kcblair

Hello all, Now that I have upgraded My Ciocc, with a 7 speed Micro Shifter, I'm looking into the possibility of upgrading my Concorde.

Here's what I have now, on the Concorde: Campy Athena RD, FD, Syncro II DT shifters, with a Shimano HG 7 speed cassette. Yes, that's the way I had it built, so I could have larger cogs, as I grew older, and the system works great.

I know, Campy did not make a 7 speed "brifter". Specs show the Campy Ergo has a cable pull of 3.5mm. vs 2.9mm for Shimano. Cog spacing seems to be the same 5.0mm .

I want to keep the Campy theme (Group). Has anyone adapted a Campy Ergo 8 speed shifter to a 7 speed cassette ?

I understand, one gear will be locked out on the shifter. Any suggestions and ideas are very welcome and thank you.
I do find used 8 speed Ergo shifters on Ebay, approx. $60. So I would take the risk. KB

Force 

I have used Campy 8 speed ergos with 7 speed freewheels, but with an 8 speed Campy RD. Works great.

Andy_K 

St. Sheldon confirms your observation that Campy 8-speed had 5.0mm spacing, so I think that should work just fine. I've been experimenting with various off-spec combinations over the past year and my observation matches the theory -- namely that as long as you get the spacing and the derailleur movement properly matched, no matter how you do that, things work pretty well.

There is a slight caveat that $60 ergo shifters on eBay may need to be rebuilt. The good news is that they can be rebuilt to work like new. I think it's worth the risk.

kcblair

Thank you Andy. What about cable pull ? Campy 3.5 vs. Shimao 2.9 ? Now, where do I get info on parts and procedure, for a rebuild ? KB

Andy_K 

For use with 8-speed Campy shifters, you'll want either an 8-speed Campy rear derailleur or an "old" 9-speed. The 9-speed thing can get a bit confusing because they changed the cable pull in the middle of the 9-speed era. I believe any Campy 9-speed rear derailleur made before 2001 will work for you, while any 10-speed rear derailleur won't. The way that you can distinguish between the old cable pull and the new cable pull is by looking for where the B-screw is. If the B-screw is next to the derailleur mounting bolt (similar to where Shimano puts it) it's going to use the old cable pull. If the B-screw is next to the upper jockey wheel, it's going to use the new cable pull. Looking for that will save you having to figure out what was 8-speed and what was 9-speed, I think.

kcblair

Thanks Andy, I got that, Ill search for a 8 speed first. Again, thanks for your help. KB.

Dfrost 

I use the Ergo rebuild instructions in Leonard Zinn’s “Zinn and the Art of Road Bike Maintenance”. I got in trouble trying to use actual Campagnolo instructions. Most likely parts will be the G-Springs that are widely available and inexpensive. Hopefully you don’t need a spring carrier (I haven’t needed one yet inseveral rebuilds.) Look for other threads on Ergo parts to understand which springs you need.

kcblair

Thanks dfrost, I've got that book in my library. Never thought of looking there. KB.