samkl 

I'm planning (or at least dreaming about) a tandem build with a 3x9 drivetrain, and read about the weight- and money-saving trick of using 10 speed Campy Ergopower levers with Shimano 9 speed derailleurs and cassettes.

I'm thinking of getting some new Veloce 10 speed levers and mating it to a 9-speed Deore long cage RD (11-32 cassette) and Shimano 105 triple front (52-39-30).

But whoa, mixing and matching Campagnolo seems complicated. Add in the tandem triple and it's a little overwhelming. So I'm hoping the Bikeforums gurus can help me out with some questions.

1. Are all 10 speed Campy levers the same cable pull ratio? i.e., does it matter if I get new Veloce or old Chorus/Record/etc 10 speed?
2. Are all 10 speed Campy levers compatible with triples, or just some?
3. Seems like people complain online about a time in which Campy 10 speed quality and durability dropped off. Is the modern 10-speed stuff still chintzy, especially Veloce or (cheaper yet) 10-speed Xenon? If yes, any recs on another good, affordable 10-speed Campy option?

If this gets too complicated or expensive, I'll just stick to my old plan: a 10-speed drivetrain with a SRAM Rival right shifter, GX rear derailleur, 105 front, and a bar end shifter to operate the triple front derailleur. Which (I think) should work.

70sSanO

I've dreamed about the same thing. I already have Campagnolo 10 speed shifters, but I haven't made the switch since I went to a triple. So I am interested if all 10 speed Campy will work with a triple.

I thought campy 10 speed works with Shimano 8 speed.

https://www.cyclinguk.org/cyclists-l...gears/shimergo

John

pdlamb

I'm running Campy 10 brifters on a triple, but the rear derailer is also long cage Campy. I could never get it to work with a Shimano rder; even when I put on a Shiftmate, shifting wasn't very good. Fleabay to the rescue, and I've got a spare derailer in case I wreck what's on there now.

I usually use a Shimano 11-32 cluster, but I've run an 11-34 without problems.

nomadmax 

I run Campy 10 speed ergo shifters with a Shimano 9 speed Deore long cage RD and a 9 speed Shimano/Sram 11-32 cassette. No shiftmate but you do have to reroute the anchor point for the cable on the RD for it to work well.

samkl 

Oh, perfect. Which 10-speed ergos are you running?

nomadmax 

2000 to 2009 versions. I'm on my phone or I'd do it for you, google the shimano cable anchor for ergo power levers and you'll see what I mean.

samkl 

Got it, thanks.

Still wondering about the modern Veloce and Xenon levers, if anyone has experience with those.

pdlamb

I'd think they'd work just as well as the older, upper end models. They're all supposed to have the same pull to operate similar derailers across similar 9-speed cassettes.

bluehills3149

On my cyclecross bike I run a Veloce 9spd Ultrashift shifter mated to a Tiagra midrange 4700 rear derailleur. Cassette is 12-34. This setup (or using any 11spd Shimano derailleur) is close to function able without any modifications to cable routing but the campy shifters pulls slightly too much cable per shift. I overcame this by grinding a shallow groove (using a dremel) around the cable "drum" inside the shifter so it reduces the cable pull slightly. Been running this for 3 years and shifting is still flawless.
And in case you think veloce/mirage are chintzy, if you look at Campy's part diagrams you'll see that the guts of most shifters are the exactly the same - record/chorus just gets more speeds and some titanium or carbon bling but essentially they are the same. However I've broken some plastic shift levers so look for full aluminum ones if you can (usually Veloce and above).

nomadmax 

OK, here's a photo below on how the cable should be anchored for 10 speed Campag shifters, a 9 speed Shimano Deore RD and a Shimano/Sram 9 speed cassette. You put the cable on the outside of the normal clamp point and clamp it under the locating tab. Shifting is 100% in that position, no need for any kind of adapter or anything else. Of course you will have an additional click in the shifter that you'll never get to (10 vs 9) but the low limit RD will keep you from going to it.

As to the shifters. Newer 10 speed shifter (newer than mine; in the lower price ranges, not Chorus & Record) generally will only shift up to a higher gear one cog at a time like Shimano. I think the name they hung on it was "Escape" or something like that. There are some of the lower line models that don't have that "feature" but I don't know how to tell the difference without having them in my hand. The newer style/shape 10 speed levers (think Gumby head) have different internals and I don't think they are part by part re-buildable (just like the 11 speed models aren't). Bear in mind I have never used either of those types but that's the sum total of my research when I buy used 10 speed Campy stuff.

Link:

https://www.cxmagazine.com/shimano-c...-compatibility

samkl 

Thanks for digging up the info.

I was thinking this would be more of a "plug n play" solution. But it being a new bike and a tandem (with long, fiddly cables), I think I'll revert to the other plan - a 10sp drivetrain with a Rival rear shifter, GX rear derailleur, and a barend for the front triple. It'll cost a tiny bit more and seems like it'd be less fussy.

geluzj

samkl A bit of a bump for this thread... I wonder if you landed on a solution. If you're still interested in running the Shimano 9 derailleurs and cassette, I'm a big fan of the Campy Athena 11/Shimano 9 combination. Both of my bikes run this, and I had a third with 3x9:

Marin San Marino with Athena 11 Triple, Ultegra 6500 GS, Tiagra 4600 Triple (I've since sold this frame)


Lemond Zurich with Athena 11 Double, Dura Ace 7700 rear/7800 front


Redline Conquest with Athena 11 Triple, Ultegra 6500 GS. I set this one up 1x9, but could go triple in the future if I want a touring setup.


They were all easy to set up (no need for the "hubbub" cable anchoring) and shifting has been flawless. Note that I've only gotten it to work with Athena 11. I tried this with Potenza 11, which did not work, so I don't think current Centaur 11 would either. I'm not sure if any generation of Chorus/Record/SR 11 would work.

Darth Lefty 

I've had lots of luck with the rear, less with the front. I had Athena 11-speeds on a 3x9 bike and it worked okay. I had a MTB front derailleur because of the chain line but a road front derailleur would have worked better with the indexing. I still have Veloce 10-speeds on a 2x7 road bike setup and I still feel the front indexing is a little off with the RX100 FD and crank. Although the Veloce were billed as 2x10, they have enough indexes (5 clicks pull, 2 release) and pull enough cable for a front triple.

I believe but have still not tried proving that the new Shimano ratio is very close to the Campy 10-11 Ergo's and so Shimergo should work with the newer STI's. One respondent told me he tried it and it didn't quite work to his satisfaction.

DaveSSS 

I'm a 25 year Campy only guy, but I wouldn't mess with old Campy parts. In 2003-2007 I had several bikes with Campy 10 and an FSA 53/39/28 triple, but today I have more range with my sram force axs 12 speed, with a 46/30 crank and 10-36 cassette.

I'd never buy anything lower level than Campy chorus.

samkl 

We went ahead with SRAM 10 speed and skipped the Shimergo thing altogether. And then the bike build got delayed, so it hasn't even been put together yet. But who knows, one day this might come in handy!