robertmccormack

I have a very fine Italian racing bike with a Campy 8 speed cassette. Due to illness I need to detune it from a racing bike to a tourer, and use thicker rims. I'd like to save my Campy Record Titanium brifters. My question is, will they shift a 7-speed freewheel instead of the 8-speed cassette I currently have?

And don't worry, I realize I'll need to bend the rear triangle inwards from 132 to 127 mm. My LBS can do this, but the owner isn't familiar with Campagnolo, so he can't answer my question.

Road Fan

I don't really know the answer from an Ergopower point of view. I do know there was a wide range of capabilities available in the Campagnolo Synchro (Synchro II?) range of downtube shifters - little colored inserts that set up the lever to index to different freewheels and perhaps cassettes. Occasionally the original literature shows up on Ebay, and a lot of older literature has been scanned onto the Campagnolo web site, which should give all the original technical details - it might take some searching.

Another option is to look up Peter Chisolm on Paceline or Velocipede Salon. He's one of the most knowledgeable vintage Campy experts I have seen.

How old is your frame and what is it? The harder alloys for frame tubes are more brittle than Columbus SL (their Nivex steel, which is CrMo) or Reynolds 531 which is similar in strength. If you cold-set (bend it past its elastic limits) a steel frame too many times it can fatigue and weaken. I have had a more modern OX Plat frame cold set, but this was an exceptionally skilled mechanic who understood the problem. There is no discernible issue with that particular frame.

Have you considered going with a 9 or 10 speed cassette with a 29 tooth or larger rear sprocket, or with a compact/supercompact chainset?Which generation of Ergopowers do you have? If they are the pointy-tipped ones, there was a simple conversion from 8-speed to 9-speed. Then you would be able to use a wider-range 3rd party (IRD or Miche) cassettes that will afford lower gearing without changing from the 130 mm rear end you have.

fietsbob

adding a left side spacer ln the axle and re centering the rim,
, if you can find a narrower driver for the hub , can be beneficial
in reducing the dish.. leaving the frame as is

Years ago I saw (offered , online, not in person) a replacement driver made by Campag,
to use Shimano spline pattern cassettes...

I cannot remove risk for you... good luck..

I just have Campag parts on my <C> Freewheel hub bike..




...

desconhecido 

Camgagnolo 8 speed cog spacing is the same as 7 speed cog spacing. If you put a wheel with a 7 speed freewheel in the frame currently set up for Campagnolo 8 speed, and use the same 8 speed derailleur, it will work fine as far as shifting goes so long as you adjust your derailleur properly and so long as the 7 speed freewheel is in about the same position with respect to the frame that the 8 speed cassette was. You will need to adjust the limit screws on the derailleur to cover the 7 cogs. This will result in the inability to shift the brifter beyond the 6 shifts required with the 7 speed FW.

It is my understanding that Campagnolo derailleurs designed for 8 and early 9 speed indexed shifting (97 and earlier) worked the same and that the difference was entirely in the brifter/shifters. I have used Campagnolo 8 speed shifters with both 7 speed FW and 8 speed cassette without problem using the same 8 speed Campagnolo derailleur.

philbob57

Have you considered getting a 7- or 8-speed cassette and setting the limit screw to shift only 7 speeds?

Litespud

Unless I'm missing something, what would "thicker rims" have anything to do with the hub/cassette? Why would you want to go from more gears to fewer gears? Are you swapping in a complete replacement wheel that uses a 7 sp freewheel? In any case, don't bend the frame, just get a longer axle and put a couple of spacers on it

robertmccormack

Thanks a lot. Will think about contacting Mr Chisholm. The bike was made in approx. 1997, out of SLX. I think it can be cold set.

robertmccormack

Thanks for the info-- I'll consider adding a spacer.