Folks;

19 months ago I acquired an '87 Cannondale Black Lightning, and rediscovered the pleasures of road riding. The bike was fun, but not perfect, and so I began to upgrade or replace its most needful problems. The bottom bracket and crankset were first, followed by a much lighter fork (carbon fiber replaced steel). But when the wheel bearings and rims showed their ages, I thought of abandoning the bike for something new and light and less in need of repair.

Then came two instances where I nearly went down in traffic, shifting on the downtube levers. The wobble was probably comical to someone standing on the sidewalk, but I was terrified when I hit a pothole with my right hand reaching for the shifter. The bike, however, remained a great ride, but one needing more than just an upgrade.

So I made the decision that I'd put Campy Mirage gear on the bike's drive train, to finish the effort begun with the crankset. Shopping on Ebay, I got front and rear derailleurs, integrated shifter/brake levers, wheelset with Campy hub, three cassettes (2 x 13-26 and 1 x 13-23) and two Campy Record chains, plus a Bontrager carbon fiber seat post.

Over the holiday, I stripped the old Suntour gear off the bike, saving it in plastic bags, separated by component, and put on the Campy 9-speed drive train. I did all the work myself, using tools acquired for the purpose. I now have Campy (Park Tool) cassette tools, bottom bracket wrenches, and so on.

The wheels are entry-level FSA RD-88s, the least expensive Campy freehub wheels I could find. They were true out of the box. Not light, and the silver spokes don't work as well with the bike's color scheme as black spokes would, but they're fine. I've got my eye out for a lighter, black-spoke wheelset.

The 126 mm rear spread took the 130 mm OLD rear hub very well. No cold-set required. Installing the Campy Ergo levers was not very difficult, while installing cables and housings was more effort than I'd reckoned for.

I installed some home-made changes to the down-tube shifter bosses, to permit adapting the cable stops, then fit housings to length, slipped cables through control levers, housings, stops, and cable clamps, and began adjusting the whole thing. Campagnolo supplies good instruction manuals, and I made a notebook of all the pieces and instructions, and followed them closely.

The last bit of work was to adjust the shifters to derailleurs, and while I was close, it seemed prudent to get expert help. I took the bike into our esteemed LBS (Bill the guru is in charge) and had them vet the project and finish alignments. Under $20 and spot-on work.

Last week, I taped the bar, and in a sunbreak (while it's not actively raining) I took the bike out for a ride.

Wow. Very different bike with nine speeds and integrated shifting and braking. And new wheels and tires. Nice to feel the close-ratio shifting between 13 and 19 tooth cogs, just one tooth gain per cog. The Campagnolo equipment works precisely, with a satisfying thunk to tell you you've just shifted gears.

Next might be a carbon fiber saddle, to drop another 200 grams. And maybe Campy dual-pivot brakes, to complete the gruppo. And maybe some black paint on those Wellgo knockoff pedals, which actually work fine.

The original components still on the bike include the frame (natch), the Stronglight headset, the beautiful Nitto quill stem and Cinelli bar, the Cinelli saddle, and the Dia-Compe brakes.

If anyone is interested, let me know. I think the work is true to the original intent of the bike, and nothing is irreversible. And it's a bit lighter and safer for me to ride (no small matter).

Some pictures included, in front of the garage (with moss, of course!)

Cheers and good riding.