I have an old 90s De Rosa with Athena Shifters and Brakes and Campy Racing Triple drivetrain. My rear derailleur chain and cassette are worn in considerably and I'd like to replace them; however, it's difficult to find an 8 spd RD these days. Would I be able to use a normal double RD with my setup? Are older campy components compatible this way? Thanks!

I think so. I have a Sun Tour RD on a 9 speed Mirage indexed set-up, and aside from only having the range of motion to hit 8 or the cogs, it works fine.

Campy changed their cable pull in 2001. The upper level 9s is all pre'01, so you can put 9s Chorus and Record on the radar, too, as well as 8s RDs. Probably some other 9s groups, too, but some lower 9s came after '01, and I don't know the visual cues on these.

FWIW, I searched for a while and finally picked up a 9s Chorus off eBay for about $50 shipped after losing many auctions. It works with my 8s Chorus Ergo.

Here are some pics for posting sake www.flickr.com/30385849@N07/
So I can from a technical standpoint use 9 spd RDs from prior to 01, would I have to be cautious so as to prevent overshifting?

Not if you set the limit screws carefully.

With a recent campy derailleur you'll overshift by about 0.25mm on each click so it may work ok by playing a bit around. Pre-2001 8-9sp campy derailleurs come often on eBay and I think you still can get 8sp cassettes new (I know I could last year).

You can also try those jtek shifmate thingies and use some shimano derailleurs and cassette.

Edit: also you could replace only the (long) cage of your D by a short cage from a recent D.

But, but, what if the bike suddenly errupts into a raging inferno from mixing Campy and ShimaNO?

I wouldn't recommend it. 0.25 is a big difference.

I'd say you're right. But considering that the jockey pulley and chain have a bit of play it may work... at least for some time before wear and tear comes into play.

Are the Record 9 spd Ti derailleurs compatible? Thanks again for the help!

Don't the post-2001 9 speed components have "9 speed" silk-screened on the body, while the pre-2001 don't? A question, not a claim.

Get an 8-speed campy cassette, and then get a Shimano 105 or 600 8-speed rear derailleur off ebay for cheap. Run that combination until you find a good 8-speed campy derailleur. It'll work fine.

no spacing kit needed?

Unless you have tried it, I don't see how it could work. The actuation ratio of a shimano D is around 1.7:1 versus 1.4:1 for old campy.... The overshifting will be considerable!

Why wouldnt it work??

There's no overshifting. The cable pull on the OP's campy shifters will match with a 8-speed campy cassette. The derailleur doesnt dictate the cable pull, the shifters do that.

For several years I used an 8-speed "600" derailleur with an otherwise all campy 8-speed drivetrain. The shifters were campy 'Syncro ll' DT indexed and were 8-speed. It shifted great, even through that Shimano derailleur until I traded with a forum member for his 8-speed Chorus derailleur.

Yes the shifters dictate the pull, but rear derailleurs have slightly different geometries, meaning they will move laterally different amounts for a given shifter pull, i.e. they have different actuation ratios. You can check this page it's great.

I have never tried the campy syncro shifters, but I have heard they were kinda fussy. Does it shift equally well with the campy derailleur? If yes I am confused...

I think you're overthinking this and then getting scared by the numbers. I heard the same thing about campy Syncro, and every possible fix from using a Shimano free-floating jockey pulley to Voodoo magic to overcome its quirks. Mine are '92 vintage campy Record 'Syncro ll' and it shifted my Record 8-speed cassette though a Shimano 600 SIS 8-speed derailleur just fine. Optimally speaking, and going only by the numbers, then the appropriate campy derailleur would be better I would suppose, but I honestly couldnt tell the difference though when I (finally) scrounged up that Chorus derailleur. They both shifted great.

Given a little bit more time, campagnolo would've perfected the Syncro DT shifters, but instead they ushered in their 'Ergo' technology to compete with Shimano STI, who was a year ahead of them. Sad, in a way, because it spelled "the end" of downtube shifters forever.

With a De Rosa that's very likely to happen, actually. So in that case be sure to carry two water bottles. A Colnago frame, on the other hand, doesn't care, as long as Ernesto's bank account keeps expanding.

Or maybe not! My Professional SLX was raced with the DuraAce 7400 that's still on there and the owner did quite well. Certainly better than I can push it at this point. My Titanio has also never spontaneously combusted, but I'll keep a pail of water nearby just in case. Now, my wife's Primato/to-be-determined will never know the indignity of such character asassination, as I am ordering Campy 2009 Centaur bits for it this afternoon. Especially after seeing OFG's incredible Primato. Oh, and I won't even go into all of that horrid Shimano nonsense on my Master Extra Light.