peripatetic

Can someone tell me what cassettes are compatible with a Campy Veloce freehub? Can I get 7-speed cassettes for this, or do I have to measure to determine the dropout spacing, or are Veloces only 8-speed and up?

Thanks.

TallRider

Campy freehubs aren't compatible across speeds, to my knowledge. With Shimano, 7-speed freehubs are diff from 8/9/10 speed freehubs, but the latter are compatible within the category (except for a few wrinkles with D/A 10-speed cassettes, but that's a special case).

Do you know how many speeds were on your Veloce wheel originally?

peripatetic

Thanks for the response. Unfortunately, I don't know how many speeds were originally on this. I bought the wheels cheap off this guy, but didn't bother asking. He told me they're about 6 years old. So just to make sure I understand this, Campy wheels are only compatible with Campy ders and levers, and only for specific speeds? I wouldn't be able to use this with some 80s syncros levers and NR mechs that I have on an old Tommaso? (The bike currently has a Sachs 7-speed cassette on some American Classic hubs.) And certainly not with anything Shimano?

Bummer.

Thanks for answering these q's: I'm a Campy newb. It's a whole other universe.

TallRider

If they're 6 years old they're probably 9-speed. You can get Shimano-compatible cassettes for Campy 9-speed splines, I think, but I doubt they're cheap. I'd clean them up and re-sell them if I were you, and just get a Shimano wheelset if you use Shimano stuff.

Alternately, you could get a Campy 9-speed cassette (check Sheldon Brown's spacing cribsheet to measure the width of the freehub body and make sure you need a 9-speed cassette) and use a Shimano rear derailler and shifter with the adapter thing I can't think of right now, that allows you to mix Campy and Shimano drivetrain stuff.
You might want to take your wheel to a shop that deals Campy stuff to make sure.

peripatetic

So am I correct in understanding these are going to have 130mm spacing (not near them or my ruler to check right now)? Thanks for the info.

TallRider

If they're only 6 years old, yes, definitely. Campy's probably been at 130mm spacing since 1990 or slightly thereafter.

peripatetic

dam.

cs1

If you have black, non Record, splined cassette body with 8 grooves then it's an 8 speed. If it is one of the newer silver bodies with 4 deep grooves then it's a 9/10 speed. You can swap cassette bodies on Chorus and lower levels for about $75 plus labor. The wheel will need to be redished. Record can be swapped but the body is much more expensive and you can't do the swap on Record with the cheaper steel Athena/Veloce body. Quality Bike sells the parts. I had the conversion done about 2 years ago for $110 out the door. That included redishing the wheel. I needed a minor trueing this past summer but no problems so far. Good luck

Tim

HillRider

The "adapter thing" is a Jtek Shiftmate. See www.jtekengineering.com They go for about $35 in a variety of mix-and-match configurations.

acorn_user

The wheel will probably still fit in you bike. It's only likely to be 2mm or so each way. Campagnolo 9 speed is pretty cheap now. Why not buy some Mirage shifters and mechs, and try it out? Since it seems you typically Synchro, you'll probably be impressed. Also, you could run your shifters in friction, buy a new cassette and chain, and run 9 speed for peanuts

TallRider

Thanks. I remembered the name later last night while answering somebody else's question (actually looked it up on Peter White's page to jar my memory).


Also, here's what a Campy 9-speed freehub body looks like:

thePest

Campy is Campy. You must stick with there OEM cassettes!!! However. If I remember right they all come separate as you slide them in. What makes them theirs is the notches on the freehub. One is set wider then the others and won't accept another manufactures. Unless in higher end after market companies some will say they do.

So you can make a 8sp a 7sp!!! Remove the coq you don't want and put in a 1mm? spacer. Be sure to reset the set screw on your derailleur. If that screw bottoms out {can't tighten it any further}. Pull it out and go get a match from a screw store in a longer length.

TallRider

It does sound as if you're going to a lot of work to use a wheelset. Do you have other Campy parts sitting around, that came with it? If not, I'd learn what you can about the wheelset, and then sell it on eBay once you know how to describe it.

peripatetic

Hrumph. I think you're right. To be honest, I also have a very nice Trek 460 Elance in near-mint condition, and some Synchros levers and a Victory derailler lying around, and I was hoping I also might be able to swap over to this nicer wheelset, which I got for peanuts (Veloce hubs laced to 32-hole Mavic Open-Pros). But none of this sounds like it's going to work well on either bike unless I shell out a lot more 'upgrade' coin, so off to the auction, I guess.

Bummer. They're much nicer wheels than the original Matrixes I have on the Trek, and they'd be great as backups for my Tommaso.

TallRider

Matrices

Keep in mind that Campy wheels go for a lot of money on eBay. Figure out what they are, sell them, and buy a nice Shimano-based wheelset, then.

peripatetic

Or maybe Matrix wheels.

Yeah, guess that's what I'll do. Oh, I hate dealing with shipping and mailing stuff (though I also hate dealing with Craigslist, also).

HillRider

Before you go to a lot of trouble, remember that Campy's first attempts at indexing (Synchro and Synchro II) were pretty poor performers and certainly not on par with their Shimano contemporaries. I remember reading lots of magazine road tests when they were current. You could tell the editors really didn't want to bad-mouth anything Campy but sort of obliquely said the Shimano components worked a lot better.

grall1126

If you want send me an email and I can send you a used sprocket or you can go to a bike shop that sells campy stuff and see what works. i have a record system from 1997 when the 9speed came out and I have used it continuously. I use veloce and chorus cassettes and when I buy replacement parts I purchase Chorus stuff since its cheaper. I just bought some salsa chainrings that supposedly are comparible with campy and I also purchased some cassettes from Campy called Miche and they seem heavier but for training who cares.