Originally Posted by
DaveSSS
I see nothing exciting about learning that old RDs that are no longer made will work with something newer, or vice-versa. The smartest thing you can do is upgrade to the latest parts when you're able to and move on.
I guess everyone has their own reasons for being excited about things. For me, there are a couple of things about this that are exciting. Mostly they boil down to variations on the fact that (a) I like Campy shifters, and (b) I prefer Shimano hubs and cassettes. So any way to make these work together is a win in my book.
A lot of people like pre-2008 Campy shifters because they are serviceable, so you don't have to throw them away and buy something new. You can fix them when they stop working. That's nice.
I particularly like the Campy shifters that have micro-ratcheting for the front derailleur. This works better than indexing with a triple crankset. It lets you put the front derailleur where you want it, as opposed to putting it relatively near where you want it. Sure, bar end shifters and downtube shifters do this even better, but I like indexed rear shifting at the lever and I don't like mixing and matching levers.
The other thing here that makes upgrading to the latest parts a suboptimal solution for me is that I like vintage frames and most new parts look awful on old steel frames. So yeah, I was very excited that I was able to get 15-year old shifters and 18-year old derailleurs to work perfectly with a brand new wheel and cassette on my 45-year old frame.