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Campy shifters with Shimano derailleur???

31K views 17 replies 11 participants last post by  Jackhammer 
#1 ·
This is probably a dumb question, but I can use some help on a problem. I just bought my wife a new bike with Shimano ultegra triple 10 speed components. Her former bike was Chorus 10 shifters & comp triple components . She HATES the Shimano shifters, especially since she has repetitive motion issues that is aggravated by the shimano shifters. Can I use Chorus 10 shifters with a Shimano triple set up? I've heard it can work, but not sure what problems would occur. Thanks for your help.
 
#3 ·
Current model Campy shifters don't have a lot of excess cable travel from the left shifter, like they did prior to the 2009 redesign. To be sure that there is enough left shifter cable travel, you should measure the total cable pull from the Shimano shifter. I do this by shifting to the little ring, then placing a piece of masking tape around the shift cable, about an inch below the downtube cable stop. Use a precision rule to meausure the exact distance from the stop to the edge of the tape, then shift all the way to the big ring and record the difference.

Current model Campy shifters have a total cable pull in the .6-.65 inch range. If your bike need more travel, then it won't work unless you buy a Campy triple FD and perhaps the new Campy shifters made for a triple drivetrain. Unfortunately, those shifters all have the more limited function powershift mechanism.

The right shifter will require a J-tek shiftmate to decrease the cable pull, since Campy 10 shifter pull an average of 2.8mm per shift and Shimano shifters only pull and average of 2.3mm.
 
#5 ·
Thanks for the great input. I've checked out the J-Tek site, and it looks like this could solve the problem for the rear. Has anyone actually used this setup? Does it shift as well as Shimano or Campy?

As for the front, I have a 2007 QS Chorus Ergo Shifter. I haven't measured the cable travel (I'd have to open up the high/low limits to measure the full travel). Do you think the 2007 would work for the front? There seems to be enough clicks in the Chorus shifter to trim the front, but not sure....
 
#6 ·
As I noted, it's the 2009+ shifters that might be a problem. Prior to that, there were 12 clicks available and only 7 are needed to operate a Campy triple FD. With the proper cable tension, it requires a full sweep of the finger lever (5 clicks) to make the shift from the little ring to the middle ring, followed by one click of the thumb button to center the cage and stop the chain rub. Another three clicks will move the chain on up to the big ring.

There is enough cable travel to operate a Shimano triple FD. I once tried a DA triple FD with my Campy triple drivetrain, but never did get it to shift well. Don't know what the problem was, but I spent a couple of hours trying to adjust the thing before giving up. I put my Campy triple FD back on and had it working perfectly, in minutes.
 
#7 ·
There seems to be a whole lot of cobbling together going on. A far simpler solution would be to sell the Ultegra group and buy a complete Campy triple group.
 
#8 ·
I just ordered the J-Tek part. It seems to be the right solution. Thanks for the very useful inputs.

As far as using all Campy parts, I wish I had that option. Right now it is difficult getting triple components. The shimano setup is a triple in the front and a 32 in the rear. We do a lot of hills/ mountains and my wife needs this gearing. When Campy has its triple out, it will have a maximum of 30 in the rear. Also, the Campy triple parts that are now available are extremely expensive, even for the lower end components.
 
#12 · (Edited)
One of the poorest articles ever written. The cable pulls are both incorrect. A SRAM RD requires a uniform cable pull of 3mm per shift. A Campy 10 shifter only pulls 2.5mm for the first five shifts. At that point, you should be on the 6th cog, but the shifter has only pulled 12.5mm of cable - just a little more than needed to be on the 5th cog. After that, the Campy shifter will pull the proper 3mm of cable twice, then two shifts that are too large - 3.5mm each.
 
#14 ·
Definitive Shmergo info at this link. Page has been deleted, but you can use the "wayback" archive to retrieve it:
www^ctc^org^uk/DesktopDefault.aspx?TabID=3946

Note: to Post this link, i had to substitute up arrows ^ for periods (dots) in the url. Use dots when searching using the wayback machine.

There is also extensive discussion of this topic at cyclingforums.com.

My suggestion is to make your wife happy (a happy wife is generally considered to be a good thing!) and replace her Ultegra drivetrain with either a 10-speed Comp triple or an 11-speed Athena triple drivetrain. Remember: It's only money, and you can't take it with you.
 
#15 ·
I just got a bike with a Shimano 105 drivetrain with a compact 50-34 crank. The FRONT derailleur seems to shift a lot better than the Record 10 ultra torque 2008 FD on my other bike.

When shifting from the small ring to the big on the Campy 53-39 crank, two swipes are necessary.

On the 105 bike only a short throw is needed.

It seems like the lever from the cable bolt to the pivot is a lot longer on the Shimano
FD than on the campy necessitating the shorter throw.

My question; is a Shimano FD compatible with Campy shifters.
 
#17 · (Edited)
No, it takes a very long throw of the shifter paddle to go from the small to big ring.

The shifter is new from eBay although the derailleur spring was very stiff and needed lubricant.

Definitely more like 5 clicks.

Im assuming a normal shift usually requires only one motion?

I appreciate all responses.

i was just surprised at the quality of the Shimano front shifts and I don't remember my Campy ever shifting so well. But it could be, most likely is, a maintenance/adjustment issue.

Thanks.
 
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