Originally Posted by
Andrew R Stewart
Dave- I would disagree somewhat with some of your comments. Cog C-C and der throw is vital to index quality. As wear and cable friction induce their changes these issues do not become forgotten, in many cases things get worse. When one builds a system for their own use all kinds of compromise can be overlooked and accepted. But when one gets paid for this stuff the standard is a bit higher.
We agree that Sachs Ergos pull Campy 8 speed cable needs. But I say with good understanding that Sachs intended Shimano compatible ders to do this. The index gear is a different one. Close but not the same. Why would Campy make an index gear for the shifters they made under contract to Sachs? Because of the $. Pure simple business. Campy wasn't in the best spot back then cash flow wise.
I do wonder if your Sachs shifter had the index wheel switched out to a Campy one (or a simple Campy body with a Sachs hood on it) therefore it's working with Campy ders and not Shimano. Andy
Sigh...
Yes, cog spacing is obviously critical to proper indexing. But 5.0 vs. 4.8mm cog spacing is so close that they are cross compatible. I wasn't suggesting that you could run 11-speed shifters with a 6-speed freewheel.
I have 3 sets of Sachs New Success Ergo shifters sitting in a baggie in my 30-pound bin of old brifters. They all pull the same amount of cable per click. I've measured with calipers. I've taken apart two of the right levers apart. The shift disks are identical to Campagnolo 8-speed disks. The test I performed as outlined in my previous post was done on brand new Sachs shifters - right out of the box. It had never been disassembled or rebuilt.
As far as your business analysis, Sachs in 1994 was on its deathbed, like most of the French bike industry. Campagnolo was doing them a favor in providing brifters for a groupset. Campagnolo would not have been interested in producing special shift disks for Sachs: a highly customized and precision little piece of machining.
If anyone out there has Sachs New Success ergolevers working with Shimano rear derailleurs over a 7 or 8 speed (whatever) cogset, I would be very pleased to know. When I refer to 'working', I mean clean precise shifts each and every time, and dead quiet in-between shifts. Not like the random gear shifting and constant clattering that most of my pals seem to accept as normal drivetrain performance.