I'm going to put cables and housings on my first Campagnolo build and I need you all to educate me on the differences between Campy and Shimano. Too bad Sheldon doesn't have a crib sheet for this. Here is what I'm trying to clear up:

I understand Campy has different ends than Shimano so the cables themselves need to be Campy-specific. Does one Campy cable design fit all years?

Are Campy cables different diameters than Shimano? Does anyone have shift and brake diameters for Campy cables?

Can I use a Campy cable in a non-Campy housing such as Jagwire Road Pro? I like the variety of colors Jagwire offers.

My specific application is a 2nd gen Campy Record group. I'll also be working with an 8 speed Veloce (friction) group.

Figured if anyone knew this stuff it would be you guys. Thanks!

The cable ends on Campy are slightly narrower. Housing is the same.

Jagwire does shift cables with two ends, one campy, one shimano (marked C or S)

A. Shimano Brake Cable
B. Campagnolo Brake Cable
C. Mountain Brake Cable
D. Shimano Shifter Cable
E. Campagnolo Shifter Cable

For at least 8 speed ergos shimano/ campy road is all all good.

just use regular road cables and file down the ends if they don't fit. use a tiny dab of grease on the end as well.

Use the Campy cables that came with your group, or get Jagwire, use the Campy ends, and call it a day.

Might the A and B descriptions be mixed up? C stamp on a Shimano cable? There is a C on the shift for Campagnolo.

Personally, the original poster's description of second generation Record is kind of vague to me, considering the first Record was in the Bronze era.

Here is a picture of the rear derailleur that I refer as 2nd gen. I've seen others refer to it this way but maybe mistakenly so?

That be a 2nd Gen mate!

Also, Back When, Campagnolo made their brake cables 1.8 mm thick. Not sure when they changed them to 1.6. Perhaps in the Super record era?
I like the older, thicker cables, and still use them.

As long as you buy shift cables with a Campagnolo-specific end, the brand doesn't matter. Jagwire's high-end cables and housing are just as good as the ~$100 Campy set.

Lots of good insight and I guess this was not as complicated as I first thought. Here is what I've concluded: I need to buy cables with Campy ends and fortunately there is only one type of Campy end used. I can use any type of road cable housing with the Campy cable.

That is certainly easy enough. Thanks all!

The Jagwire set that I recently bought did not have Campy ends... and that's when I learned all this :-p

I just went though this looking for cables for my Raleigh Pro. The old campy cables are a little thicker than newer campy or any others. They are only available new as NOS at very expensive prices like $70-120. The Modolo cables are a little better with prices between $40-100. I figured to not spend more on brake cables than I did for the frameset so I went with the Jagwire and a gray cable housing.

The metal used on cable ends is quite soft and can be sanded down if the fit is too snug in the shifters.

After once having to drill out the both cable ends on a nice set of Cyclone shifters, I now grease my cable ends.

Don't forget to get the correct Campy ferrules. The ends are chamfered and designed to pretty much only fit into Campy's brake lever bodies and cable adjusters. Flat-ended ferrules will not seat correctly in Campy's lever bodies/adjusters.

Here's a pic of Campy's iconic grey housings with ferrules. You may just be able to make out the chamfered end in the upper left:



DD

I didn't know if you were referring to the early (pre-~1990) Campag cabling, or to the cables/housings from the last 20 years, but Campy's modern shift housing is their "unique" 4.5mm (so is bigger than others) diameter, which makes it specific to Campagnolo's gear housing ferrules.

Shimano gear housing works ok if you use the appropriate ID and OD ferrules.

I found that the cheap and low-quality Bell-branded cable kits sold at WalMart (for about 8 bucks) actually use cables with Campag-compatible ends on them. Brake and gear cables both! The housing is unlined though.

I have filed down many a cable end, to fit Campag's or vintage shifters, but kind of hate having to do this. Never hold a cable end to a powered grinder wheel or you might very well lose your hand or your life!!!

Hey those are beautiful Campy derailleurs. Are those eligible for the long cage swap as well?

Soma Nuova Retro Derailleur Cage Plates

Yes. Those work with Nuovo Record and Super Record (the derailleur pictured). Those long cages let you use a triple, but won't affect the max rear cog clearance.