barkersoldbean

Hi to all,

Our Ibis tandem (which I bought 2nd hand) has a campag mirage 9 speed shifter set up linked to a Shimano Deore rear mech with a traveller in between.

Brakes are twin bb7 discs.

The shifting is rather stiff - this is despite attention to lubrication/replacing all cables. I suspect the traveller installed just before the rear mech is the culprit. When you try and rotate it - it seems a bit stiff - even after good lubrication.

Question I have is - is there any reason why the (odd?) combination of Campag and Shimano? Could I just replace the shifters with a 9 speed shimano set up , ditch the traveller and have a smoother set up?

The reason I ask is that we used a Cannondale tandem with 105 set up and it was as slick/smooth shifting as my Shimano clad road bike?

Thoughts?

professorbob

Yes, you probably could just replace it with Shimano shifters. I have a J-Tek Shiftmate using Camp. Veloce 10 sp. shifter with 9 sp. Shimano drive train and I works very smoothly. Is the traveller a J-Tek brand or another? The reason I ask is that a Shiftmate is somewhere around $40 whereas 105 shifter/brake levers (if you can find them in 9 speed) are several hundred.

pathdoc

I have a similiar Campy/Shimano shifting setup with the Shiftmate and works flawlessly. You could just move to a Shimano brifter.

likebike23

Just switching the shifters to Shimano might not work. If you are running a Campagnolo cassette, the spacing will be different. Changing the rear derailleur to a Campagnolo mech would be the best solution in that case. If the cassette is Shimano, by all means go with Shimano shifters. As for the shifting being stiff, Campy shifters can feel that way until they're broken in.

joe@vwvortex

If you are running a shimano or sram cassette - I have a Sram X-9 rear derailleur that was modified by DaVinci designs to adapt Campy 10 sp levers to Shimano or Sram 9 sp cassettes. It works fine and was used for about 3 months. I finally went to Campy 10sp when my rear wheel failed and needed to be rebuilt. I'll sell it for $50.

barkersoldbean

Thanks Joe - this would have been a good solution, but looks like i have got hold of some 9 speed 105 shifters from ebay that will do the trick (i.e. get rid of the shift mate).
T