FastJake

If you couldn't tell from the title, I just tried installing normal cables in a nice new pair of Campy brifters. Of course they fit just enough that they got jammed in there, and I had to disassemble both shifters and rip the cables out. Then I got to throw those away and carefully file down the heads of new cables and re-do everything. This is what I get for not using Shimano

Is there any reason for this madness, or is Campy just trying to sell more cable sets?

3alarmer 

........................Isn't that a reason ??

FBinNY 

For the record Campagnolo has been using the same size head for at least 60 years, long before Shimano got into the derailleur business. It's the same size head that Simplex and others in Europe have been using for about 3/4 of a century. So if anybody is using the "wrong" size head it would be Shimano.

For all we know, maybe Shimano knew what they were doing when they adopted the slightly larger head. They were looking to the future when folks like yourself would jam it into European levers, and have another reason to hate European products. (those clever Japanese are very foresighted).

In any case, though this is late for you, there's a bulletproof way to protect yourself from this kind of error. Make it a habit to test fit cables bu inserting the head first (backward) into the pocket, and checking for the fit. This prevents jamming from flash or a squashed head (it happens) or simply from grabbing the wrong cable kit. Then protect yourself more, by dipping the head in grease before threading it through. That prevents corrosion from making the head jam 2 years from today.

BTW-maybe you could edit your OP to read "why the **** did Shimano have to change the size of cable heads?

fietsbob

its just a zinc , ball , file to fit..

cyclist2000

isn't the solution to get campy cables for everything and it won't get stuck in campy or shimano brifters.

Kimmo

This.

Andrew R Stewart 

Well said, Francis. Your reply references exactly what i was trying to say a few weeks ago WRT the view that many have these days. The view that what is in the market place today is the standard and everything else is the oddity or the difference that needs explaining. I'm no history buff or philosophy major but I am old enough to have lived through enough waves of change to have a macro view of things in the bike business. Andy.

ksisler

OP; Well you did use Shimano... just not correctly. Or you did use Campy, just not correctly. Trying to blame the resultant mess on the OEMs is frankly a bit of a stretch. Apologies in advance for (a well deserved) wacking.

kmv2

I was told I'd have a problem with this....never did though.

ultraman6970

LOL... well thats why you have to figure it out 1st,

I agree with FBinNY, for some idiotic reason shimano changed the cable and since their products went massive and the other manufacturers closed their doors (but campy), people got used to the larger diameter heads. Well as somebody said just dremel the head and ready to go, don't see the problem but you should have figure it out why there are more shimano compat cables than campagnolo ones, so pretty much you screwed up

Seen zillions of cases of shimano cables that snapped inside of the levers, never seen a campagnolo cable or even a shimano filed/dremel cable to snap in a campagnolo lever ever. Maybe there are cases but arent that frequent as shimano's.

Stores only stock shimano or shimano compat cables and when a campagnolo guy shows up they have to order cables (they cant figure it out how to use a dremel either) and have the guy waiting like for 1 month. The solution for that is to order cables compatible with campagnlo because those will fit both brands duh!, geniuses in the shops dont do this for some reason, jagwire have both cable sizes since long time ago.

So stop ranting man... you screwed up, worse case scenario ask before playing to be a bike mechanic you know

PS: if you are actually a mechanic working in a ship better take vacations for a month and don't tell anybody where you work or what you did... shame... man... shammeeeeeee..

HillRider

Jagwire makes shift cables with a barrel at each end, one Shimano size (embossed "S") and the other Campy size (embossed, wait for it...."C") and you just cut off the unneeded end.

BTW, Shimano and Campy road brake cables have different size end barrels too with Shimano being the larger. AFAIK, no one make dual ended road brake cables.

Campy may have priority but Shimano has the market and now SRAM is second. It was a Pyhrric victory for Campy.

Brennan

Maybe so, but that was a pretty sweet philosophical observation. You should change your business card to read "Philosopher/Mechanic."

Andrew R Stewart 

Brennan- I have been accused of over thinking all my life. Maybe that's why I'm so slow a wrench... Thanks for the compliment. Andy.

FastJake

This is what I get for bashing Campy Oh well. Lesson learned. And no, this wasn't in a shop. Just at home.

Thanks for the history lesson BTW.

ultraman6970

If makes you feel better you arent the 1st one neither the last one

Kimmo

And I always cut off the Shimano end in case I want to re-use the cable from a Shimano brifter in a Campy one (would pretty much only re-use the rear in the front).

Chop61

Except that on some Shimano shifters, (Tiagra, Sora, some 105) the smaller head can escape from the slot and jam them up.