on the brakeset.

So, Athena gruppo from the late 90ies, Centaur from the early 2000ies is much higher ranked, than today..

 

[mattsccm]

I would question some of the above.
8 speed Ergos are generally not considered changeable to 9 speed. You hear of web suggestions that it works but finding proof is not there. If it was you could swap 8 to 10 speed.
Athena still exists and always has .(Well for many years) Daytona did become Centaur but Athena was always a different a different level. Recently it has been regarded as a 11 speed version of Centaur but is a touch posher. Record is probably the most commonly available but Chorus is better value at the age you are interested in.

 

[NeilM]

More good stuff, thanks.

 

[Newman8]

Ok - I previously ran a couple of Shimano set-ups (inc a triple/touring) & was new to Campy about a year ago. I tried some old 8-spd stuff, bought some new stuff that didn't match & found the whole thing very confusing! After much help from this forum & a fair bit of experimenting I finally have a set-up I'm really pleased with: Retro bike (30-yr old 531) with new(-ish) running gear.
viewtopic.php?f=23&t=271340

I'm still not 100% sure, but believe the following to be true:
You need to match: (1) the shifter speed; with (2) cassette speed; & (3) chain.
It's the shifter that determines the cable pull per click specific to spacing on a given cassette speed. The rear mech will move sideways as much as the shifter tells it to so 'speed' of the mech itself is not really relevant.

It also doesn't matter mixing different levels of group, e.g. Veloce with Centaur/Chorus/etc., but clearly it looks better if the pieces are at least the same colour!

I'm also told it's better if cassette & chain are same age (evenly worn in).

I currently use all Veloce 10-spd: Ergo shifters; 39-53 chainset with standard front mech; 12-29 cassette with long-cage rear mech, KMC 10-spd chain Love the missing link fitting!); dual-pivot brakes with Lifeline Pro shoes/pads; & Clarks Premium cables all round.

 

[NeilM]

Thanks for that.

I have done much the same experiments with Shimano and SRAM, but have always read that Campag was different, it's good to see a little experimentation will work.

Cassette and chain will be brand new, so no issues there, the rest I am yet to determine; probably Athena, as it seems more available s/h and also because this will be an all year round bike, so I don't want to wear out increasingly rare mechs. Rather like using M900 XTR Shimano parts on a frequently used mtb.