ghileman

I have Campagnolo Chorus 10 speed groupset purchased in 2001. I currently have a 12-25 casette but I am contemplating shifting to a 13-29 cassette for some additional help in the mountains. On Campy's website it says that the 2004 "short cage" rear derailleur cannot accomodate a 13-29 cassette, however a "medium cage" one can. Does anyone know how I can determine if my rear derailleur is a "medium cage" or does anyone know if this question is even relevant for the 2001 Chorus groupset?

Comments about shifting from a 12-25 to a 13-29 are also welcome. I live in San Francisco and typically cycle in the Marin Headlands. I find that I spend a lot of time in my 25. Looking to become active in local racing.

Many thanks.

ghileman

One other queston: my front chain rings are 53/39. Would it be a) possible and/or b) desirable to replce the 39 with something smaller to try to accomplish the same above goal?

roadfix

I believe a 38 chainring is the smallest your Campy double crank will accept. Besides swapping cassettes, going to a triple crankset or a compact double are other options to explore.

MtnMan

If you go to the Campy website they should have a pic of a medium cage rear mech. If you currently have a 12-25, chances are pretty good that you have a short cage and I would not recommend using it with a 13-29.

Pretty smart move moving to a 13-29. That combo will get you up most hills you will come across. It sure beats going to a t-r-i-p-l-e. (sorry couldn't resist )

zensuit

I put a 13-26 on my 'dale years ago to go with my 53-39. It gave me plenty at the low end...and it isn't that expensive to try a cassette for a while. That 29 is going to force you to make some big changes and you'd be better off with a racing triple, IMHO, if that's what you mean. Don't let the triple haters scare you off...except for sprint gears (which you only need when you "sprint"), the 52-42-30 combined with a 13-26 gives you a ton of stuff and lets you ride just as fast as everybody else. With less wear on the chain.

sydney

39 is the smallest I know of.

sydney

Contraty to Campy lore, a short cage works with a 29.

sydney

Such as??

ghileman

I took a look already but couldn't tell based on their pic whether mine is a short or medium. Can anyone else confirm that Campy is wrong about their own produc and the 29 does work with a short cage derailleur? I'm having a hard time believing this for some reason.

Murrays

Can you use a compact crank with Campy? I think this would be more desireable than the gaps with a 13-29.

-murray

sorebutt

I use the 13-29 casstte, an dit is nice to have the 29 when you need it.
A medium cage size will be fine for your combination.
here is a pict. of all 3, and you can figure out which one you have on your bike.

sydney

It works with a short cage unless you have an especially short derailer hanger,which is uncommon on current frames. A short cage measures 50 something mm centr to center of pulley bolts. The medium measuers 70 something mm.I'm too much of a slacker to get off my butt and find a measuring device,and then dig crap out of junk boxes.That should be colse enough for govt. work.

sydney

Yes.Campy even offers one.

MtnMan

"Contrary to Campy lore, a short cage works with a 29."

I have heard that it will work but I always thought that the chain length gets to be a real issue with the short cage when you are using the large chainring? Especially when in the upper middle of the cassette.

ghileman

Does anyone know if Campy makes a compact crank in their Chorus line? I'm not very familiar with the pros/cons of compact to begin with. It would certainly seem less expensive to replace the cassette rather than the entire crank. Would the additional gaps on a 13-29 really be dramatic compared to a 12-25?

lovemyswift

I put a 13-29 on a couple of months ago. My shop thought I could get by with the short cage because I use a 46-38 (Specialities TA crankset) combination on the front. However, after doing some research it was decided to go with the long cage.

I have Record components but I went with a Chorus derailleur and cassette.

I'm not a racer so I don't know how a 12-25 works better but I don't feel that I lost any gears except for the 12 which I only used on downhills and gained a lot having the 29.

BTW, I did the Moosa tour in Maine last month and climbed evey hill (there were lots of them and long) with this setup.

Now that I have the long cage I can convert to a triple if I wish.

Kathi

lovemyswift

I don't even notice the gap between the 26 and the 29.

Kathi

telenick

The gear range for the 12-25 and 13-29 are these respectively:
12 13 14 15 16 17 19 21 23 25
13 14 15 16 17 19 21 23 26 29

with the 13 - 29 you don't lose too much. You lose the 12 and you skip 2 teeth after the 23 tooth sprocket instead of skipping 1 tooth with the 12 - 25.


I run with three casettes. But I use the 13 - 29 most of the time for riding my area in the CO Rockies. I'll race with the 12 - 25 or a 11 - 23 depending on terrain and I still get razed by my racer buddies with the 12 - 25. They're soooo young ...haha. The 13 - 29 has gotten me up Mt. Evans many times without feeling a need for another gear. Mt Evans is at 14,000 feet and the ride covers about 7,000 feet in 28 miles. That's a boat load of vertical!

So, I have never seen a need for a triple. But you decide if you need anything but a 53 - 39 with a 13 - 29 for the steepest and longest grinds.

Oh, and get the medium cage in case you accidently get into a big/big combo cross.

ghileman

After looking more closely at my rear derailleur, I think I do in fact have the madium cage. I'm also feeling like the 13-29 Campy Chorus cassette is the right call at this point. Anyone have any suggestions on where to pick one up for a great price? I've seen it for $120 at Colorado Cyclist.

sydney

How can that be if you size the chain big/big?

sydney

That's just insane.That's only 28 teeth of required wrap. Wrap spec for the short is 27 teeth, and that's conservative.

ghileman

Is a Record 13-29 cassette compatible with an otherwise all Chorus setup?

telenick

Supergo is having a sale right now.

$105.98 at Supergo for the Chorus all steel
$159.98 at Supergo for the Record Steel/Titanium

Bruco

Hint: a Veloce cassette will also work. From what I have been told, it is as durable as the Chorus/Record stuff and only slightly heavier.