Anyone using Campy on thier CX bike?

[crewman]

I have three bikes all that have Campy gearing. I am changing out the frame I use the least and would like to use the Daytona gearing on a cross bike frame.

So my question is can it be done?

The Daytona(10sp) rear derailure will accept a 29 cassette and if I use a 48, 36 crank (not sure what brand) I should be geared correctly. The wheels are Daytona hubs, laced with Velocity arrowhead rims 32h (older stlye rims) and should be strong enough.

[Iffacus]

I ride cross on Campy 9sp, and know of several riders that use campy 10sp, so yes it can be done.

[stric]

I use Campy Centaur all over the bike (10 speed). It works fine so far, but the bike I put together is pretty new and I haven't had much hard-core riding on it yet (you'll have to wait for a few more months to hear my complete opinion on Campy and CX). Overall, you should be fine with stock Campy components. Although I have 10 speed set, I'd urge you to stick to 8 or 9 speed set (these are a bit better for mud clearance) and if you can get a good CX specific bottom bracket (some of Campy BBs won't last long in CX). If you need front chain rings for CX try TZ Specialities; they specialize in some CX components that you can't find on stock Campy or Shimano sets. Shimano tends to be more popular when it comes to CX (especially 105; Ultegra is a bit more pricy and not so common on CX rigs) mostly because of the cost but also because of compatibility with Shimano mountain bike components (front and rear derailleurs that are build for hard-core off road riding). I've ridden bot Shimano nad Campy and I must say that I love the low price of Shimano and rebuildability of Campy.

[crewman]

Thanks for the tips.
I am just now hunting for a frame, the bike will be used this year as a winter trainer. The roads up here can be brutal depending how much salt they lay down. I broke my collar bone last week and by the time I get back on a bike the CX season for me will be over. I intend on using it next year for CX racing. So I have a good year to iron out the bug's with using campy components. The Daytona gearing I have is 10 speed It was the first year they switched to 10.

[TandemGeek]

From a dedicated Campy user.... y'all may find this interesting.

Re: Use of Campy for CX, there is a bizarre Q&A entry on Campy's official Web site that also made an appearance in Lennard Zinn's Q&A column at Inside Triathlon mag in Apr '03. http://www.insidetri.com/train/bike/articles/1489.0.html

http://www.campagnolo.com/qea_search.php?gid=all&cid=15&key=comp


Question: Last year I weighed 80 kg and now I weigh 83 kg. Can I still use Campagnolo products, or am I too heavy?


Answer: There is no clear dividing line defining when someone is "too heavy" for Campagnolo products. Many factors need to be considered.

Campagnolo products were designed for "racing" type bicycles used on smooth asphalt roads or tracks. Any other use of Campagnolo products is improper.

Magnified stresses and loads caused by a "heavy" rider, coupled with forces from an uneven road surface, greatly shorten the lifespan of Campagnolo products, especially if your bicycle is equipped with tires, wheels, or stiff frames that are poor at absorbing shocks and vibrations.

The weight of the rider, type of bike and the style and conditions of use are all critical factors affecting the lifespan of your product.

Technical knowledge, experience, common sense, and prudence are required. If you weigh 80 kg or more, you must be especially vigilant and have your bicycle inspected regularly for any evidence of cracks, deformation, or other signs of fatigue or stress. Check with your mechanic to discuss whether the components you selected are suitable for your use, and to determine the frequency of inspections.

Someone brought this to my attention a while back on a tandem-related discussion regarding the use of Campy components... noting that the weight of a tandem team with two adults will almost always exceed 180lbs. It would seem that this could apply to their lighweight wheelsets, but it doesn't gate the response to any particular product.

My original response to the person who posted the note was...

Momma Mia!! whosa da fool who let the attorney edit the technical department's copy again!!

I hope all 216lbs of Sweden's Magnus Backstead with his 2,000 watts of power output doesn't know that he may be too heavy for his Campy components and wheels an that he definitely shouldn't have used them when he raced across the cobbles (Paves) to win this year's Paris-Roubaix.

[Schiek]

However, Big Mag routinely thrashes components and even cracked four frames this year before Bianchi started making him custom frames with a reinforced top-tube (this was in Velo News a month or so back). His power and resultant torque is too much for most bike parts and frames. But what does he care? I think it's a little different when you are footing the bill for your own components.

[TandemGeek]

I think it's a little different when you are footing the bill for your own components.

The Magnus Backstead example was meant to be the extreme; using the nearly asburd to demonstrate absurdity, if you will. My point was, I find the comment in the Q&A to be somewhat bizarre... you know, the work of the legal department.

To your point, I foot the bill for my own components and, with a combined weight of 128kg, my wife & I exceed the 80kg caution mark. No issues with durability on Ergo shifters, caliper brakes, front or rear derailleurs in 10's of thousands of miles. In fact, I suspect the derailleurs have no idea how much we weigh.

I suspect there are amateur CX riders who also foot the bill for their Campy equipment who have successfully campaigned their rigs on something other than smooth asphalt roads or tracks.

[Schiek]

The Magnus Backstead example was meant to be the extreme; using the nearly asburd to demonstrate absurdity, if you will. My point was, I find the comment in the Q&A to be somewhat bizarre... you know, the work of the legal department.

To your point, I foot the bill for my own components and, with a combined weight of 128kg, my wife & I exceed the 80kg caution mark. No issues with durability on Ergo shifters, caliper brakes, front or rear derailleurs in 10's of thousands of miles. In fact, I suspect the derailleurs have no idea how much we weigh.

I suspect there are amateur CX riders who also foot the bill for their Campy equipment who have successfully campaigned their rigs on something other than smooth asphalt roads or tracks.

I hear ya. And I don't think there is anything wrong with using Campy off road. I was replying more because it makes me smile just thinking about Magnus destroying his equipment. 215lbs and in the pro peloton! I love it. He's one of my heroes.

[dessert1st]

Campy equiptment is very durable. At least as durable as Shimano 105 and Ultegra which is spec'd on many cross bikes.

So no issues. You can find chainrings to fit Campy cranks at www.cyclocrossworld.com. Unfortunately you'll be limited to 135mm BCD rings, so the choices aren't that great, but you should be able to run 38/48, which seems to be the cross norm (at least for doubles).

The idea of using 9 speed over 10 seems to make sense, as 10 speed shifting is a little more sensitive and sometimes fickle.

Regarding chain rings, I plan to run a Campy Racing Triple front crank (30/42/52), but use a chain guard in place of the outer ring. This will give me very low gearing (30/42 front rings) which I can compensate for with an 11-23 cassette. The chain line is fixed by using the Campy assymmetrical bottom bracket.

[WorldWind]

I used the shops Campy facing set to do the head tube and bottom bracket on my XC bike, does that count?

[Racing Aardvark]

There are plenty of 'cross teams using Campy over in Europe (including Mario de Clerq last year). The only reason I don't have it on mine is that they came with Shimano and I'm too cheap to swap it out. ;)

[tvphobic]

If you need front chain rings for CX try TZ Specialities; .



Specialites TA - beautiful high-quality chainrings

[Homer]

At the local cross race yesterday- one guy had a gorgeous Vanilla custom frame with Campy Chorus. He's been riding cross for a long time and claims he's never had issues. This was his NEW cross bike, but his old one was Campy 10 as well.

His frame was sheer art. It was impressive...

[bpave777]

> gorgeous Vanillla custom frame

yeah, thos are some beautiful bikes. i've been looking at getting one for my commuter. my wife's from PDX, and we go up that way alot. next time i'm in town i'm going to stop by and see what they can do for a reasonable cost.

this right here is one of my favorites on their site:
http://www.vanillabicycles.com/bikes/cross/bike_a/index.html

[crewman]

And here I thought you guy's were talking about the color of the bike.

I started a new favourites folder on CX bikes (I broke my collar bone two weeks ago) and it is fast becoming the largest folder.
It's amzing after you start digging through the internet the amount of CX frame builders there are out there.

I am also glad to hear there are a good many riders using campy gearing. It would be nice for a few guy's to spec out there campy parts and tell us if they have encountered any issues with mix and matching items.

[Phatman]

for you guys talking about using a vanilla frame for cross and commuting, all I have to say is...WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE! those frames are far too beautiful to beat up in a cross race or expose to the brutal world or commuting!

back to the campy discussion...

[pinky]

Too beautiful? Dude....Team Richard Sachs...

[bpave777]

Phatman said:
> those frames are far too beautiful to beat up in a cross race or expose to the brutal world or commuting!

bikes are built to be ridden. i'm not a big fan of the mentality that you've got to keep a frame mint. sure, try not to wreck, but get out there and ride man.