galen_52657

After vainly trying to get my 105 front derailleur to cease rubbing the chain incessantly, I have moved decisively and jettisoned the 105 STI lever entirely in favor of a Campy Ergo lever. And what a difference! Low and behold… no chain rub!...easy trimming of the front derailleur and quiet riding in all usable gear combinations!

I could never understand the need to index the shifting of 3 (or 2) chainrings anyway. I guess it falls under the general dumbing-down of everything that requires any kind of finesse? (I was at a music store the other day… they now have a guitar wha wha pedal that automatically does the ‘wha’…you don’t even have to step on it.. Jimi is turning over in his grave….).

But back to the matter at hand, I polled my riding buddies to see who might have an old Campy left side Ergo lever lying around. My friend Dave said he might, so I was over his house and he rummaged around under his bed…pulled out a bag of parts, and out came an old Chorus Ergo lever!

So now it is installed on the tandem and shifting oh-so-smartly!

Trsnrtr

I have to agree with you on this one, but then again, I'm a Campaphile. Anyway, I always thought the front STI lever system was one of the greatest frauds perpetrated on the cycling community by Shimano. The rear is fine, but don't get me started on the front.

ottodog

Getting a 105 triple front setup correctly does take some work. I've converted my Cannondale single from DA double, back to 105 triple, and it did take some tweaking. The nice thing about the 105 triple (if you could say that) is it's very good at letting you know when you're in a crossover gear. i.e NOISE.

That said I did ride my first Campy equiped bike this week. It was a Calfee CF single with Record 10. All I can say is SWEEEET. Man, I'm so glad I switched to Campy on the tandem. I think that will turn out to be the best decesion I made. Those Ergo levers just feel so comfortable in my hands. They fit perfectly. It took me a little while to get used to the shifting differences, but once I did, no problem. Of course one problem I forsee now, is having one bike with Campy, and one with Shimano. It looks like the Cannondale my be in for a Campy upgrade. Only problem is that it's being relegated to a winter training bike, and I hate the spend the $$ on it. Is there such a thing as an inexpensive Campy upgrade ?? I'm sure those two words have never been in the same sentence before, but thought I'd ask. Maybe some used parts.

TandemGeek

FWIW: Shimano's downloadable (.pdf) instructions for adjustment and trimming of triple chainring front derailleurs: https://bike.shimano.com/product_imag...FD_6500_SI.pdf



If you are familiar with newsgroups, head to: rec.bicycles.marketplace. Be sure search on "Camp" in the subject line to filter out all the other non-Campy / Campagnolo entries. If you don't see anything that you're looking for you can lurk and wait for previously owned components to come up for sale or post a "wanted to buy" ad. With Campy, you can obviously buy an older pair of 8 or 9 speed levers and upgrade the right-hand lever's shift cams to 9 or 10 speed via parts available from BranfordBike.com or other authorized Campy retailers.

zonatandem

Ditched D/A STI after 3,000 miles for good ol' barcons. Works flawlessly.

galen_52657

I was considering that option...in fact, I was watching several sets of barcons for sale on Ebay. But when my buddy said he had an old Ergo... problem solved!

Trsnrtr

So, does the front lever "trim" better than the STI? Or is it friction?