does anyone know if I can use a fsa gossamer crankset with 9-speed campy? i want to replace the centaur crankset on my cyclo-cross bike with something that can give me a smaller inner chainring than 39t, and i think i'm going to go for a 172.5 crank instead of 170...

any ideas?

A campy 9sp crankset rings are the same as every other manufacture, so you should have no problems. Even the 10sp inner rings are the same but the outer one, the inside of the ring is milled down .04 on the backside to make it sit a bit closer to the inner ring.

i know that FSA makes the cranks to fit either octalink, or the ISO spindles. i'm pretty sure that they also make them with the square taper (that campy uses). if you're talking about the gossamer cross cranks, i have them on my road bike at the moment, and they're pretty nice. the inner ring is 38T, not much difference from a 39, and they use the same BCD, so you should be able to put a 38T ring on your campy cranks. if you want smaller, i'd say go with the triple if FSA makes it, which i know they do for road, and i can't really see that there'd be any difference between the 'cross and the road versions, other than chainring size.

campy cranks have a 135 mm bcd, which means that the smallest chainring can be only 39t. i have to replace my bb anyway, so i wouldn't mind going isis or actalink... and i certainly don't want a triple...

the main reason why i want a smaller inner chainring is that the 39t is just a bit close to the chainstay for my liking. there's a certain amount of flex and paint scraping, but more importantly, it gets tight in the mud...

Veloc is correct Campy uses 135 so that does limit you to 39t while other's use 130 on road cranks so you can go smaller. There is no manufacture out there that makes a crankset that is compatible with a campy BB except Campy atleast not that I am aware of, so you have the choice of either ISIS or Shimano Octalink, now I must warn you the Octalink BB will constantly be out of wack since it will be fighting the Campy components so I would go with the ISIS BB and crank.

i've had problems with my octalink BB...there's always some sort of looseness. i would totally reccommend the matching FSA ISIS BB. i honestly don't know how much smaller than 38 you can go on the inner chainring on the Gossamers, it's already a REALLY close fit...maybe a 37T, but i doubt it would go smaller...

oh, and kev, i think Miche cranks are campy compatible...since i believe campy manufactures a some stuff for them...i've also used an old dura ace road crank on a newer campy athena BB...

I would not mix Shimano and campy BB and cranks at all, you are going to ruin the BB and the Crank. THe diffference is not drastic between the two to be honest, but there is enough difference that in long run you will ruin one if not both the crank and BB.


Here is the info I found on the BB from Campy and Shimano.
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Shimano and almost every major bottom bracket maker have traditionally used the same spindle end cross section of 12.9 mm and two degree taper. Campagnolo uses the same two degree taper but has a smaller starting cross section of 12.7 mm.
A Shimano crank arm will bottom out on Campagnolo spindle. A Campagnolo crank arm will not draw far enough onto a Shimano spindle.

guys... i have no intention of using a shimano bb with a campy crankset. my plan is to use a fsa crankset [or truvativ, if necessary] with a fsa bb, or some other brand's splined bb. i want splines.

i can't imagine having any problems with octalink, except the bad mojo of using shimano parts on a campy bike... having said that, i do have lx cantis, so tere you go...

go with the octalink. Isis is kinda hard to find. I tried to get an Isis BB a while ago, and it seemed like everyone was out of them. My LBS tried to find it, and I ended up paying $50 bucks for an isis BB when I Only wanted the $30 one. I think that right now, until more manucturers start making isis, it is more trouble then it is worth.

Octalink is mad cheap, and you can get it anywhere...that is the option I would go with.

If you're OK with the gearing, you could try some cheaper, shade-tree procedures:

1) put a old freewheel spacer behind the fixed "cup."
2) If it's older steel tubing (eg 531, sl), you can bash the chainstay in with a mallet. Crude but effective.

i ordered the crankset today. it's the octalink fsa gossamer 'cross crankset 38/48, 172.5 mm. i'll use a 105 bb and live with the bad mojo. i moonlight at my lbs, so i'm getting this stuff for pretty much cost-plus-shipping.

that's the exact same setup i have. i hope your cranks don't slip on the spindle like mine do.