It isn't that at all. You just don't bite the hand that feeds...a very basic tenent of common courtesy.
There wasn't a single person in this thread "talking out of their respective a$$es." Everybodies experience is slightly different because the cable ends are close but not the same.
George

The problem was that mactheknife68 did not offer an opinion, or his personal experience, or an AFAIK. What he offered was a statement. That statement was:



I think askrom was dead on with his diagnosis of posterior dialogue, not just with that one statement but with most of the rest of mac's post. Not a huge deal or anything, but I can see how it would be frustrating to someone trying to make an informed decision.

You and the OP are precisely why more that understand bicycle mechanics don't bother to help.
Your "posterior dialogue" analysis is freudian for talking out of your a$$. But don't take that wrong...even though no wrong answers were given, being accused of talking out of one's a$$ is quite OK according to you.
:D
George

You're right. We've been too hard on mactheknife68. After all, who has ever been born into the world with a complete understanding of bicycle maintenance (or anything else)? The only way we learn is through the exchange of ideas. He certainly meant no harm by his post, and I offer him a sincere apology.

Amen. There is a huge difference between stating something as fact and prefacing a statement with "in my opinion". Unfortunately, this problem is universal. All net forums have the same problem. You have to take everything with a grain of salt and make your own decisions about who you deem credible and who the b/s'ers are (and there are plenty of them).

FWIW, I had a conversation with a local guy (vast experience, racer, 25+ yrs in bike shop, restorer of classic bicycles) and he addressed this exact situation (Campy cable for Campy brifters?). His comment was that after many failures of cables (all very close to the anchor) it was determined that using Campy cables fixed the problem.

It never ceases to amaze me at how many people will spend the money for DuraAce or Record and then quibble about spending a couple of bucks for the cables that were designed and manufactured specifically for them. There are certainly many aftermarket products that are better than the originals, but I am not aware of any derailleur cables that are.

I think some people here do not understand that there are three different answers/opinions being expressed here:
Those who have claimed that #1 is my only option are, unfortunately, wrong. It's not even a matter of opinion.

Those who have pointed out that option #2 exists are being helpful, and I am grateful to them (because I now know not to even investigate that approach). This is where there can be differences of opinion: some may think this "hack" is acceptable, some may not.

Some think that #2 and #1 are my only options, again assuming that nobody makes a cable that is designed specifically for use with Campy brifters except the Campagnolo company. Again, they are just plain wrong.

Those who have said that option #3 exists are (I have concluded through further research) correct, and I am very grateful to them.

To give a specific example, (sorry to pick on you biker7, but you're the most recent case!) biker7 said "Everybodies experience is slightly different because the cable ends are close but not the same." If option #3 didn't exist, which biker7 still seems to think even despite the several examples showing otherwise, then this would be true. But option #3 does exist. I do not have to use "close but not the same" cables. I can buy cables that are designed for Campagnolo.

The misunderstanding, I would hope, is that people are assuming that even the double-ended cables are a very bad idea to be used in Campy brifters, as if even the 3rd-party cable ends designed for Campy were somehow still not really compatible. As if it was somehow a difficult engineering feat to make a second cable-end that was 100% compatible with Campy brifters.

But if you re-read the posts, that's not even what the incorrect posters were saying. Not a single person who said "you must use Campy cables" seemed to even acknowledge the existence of double-ended cables. Every one of them seems to begin with the assumption that option #2 is the only non-Campy option.

Alternately, the misunderstanding might be that some people think that "Campy cables" = "Campy-compatible cables" (i.e., cables that work specifically with Campy but may not necessarily be made by the Campagnolo company), when in fact I specifically asked about "Campy-brand cables" (i.e., cables made by the Campagnolo company). If this is the case, then these people were not talking out of their ass, but simply misreading my original post, in which case I apologize.

My "statement " to OP was that he has to use Campy-specific cables to avoid probs. Never said or implied Campy-BRANDED. He was looking for an answer that was a lil more sure and I think he got it wether he realized it or not...Never said I wasnt aware of double-ended cables, but that I had never seen them(thnx for the link to the UK site, jm..that was pretty pointless :) .) If jm wants to pick me apart stick to points that are relevant...(Like)-Wire diameters ARE different-You got me by .1MM-definitely different but not enuf to matter or comment on for this purpose..And as far as an apology from someone Ive never met-Thanks juicmouse but anyone one reading that will never confuse you with someone who's bein sincere.

We're all trying to be helpful and informative so lets "share the road" instead of wasting space on inane barbs at others who have different exp. and see it everyday.

Hey Mac, thanks for the clarification. I was a little thrown off by your statement "Its not for Campy use unless its branded Campy-compatible" The rest of your post makes sense if one overlooks the word "branded".

Listen, the second post I made in this thread was meant to completely discredit your post. The reason I did that is because I didn't agree with any of what you had said and advised. I don't regret any of the points I made in my post, I regret the way I made them. It was insulting and childish.

Then I continued to tear into you throughout the rest of the thread. I recognize now that I definitely should've kept my mouth shut. As biker7 pointed out, the kind of attitude I exhibited does not encourage participation in this forum, and that's not a message I want to promote. My apology is sincere. Take it however you want.

It appears that perhaps you see the error of yer ways :) ..at least as pertains to yer disdainful attitude toward anyone's opinion but yours...You didnt discredit me- My opinion has basis in fact and also from my personal expirience in the mech. business so I think I lent more substance to the discussion than a lot of what followed. Not saying Im the best or know everything, but I neither do I mislead, discredit or belittle others opinions. Many in this forum should follow that example.

Perhaps in haste I wasnt descriptive enuf in my original post. Sometimes for brevity's sake Im a lil vague but on reread you saw the answer anyway. Cheers.

I don't know what the hell you're all arguing about at this point... But back on the subject of cables, I just spent an hour tearing at the cable behind my ergo shifter so I could get the head unstuck. The guy who I bought this bike from was a cheap skate and I just paid the price.

Nobody is lying here. Yes, you can get generic cables that have both types of heads. Yes, you should always use Campy cables for Campy shifters.

Aside from the risks of getting the cable stuck, I can testify that it's worth the money to buy brand name cabling. Lasts much longer, shifts much smoother. Just don't waste your time with the generic stuff.

Clark's does make a Campagnolo compatible set. Your local bike shop should be able to order. Their performance is second rate. Note: This is not true of all Clark products! I'd stick with Campy.

I've build up and serviced many Campy equipped bikes. My entire personal road fleet runs Campy. But am I going to pay $5 for a shift cable? Ha.

I buy cables in bulk from China via. EBay. 25 cents each or less. Before installing I check if the cable ends fit in the Ergopower shifters - you want a little extra space. If they play nice, I install them. I always lubricate the ends with grease so they are easier to extract down the road.

One advantage of the cheaper cables are that they are NOT made from stainless steel, which are less flexible and break faster than the regular steel equivalents.

Nice zombie thread!

I generally use Jagwire cables, but I get the ones with Campagnolo specific ends. I've never tried to use SRAM/Shimano ended cables with my Campy shifters, so for all I know it may work. The ones I buy don't cost any more for the "right" ends.

I once tried to buy Campagnolo-specific cables at a Performance Bike store. The mechanic there (not a floor sales guy mind you, the mechanic!) told me such a thing didn't exist and that I should just buy the cables they had. He then proceeded to tell me (unprompted) that Campagnolo stuff is too finicky and that they wouldn't work on it anymore because too many customers were coming back with problems. :rolleyes:

In a pinch, you can file down a Shimano end, but the Campy is a bit smaller diameter.

We did one once by rubbing it on the sidewalk until it fit.

Yes they do and I had a bunch of them a few years ago. Jagwire sells them and I found them from at least two sources including, of all places, Walmart.

https://www.biketiresdirect.com/prod...iABEgJlyvD_BwE

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Jagwire-S...&wl13=&veh=sem

Hmmm, I should have noticed this thread started 11 years ago. The OP should have solved his problem by now.

finally... a reasonable solution if campy cables aren't available, and the guy just wants to ride today....

i like the sidewalk file thing, btw... i've done similar things.... like, sharpening a paper clip on the concrete floor of a jail cell... a long, LONG time ago... and using the garage floor of a customer's to remove a nasty burr from his briggs flat head cylinder head's mating surface, after he pounded a screw driver into it, and busted a couple fins off of it, too... he'd forgotten to remove a head bolt..... and insisted the head gasket be reused with some low temp RTV he had lying around..... i bought a fresh head gasket instead....

to the other "respondents" that seem to think arguing and insulting via lots of carefully typed words is a good idea...QUIT attacking and TRASHING EACH OTHER, guys... geez.... go for a rip, or fix a bike instead.... your egos are probably big enough to fix themselves.

and corrections are not attacks or insults, just a want for perfection... which does not exist.

the guy with the briggs tried to low ball me for the repair, then begrudgingly hand over the cash... the mower is still working, last i heard.... with a slightly higher compression now.... he has a really nicely laid garage floor.... i usually utilize my drill press table, and a sheet of emery paper, as an oklahoma milling machine... briggs actually recommended that method for minor resurfacing of flat heads.... works on swollen egos, too.. although i'd put down a shop towel, instead of emery paper...... flatten the head in multiple planes, for best results. ;-)