Roger M

I have a Shimano LX 7 speed freehub. Is there any mix and match combination that'll allow me to use 8 speed shimano stuff with that? I also have some 8 speed Campagnolo shifters(no Campy derailleur though) if they'll play well with shimano derailleurs. I am OK with 7 out of 8 gears working, if that what it takes.

Not interested in friction shifting at this point.

due ruote 

You could transplant an 8 speed body onto your hub.
Shimano Cassettes & Freehubs

clasher

I think you might be able to do the 8 of 9 on 7 trick with a 7 speed freehub. I gather you'll need to use 9 speed shifters to match the 9 speed spacing of the 8 of 9 cogs you put on the hub. That Sheldon Brown page has more details. The possibility is finding a dished spocket so you can just 8 speed cogs with all 8 of them and then 8 speed shifters. I have no idea where to find such a dished cog though.

mrmw

I have an NOS 8 speed body. PM me if interested.

jeirvine 

If you already have the wheel built, with a 7sp cassette, and have Campy 8 speed shifters (Ergos?), it would be easiest to just find a Campy RD, and run Shimergo 7 of 8. I bet someone here has a Campy RD for a reasonable price.

TimmyT 

Campy 8 speed brifters with a campy 8 speed rear derailleur will pull across a 7 speed Shimano cassette just fine. An 8 speed Shimano cassette is a no-no. See this website: Rear Shifting | CTC

Roger M

Thanks for posting this, due ruote. I'm pretty sure there's an 8 speed hub in the garage, somewhere... This looks like my best bet(trying to use existing parts on hand)

Yeah, I aw this in my searching. I don't have any 9 speed shifters or derailleurs available.

Roger M

Yep, I've run 8 speed Campy on a 7 speed freewheel in the past. Works real well. I dont have an extra 8 speed Campy derailleur though, and a long cage is probably what I'm seeking.

Is there any way to re route the cable on a Shimano derailleur to get the pull ratio right with Campy 8 speed shifters?

ThermionicScott 

If you're content to keep using 7-speed cassettes, I see no reason why you couldn't use the 8-speed RD and shifter. The RD won't know any better, and the spacing is close enough between 7 and 8.

Velocivixen

I have a 7 speed Suntour freewheel on my Trek 930, using a Shimano Deore XT (RD-M735 derailleur), with Shimano 8 speed bar end shifters and it shifts flawlessly using indexing. On paper maybe it shouldn't work but it does.

Roger M

Thanks for the tips. I guess this will be the place to start. I'll see if the 8 speed shifters will play well with the LX 7 speed derailleur and 7 speed cassette first(Your XT is 6-7 speed). if that doesn't work, I'll try an 8 speed RD.

I know friction would be the easy way out,but I'd like to keep it indexed.

TimmyT 

The alternate cable routing allows the derailleur to pull a little more cable. You want it to pull a little less, so without a contraption that changes the cable pull, there is no simple way to do this.

Oldpeddaller

I'm planning to use Campy 8 speed indexed barcons (the levers that plug into the ends of drop handlebars) with a Shimano 105 (9 speed?) long cage rear derailleur and Shimano HG 7 speed 14 - 28 tooth freewheel, with a KMC slotted 9 speed chain. Front end will be a Campy Daytona triple chainset (can't remember the tooth count now but it's something like 32 - 44 - 50 maybe?) and Campy Daytona triple front mech.

Any of you more experienced and immensely knowledgeable chaps know if this will work, any tips or suggestions? It's for an impromptu touring build of a late 1970's lugged steel Coventry Eagle Reynolds 453 butted steel touring frame - once I've finished painting the frame! I'm keen to use what I have lying around spare, rather than buy any extra parts for this build. Thanks for any advice you can give. (I've also got a couple of pairs of Shimano RSX 7 speed brifters, but I'm not sure if these will handle a triple front changer?) Any ideas?

CliffordK

Yes... both the Campy 8 and Shimano 7 are good for a 5mm cassette spacing.

Another option...
Bicycles/Maintenance and Repair/Gear-changing Dimensions - Wikibooks, open books for an open world

Campy 8 Shifters + SRAM RD 1:1 --> 1st 8 sprockets on a Shimano 10 speed cassette.

And, with a little luck, you could fit the cut-down 10 speed cassette onto a 7 speed freehub body.

ThermionicScott 

For sure. I'm using 8-speed RDs on two of my 7-speed bikes. Non-Dura Ace 7- and 8-speed RDs will move the same distance for a given amount of pulled cable, so the indexing works out fine. You'll want to make sure the RD hanger and RD are straight, to make your life easier setting it up.

70sSanO

This is an easy one.

I have Deore DX 7 Speed freehub on one of my mountain bikes and I am running 8 speed STX-RC shifters and XT 9 speed derailleurs with a 7 speed cassette spaced for 8.

Rule Number 1... You need a cassette that does not have a spider. With 7 speed cassettes, that is probably all of them.

Here is what you do....

1) Take the cassette apart. This may mean drilling the heads off of the rivets holding the cassette together.

2) Sand the plastic spacers from 3.15mm to 3.0mm. It does help to get a cheap digital caliper (Harbor Freight). The following link gives a bunch of info:

Sheldon Brown's Bicycle Frame and Cassette Spacing Crib Sheet

3) Put the individual cogs and the thinner spacers on the freehub body. You may or may not need need a 1.0mm spacer depending on whether you can tighten the lock nut on the slightly narrower cogset. If you want to, you can slightly improve your chainline with the spacer or use (2) .5mm spacers.

4) Set your limit screws and adjust your index shifting.

5) Ride.

I've also run 7 speeds on various 8-10 speed freehubs because 8 speed shifters are easier to find and usually cheaper.

John

PS... I'm just starting my Campy-Shimano journey so someone else can probably help you with that.