Campy Lessons Needed
 

The situation is that I have some Campy Chorus 9 speed ergos and front derailleur, but I need a rear derailleur for the group. As I search that big auction site, I see a couple of iterations of 9 speed Chorus RDs. One has the Campagnolo script as the prominent logo and one has Chorus printed as the prominent logo. My shifters have Chorus printed on the lever that matches the latter of the two aforementioned RDs.

Will any 9 speed Campy RD work with the Chorus Ergos, or do I need a specific era? Also, I don't mind mismatching if the level goes up, so what about Record 9 speed rears?

What about 10 speed RDs? Will they work with the 9 speed shifters and 9 speed cassette?

Thanks!

Any Campy 9 RD will work with any 9 speed Ergos.

Nixo on the mixo of 9 & 10.

edit: Altho, not long ago, i ran Ergo 9 with a 9 RD and 10sp cassette, with a J-tek device to adjust the pull ratio. I liked the handling on the low-end Pinarello enough to move everything to 10sp Veloce, given the deals from bargain UK sites.

I think as long as the shifters match the cassette the RD will not be too much of an issue. Any 9 speed, and I bet any early 10 speed Campy RD will work fine.

I always matched Ergo to RD, so I cannot confirm or deny.
The J-tek device allowed for smooth shifting but every once in a while (actually, very infrequently), a one cog ghost shift would occur. Not a problem for me, but I went full 10sp. The 9 speed stuff will go for a current build. R&E Cycles in Seattle will rebuild 9sp Ergo into 10. The charge is about $150. 2 good experiences with R&E means I will never have to go to Branford (sp?), also in Seattle, again.

Campy had two incompatible 9 speed systems. 97 and earlier are not directly compatible with 98 and later. You can tell which series you have by the hoods -- pointy hoods are the earlier ones.

I'm not making this up, look here:Art's Cyclery Blog » Science Behind the Magic | Drivetrain Compatibility

edit: apparently I fooled up on the date of the change from old system to new. 2001 was the year, but I don't know if 2001 was old or new.

Another option is to change the right shifters index ring to 10 speed. All campy 9 speed rims can handle 10 speed cassettes.

This is what I was referencing. I'm pretty sure I have the old style because the hoods are pointed and they have Chorus printed on the lever, but that article left me unclear as to whether I have to look for the location of the B screw on the RD or if the graphics could tell the story.

I'm fine with the 9 speed, I just want to make sure I get the right rear derailleur so I don't fight adjustment issues because they are not compatible.

Here's a good article for you. Scroll down to where it says Campagnolo pre-2001:

Rear Derailleurs - Branford Bike - Seattle/Bellevue - Campagnolo Pro Shop

OK, I will stand corrected from my statement that all 9sp Ergo works with any 9sp RDs.

However, I owned a 1999 Marin Vicenzo with Veloce 9 (pointy hoods) and in 2002 replaced the Veloce RD with a new Racing Triple 9sp RD (and a bigger cassette) and had no issues. The bike is long gone so I have no proof of my claim.

Apologies for any mis-information.