Go Back  Bike Forums > Bike Forums > Classic & Vintage
Reload this Page >

Installing Campagnolo Syncro II

Search
Notices
Classic & Vintage This forum is to discuss the many aspects of classic and vintage bicycles, including musclebikes, lightweights, middleweights, hi-wheelers, bone-shakers, safety bikes and much more.

Installing Campagnolo Syncro II

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old 11-29-22 | 06:48 AM
  #1  
Thread Starter
Junior Member
5 Anniversary
 
Joined: Aug 2016
Posts: 132
Likes: 28
From: Finland
Installing Campagnolo Syncro II

Hello,

I have problems installing Syncro II (C-Record I believe?) DT shifter.
I think all the required parts are here. The plate/mushroom shaped thing (how do you call it?) has a round and a keyed deeper section that I believe is for DT boss flats, but it is a tiny bit smaller, so it won't go on flats even using some force. Thus the whole assebly is loose.

Am I doing it right? I tried on two other bosses with the same result. Does Syncro II require a particular DT boss? Should the keyed part of this mushroom plate be filed a bit?

I have uploaded some photos to my album. For some reason at the moment I can't attach them directly to this post...
Jantaras is offline  
Reply
Old 11-29-22 | 08:03 AM
  #2  
Senior Member
Titanium Club Membership
10 Anniversary
 
Joined: Dec 2014
Posts: 5,383
Likes: 5,321
From: Central Virginia

Bikes: Numerous

These are a couple of links I used when I first waded onto the Syncro pool.

Campagnolo Syncro II shifters ~ tears for gears

https://www.cadre.org/bike_stuff/Camp...moresyncro.jpg

I you follow the “Syncro” tag link on the tears for gears site it will pull up a couple of more articles.

I don’t think the brass washer next to the baseplate stop is in the proper place. The “mushroom” piece may also not be all the way seated onto the down tube fitting. When you insert it into the shifter body, rotate it with you thumb until it falls into place. You may have to rotate the whole shifter to do this, it’s been a couple years since I last set one up.


Quick pic of mine
__________________
N = '96 Colnago C40, '04 Wilier Alpe D'Huez, '10 Colnago EPS, '85 Merckx Pro, '89 Merckx Century, '86 Tommasini Professional, '04 Teschner Aero FX Pro, '05 Alan Carbon Cross, '86 De Rosa Professional, '95 Gios Compact Pro, '95 Carrera Zeus, ‘81 Masi Gran Criterium, ‘81 Merckx Pro, ‘89 Cinelli Supercorsa, ‘83 Bianchi Specialissima, ‘VO Randonneur, Ritchey Breakaway Steel, Rivendell Rambouillet, Heron Randonneur, ‘92 Ciöcc Columbus EL



Last edited by Spaghetti Legs; 11-29-22 at 08:16 AM.
Spaghetti Legs is offline  
Reply
Old 11-29-22 | 11:43 AM
  #3  
Thread Starter
Junior Member
5 Anniversary
 
Joined: Aug 2016
Posts: 132
Likes: 28
From: Finland
Spaghetti Legs, thaks for reply!
I the other link won't open. I checked Tears for gears content, but could not find images during installation.
The brass washer has its own place, where it fits nicelly. I also found exploded views, there is a washer just next to baseplate.

Now the mushroom piece won't go into where, I believe, it should go. Even without other shifter's pieces the "mushroom" would go until the keyed part leans against DT flats and any spinnig around does not help to seat it. It spins freely if it is not on DT flats, so I think it shoulg go deeper. In this position shifter would be just spinning around DT boss not engaging indexing ring.

I stil can't attach pictures, but I updated my album...
Jantaras is offline  
Reply
Old 11-29-22 | 12:37 PM
  #4  
Señor Member
Titanium Club Membership
15 Anniversary
 
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 973
Likes: 480
From: Colorado
From Disraeli Gears catalog scans (link):

CO_Hoya is offline  
Reply
Old 11-29-22 | 04:40 PM
  #5  
P!N20's Avatar
Senior Member
15 Anniversary
 
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 2,850
Likes: 2,415
From: Wurundjeri Country
I seem to recall my dual mode shifter was really tight on the boss, I don't have it anymore so I can't check.

You might have to get the files out. Is it fouling on the round part of the boss or the flats?
P!N20 is offline  
Reply
Old 11-29-22 | 04:49 PM
  #6  
Senior Member
20 Anniversary
Community Builder
 
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 21,884
Likes: 3,759
Paint thickness may not be your friend.
repechage is offline  
Reply
Old 11-29-22 | 07:58 PM
  #7  
Senior Member
Titanium Club Membership
10 Anniversary
 
Joined: Dec 2014
Posts: 5,383
Likes: 5,321
From: Central Virginia

Bikes: Numerous

Well I just went through my stash and pulled out a couple of those “mushroom” parts and tried them in the only unbuilt frame I have and neither really fit smoothly on the boss. That would tell me yours isn’t so much an outlier. I’d go with filing down the boss some to get a better fit.
__________________
N = '96 Colnago C40, '04 Wilier Alpe D'Huez, '10 Colnago EPS, '85 Merckx Pro, '89 Merckx Century, '86 Tommasini Professional, '04 Teschner Aero FX Pro, '05 Alan Carbon Cross, '86 De Rosa Professional, '95 Gios Compact Pro, '95 Carrera Zeus, ‘81 Masi Gran Criterium, ‘81 Merckx Pro, ‘89 Cinelli Supercorsa, ‘83 Bianchi Specialissima, ‘VO Randonneur, Ritchey Breakaway Steel, Rivendell Rambouillet, Heron Randonneur, ‘92 Ciöcc Columbus EL


Spaghetti Legs is offline  
Reply
Old 11-29-22 | 11:35 PM
  #8  
Senior Member
15 Anniversary
 
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 7,774
Likes: 1,748
Is yours the Syncro II for 7 speed, or the updated Syncro II that is 8 speed (sometimes called Syncro III and was the last version of Syncro). I thought there was some info on it at tearsforgears or velobase, but I just looked and didn't see it. I know when I was looking years ago, I found info somewhere. I did find the attached photo which might help, if you have these shifters.

The "Syncro III" looks a bit different than the Syncro II shown above, and I would imagine the small parts/installation are different too. The main distinguishing features in the "III"/updated one are a little micro-adjustment knob on the right shifter and the lack of the knurled knob on the right shifter - see second photo. When I installed mine years ago, IIRC, I was missing one of the little washer-looking parts, but was able to make do. These shifters work really well.



Last edited by Camilo; 11-29-22 at 11:54 PM.
Camilo is offline  
Reply
Old 11-30-22 | 02:04 PM
  #9  
Thread Starter
Junior Member
5 Anniversary
 
Joined: Aug 2016
Posts: 132
Likes: 28
From: Finland
Thank you all for help!

Shifter is Syncro II, without the micro adjusting knob. The "mushroom" was fitting on the round part of DT boss, but not on flats.
I cleaned the flats, there were no paint or anything notable. I thought that I will file just the "mushroom" part and not the boss because if I'll ruin it , it will be the easily replacable shifter, not the boss.

So, after 30 mins of careful filing and checking I got the part snugly on flats, the rest of the shifter went on just fine, so shifter is in working order now
Jantaras is offline  
Reply
Old 11-30-22 | 09:01 PM
  #10  
Senior Member
Titanium Club Membership
10 Anniversary
 
Joined: Dec 2014
Posts: 5,383
Likes: 5,321
From: Central Virginia

Bikes: Numerous

Great to hear, now comes the hard part; getting the indexing to work!
__________________
N = '96 Colnago C40, '04 Wilier Alpe D'Huez, '10 Colnago EPS, '85 Merckx Pro, '89 Merckx Century, '86 Tommasini Professional, '04 Teschner Aero FX Pro, '05 Alan Carbon Cross, '86 De Rosa Professional, '95 Gios Compact Pro, '95 Carrera Zeus, ‘81 Masi Gran Criterium, ‘81 Merckx Pro, ‘89 Cinelli Supercorsa, ‘83 Bianchi Specialissima, ‘VO Randonneur, Ritchey Breakaway Steel, Rivendell Rambouillet, Heron Randonneur, ‘92 Ciöcc Columbus EL


Spaghetti Legs is offline  
Reply
Old 12-01-22 | 04:47 AM
  #11  
P!N20's Avatar
Senior Member
15 Anniversary
 
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 2,850
Likes: 2,415
From: Wurundjeri Country
Originally Posted by Camilo
Is yours the Syncro II for 7 speed, or the updated Syncro II that is 8 speed (sometimes called Syncro III and was the last version of Syncro).
Just to be pedantic, the Syncro moniker was dropped for the SL-01RE 8 speed shifters circa 1992 (with the micro adjusting knob.) I can understand why they get the Syncro tag though, the g-spring system is essentially the same as their predecessor's, just without the friction option. It was also the same system as used in the Ergopower levers that also debuted in 1992.

A forum member even managed to put the dual mode internals into a 10 speed shifter, thereby creating the world's only dual mode 10 speed downtube shifters!

I've never heard them called Syncro III, but sure, I guess they may have been - not by Campagnolo though.

The dual mode shifters like the OP's were also available in an 8 speed version with a larger barrel and 8 speed insert.
P!N20 is offline  
Reply
Old 12-01-22 | 06:27 PM
  #12  
Senior Member
15 Anniversary
 
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 7,774
Likes: 1,748
Thanks for the info. Not pedantic at all. Its interesting to me as I've always found those eras of Campagnolo harder to keep straight than, say, Shimano.

As far as Syncro III goes, I probably saw it mentioned as a possible distinguishing term by someone in passing, so it's really one of those vague "people are saying" sort of things

So, my kind of 8 speed downtube shifters are accurately just called 8 speed indexed downtube shifters in layperson terms. Or did they have a name for them other than the model number you mentioned?
Camilo is offline  
Reply
Old 12-01-22 | 07:18 PM
  #13  
P!N20's Avatar
Senior Member
15 Anniversary
 
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 2,850
Likes: 2,415
From: Wurundjeri Country
Originally Posted by Camilo
So, my kind of 8 speed downtube shifters are accurately just called 8 speed indexed downtube shifters in layperson terms. Or did they have a name for them other than the model number you mentioned?
Pretty much. The shifters with the adjuster are Record, without the adjuster are Veloce. There were also friction shifters available, but they were just imaginatively called friction shifting levers.
P!N20 is offline  
Reply
Old 12-02-22 | 02:44 PM
  #14  
georges1's Avatar
Steel is real
10 Anniversary
Community Builder
Community Influencer
 
Joined: Mar 2013
Posts: 4,578
Likes: 2,652
From: Not far from Paris

Bikes: 93GiantTourer,92MeridaAlbon,96Scapin,98KonaKilaueua,93Peugeot Prestige,05CasatiClipper,98Jamis Dragon,95Tange Prestige(to be built),98VettaTeam,95Coppi,93Grandis,Daccordi x3(in build),98Piton(in build),99Trek SLR2300

very interesting thanks for sharing
georges1 is offline  
Reply

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off



Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2026 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.