cbender

I'm rehabing a set of "new to me" wheel with Campagnolo hubs, probably Chorus circa mid 90s. Last night after overhauling the bearings and getting everything closed up on the rear wheel (130mm spacing), I went to attach it to the frame only to discover that the retaining ring that secures the quick release skewer lever to the cam had broken and fallen out. I was able to find the remnant of the ring on the floor, but comparing it to the front skewer I only have about 2/3 of the ring (i.e. it broke). The photo shows what I've got left...

My LBS indicated that the skewer was a goner, and of uncertain safety to ride even if I was to find a replacement ring. They pointed me to a nice looking Velo Orange set for a reasonable price (certainly cheaper than even a single vintage campy online). Although I'm often of the mind that LBS are in the business to make money, not repair small parts, failure in the skewer cam while riding would certainly result in a catastrophic separation between the wheel and frame.

Anyone have thoughts on this? Is this retaining ring a standard industrial part that I can simply replace? Old Campy parts catalogs show this ring as part number 'QF-CH 003', suggesting that at one time it was meant to be replaceable.

Alternately, if anyone has an extra period correct skewer lying around, I'd be happy to pay a reasonable price or trade in other parts.

Citoyen du Monde

This is a very simple C-clip that you need and I doubt it would be very hard or expensive to find. You should however be aware of the fact that Campagnolo generally used bolts to hold their higher end Q/R skewer levers and not the cheaper c-clips. There must have been a reason.

juvela

wrt the retaining ring.

this type of ring is sometimes called an e-ring.

this page shows the various types. no need to source them through the bicycle industry.

McMaster-Carr

Homebrew01

Hardware store.

cbender

Yep, looking through the old catalogs there were a few years when the skewers were of this design. Many other years used bolts. Wikipedia seems to think that the clips are acceptable and common in automotive and industrial settings. The hubs are either Record or Chorus (no idea how to tell them apart), and the catalog shows clips being used in those lines for some years.

Hardware store was my next stop; the bike shop is close to work.

SJX426 

Yup, circlip. Should be available at a good hardware store like Ace. They work great and have been used all types of applications. Certainly lighter than a nut of any kind.

How the heck would that cam fail? This design is the best ever. It applies more force than the external cam design.

Find a circlip the right size, lube the cam well and use it. I would, however, check the hole the of the cam housing for elongation. Even so, it will work well as the other end adjusts the force.

rootboy 

The circlips weren't used for Record skewers. During that era the ones with circlips were used on Nuovo Tipo hubs.
The cam side heads were slightly different too. Beefier on the Record skewers, with better serrations to grip the dropouts.
These clips, and for the front derailleurs, are about the only part for vintage Campy Record you can find at a hardware store.
And they're a good fit.

cbender

First I've heard of the Nuovo Tipo model, and pretty sure the hubs aren't those. These wheels have a 9-speed freehub, with the 3 prongs powered by little spiral springs. The rear is 130mm spacing. Could be that the skewers are not the correct ones for the hubs. Regardless, it's off to the hardware store for me.

Thanks all for the help!