I am about fed up with Shimano components. I just ordered a Ultegra triple FD to compliment my entire switch over from 105 componetry. The damn thing just won't work. I have had so much trouble with Shimano since road biking that I am fed up! :mad:

I was wondering how you guys view Campy componetry and if I have a Shimano 12-15 cassette would it work or would I have to do an entire switch..............meaning:

-FD
-RD
-Cassette
-Wheel hub
-BB
-Shifters
-Crank

In other words, the whole kittin kaboodle!

How do you like your Campy's is my question?

To change from Shimano to Campy you have to change everything. The cassette spacing, cable pull by the shifters and derailleur geometry are all different. I have used both on many different bikes. I've never found one to be easier to set up and make work than the other. They both require the same things to work. Proper alignment, proper distance from the chainrings or cassette cogs and proper initial cable tension. I do think Campy shifts a little smoother but I have no complaints with Shimano.

SS

I love my Campy Centaur crank/BB.

I bought the Campy for it's grey anodizing, which exactly matches my frame color. After I bought the crank I fell in love with the way it's made. And that Campy BB is simply incredible. I can not believe how little friction there is.

This is going to ding my pocket but after seeing how these Campy parts look and work wouldn't be satisfied with the Shimano parts I had lined up. I'm going all Campy for this bike. (Nothing against Shimano. I've had good luck with Shimano!)

http://users.cis.net/coldfeet/centaur.JPG

You dont need to swap the crank. Just the ders and shifters and hub. Why doesn't somebody make a campy freehub body that fits on a shimano casette?

How does a Front Derailleur not work? Not doubting your view of the matter, just curious as to how it would be incapable of performing the simple task of shoving the chain from one spot to another.

Front derailleurs are always interchangeable.

That would be too easy - besides stepping on somebody's toes in the patent office!

Not quite. You can use any front derailleur with Campy Ergo levers, but Shimano STI levers require specific front derailleurs (because they're indexed).

I forget. I'm stuck in frictionville

Campy vs. Shimano is definitely a matter of personal preference. There is no right answer.

Here's what I would recommend in your situation (besides revisiting the tuning of your front derailleur). Pick up a set of Ergo levers and a Jtek ShiftMate to use with the rest of your Shimano components (front and rear derailleurs, cassette, and hub). That would enable you to ditch the indexing of the front derailleur, and also see how you like the shape and function of Campy's levers, all without too large an investment. If you then decide to go full Campy, you'll only be out the $35 or so that the ShiftMate costs.

See: http://www.sheldonbrown.com/harris/shiftmate.html

If you have a 10-speed Shimano setup, you should definitely get 10-speed Ergo levers and the #3 (DP003) ShiftMate.

If you have a 9-speed Shimano setup, you have a choice between getting 9-speed Ergo levers and the #3 (DP003) ShiftMate, OR getting 10-speed Ergo levers and the #2 (DP002) ShiftMate.

I built up a road bike with a Campy Chorus Ergo brake-shifter and Campagnolo derailleurs, but everything else is Shimano DA. (Crank is TruVativ, Tektro calipers). The Jtek ShiftMate is the way to do it. Check the Jtek site.

Horses for courses. Campagnolo is very nice all around, but they don't have nearly the selection of cassettes, and if you want to use a touring cassette, that is not as easy as with Shimano.

Change if you want but sometimes what you need is just a painstakenly meticulious setup. I was having all the trouble in the world with a Shimano front derailer that the shop didn't setup properly and I couldn't get setup either. After telling the shop that I was fedup with it and wanted them to fit a friction lever they finnaly took the time to get the indexing working properly mainly by adjusting the mounting of the front derailer untill it was just right.

The fact that it was a 31.8 mm clamp derailer fitted to a 28.6mm seat tube with adaptors didn't help but it worked with 2 of Shimano's plastic spacers rather than just 1.


Regards, Anthony

No not all FD work I guess. I bought a Ultegra Triple 9 spd. which the FD is for both a 10 spd. and 9 for triples. The only problem is the cage is too deep and when positioned properly the inside cage of the FD rubs or better yet presses firmly against the 52-T chain ring. No way to get it to work. I even raised the FD well above the 2 mm space of the outer cage to the 52-T chain ring......guess what? The cage still rubs at times and when I fine tuned it the damn thing would not shift into the 30-T chain ring unless you used different cassette cogs with the 52-42-30T...........Jeez what a nightmare.

Well the online store I bought the FD takes back items within 30 days if not satisfied. I can't figure the life of me why there is no Ultegra FD without so deep of a inner cage.

My 105 FD is nowhere near as deep as this one. The bad thing is, once I placed it on and set it properly, or what I thought, I clipped the cable length and capped and blam! Now the line is too short for my 105 to go back on.

I learned a good lesson here!

Not really. There are detents that fit between the three rings on a triple but not centered over the middle ring. Only difference is that Campy has more detents. My 9-speed D-A double has no indexing.

Al

It's interesting that the original poster doesn't like the Shimano front derailleur. That's the only Shimano part I like better than Campy.

Al

Perhaps you're not setting them up right.

If I'm understanding you correctly this sounds like the outside limit screw needs adjusting.

There is no reason that a Shimano 9-speed triple derailleur should not work with 52-42-30 chainrings if setup properly.

BTW the 10-speed derailleur is designed to run with 53-39-30 chainrings.

Al

Well to get them to work properly you need to set them as LOW as possible and align it carefully. I was having not too dissimilar problems to you but I can't say I can advise you directly because ultimately I took it to the LBS and someone there finnaly took the time to do it correctly.

From my little experience in adjusting the front derailer you need to consider the HALF shifts and position accordingly. You may have adjusted to the wrong trimming position. Sometimes on the big ring you need to set the stop to allow it to travel a little further than you want (but not too far) so that it can click into the next indexing indent.

Regards, Anthony

Huh********** Where are you getting this from?

Please let us all know where it is stated that front derailleurs are specific to 9spd or 10spd.
And, please show a source that ties a specific derailleur to a specific chainring set.

I have not seen this and would like to know your source.

Nothing wrong with Shimano components. Perhaps your mechanical skills need fixing.

According to Shimanos literature, the 10 speed front derailleurs have a narrower cage to match the now narrower chain. Whether it makes real difference or not is not within my realm of experience, I'm sticking with 7,8 & 9, single speeds, coaties and fixed.

I agree completely.

FD adjustments are simple if you do them in the correct order. The common mistake is to assume you can do them in any sequence, and, in most cases, this is not going to work. The proceedure on the Park Tool site is excellent if you follow it step-by-step and don't skip anything. FD alignment has been covered so many times on this forum and the pitfalls of not doing a correct alignment have been illustrated repeatedly.

Our old friend sydney would have had a field day with all the b/s that's been dispensed in this thread.

This is exactly my point. There are derailleurs that are specific to certain chain widths. There is no reason you can't use a 10spd chain with a derailleur that was originally spec'd for 9 spds (yes, the other way around will give you problems). Otherwise, both front AND rear derailleurs are limited by the maximum chainring, or cog, size - not by the make up of the cassette or the chainring set.

I thought that the Ultegra triple 9-speed and 10-speed FDs were not compatible. I seem to recall that the reason for the 52-39-30 on the 10-speed had something to do with the inability to make the shifts on the 52-42-30 with the 10-speed FD/BB/crank combo.

But maybe that was BS.

My 10-speed double works great and I just set up a 10-speed triple with no trouble last night.

I agree. If you have problems with Shimano you are certainly going to have them with Campy.