What a dilemma!

Okay I scored a '90 Bianchi Axis (Japanese made) steel frame and fork from a friend recently. It also included a Suntour top pull ft. derailler. I'm wanting to get back into racing 'cross this Autumn '06. I broke my clavicle in a 'cross race a few years ago and I haven't been back since.

I also have a '87 Bianchi Eros (also Japanese steel) road bike I upgraded to a Campy Veloce/Athena/Daytona 9spd Ergo "gruppo" but that frame is too small for me so I was wanting to transplant most of the Campy stuff to the Axis frame and sell or otherwise retire the Eros frame.

Here's the dilemma: I ALSO have a late 80's Colnago Sprint road bike. That frame fits me properly but has Shimano Dura-Ace and Ultegra components (downtube) and I was just had a "brainfart" today that maybe I should use the Shimano stuff on the Axis and make the Colnago all Campy. The Colnago already has a Campy Athena headset and I heard or read somewhere (probably from a roadie) that a proper Colnago should have all Campy components (!?) :rolleyes:. Also I can end up using the Veloce brake calipers since I obviously can't use them on the Axis frame. Downtube shifters are out for the Axis frame since there's no mount for them so I'll have to figure something out for that.

I guess I'm trying to keep the cost as reasonable as possible since I'll already have to buy TWO bottom brackets because of the threading (Italian and English) and money is not exactly growing on trees with me. If I go all Campy on the Colnago could I still use my braze-on Dura-Ace ft. derailler or would that be a "fashion faux paus" (I guess I'll have to ask a roadie about that!)?

I'm not wanting to start a Campy-Shimano debate here, just wanting to get some opinions on what would be the best course of action. Sorry for the long post.

An all Campy Colnago would sell way better than a Dura Ace version. Not that Dura Ace is bad but it's just the whole Italian bike/group thing. Good luck

Tim

I would take the route that is the least fuss but thats just me. My Trek has both Campy and Shimano on it. In fact it's got Suntour too.

Seriously if you are going to get rid of the Suntour top pull derailleur I'd be interested in it.

I don't think Shimano will shift the OP's Suntour FD properly. I may be wrong about that, but I'm real sure Campy won't have any trouble.

My Redline, completed last night. also has a mixed Campy, Shimano, Suntour setup. Must be the latest fad.

Ron

I've got one of those old steel Bianchi Axises, too. Great frame. Mine has downtube shifter bosses, though, as well as bottom bracket cable guides on the top of the bottom bracket. Does yours have top tube cable routing?

There's a nifty thingamabob you can buy that clamps to your seat tube and has a pulley on it, so you can use a top pull front derailleur with bottom pull cable routing. Don't know if it would help you in this case, but it's available from cyclocrossworld.com. It costs as much as a used derailler, maybe more. There are clamp-on cable stops and stuff, too.

While it is true that a Proper Colnago should be all Campagnolo, being Proper isn't all it's cracked up to be. One of the great things about bikes from the late 80's and early 90's is that parts were much more compatible with each other. I'd use that Dura Ace front derailleur and anything else you've got to get the bikes on the road. Save your money for brake pads and cable housing and Celeste handlebar tape.

Good luck!

Thanks all for responding. I thought nobody was going to respond to my thread (well, nobody DID until the 6th, but that's okay. Better late than never!).

PROJECT UPDATE:

Soon after I started this thread I realized I had ten days off work with nothing else to do that was really pressing and I could no longer contain myself and made my Colnago an all-Campy rig. I'm going to use the Dura-Ace ft. derailler on it so I'm just waiting on a BB I just ordered and it'll be done.

As far as the Axis is concerned, I'm taking the frame to work to spray it the proper Celeste color (I'm using a two-component epoxy, the fork is already painted celeste by me). The original color was a horrible ugly white-mauve combo, just like my Eros. I scored some Suntour XC cantilevers for it and am using the Shimano stuff but I'm using the Dura-Ace 165mm crank as a single 42t chainring. Also got a bar-end pod so I'm using that with an Ultegra downtube shifter. I already have celeste h/bar tape I got from Rivendell and a celeste saddle and waterbottle (anything else I can get celeste?).

Yes, same time, it does have top tube cable routing.

jfmckenna, I'm not going to be using the Suntour top-pull derailler so PM me if you want it.

edit: My Axis originally came with Super Record 8spd Ergo, except for the ft. derailler which is the Suntour top-pull but my friend who I got the frame from sold all that stuff.