zacster

I'm going to replace my Chorus 10sp pulley wheels after 20 years of use. Other than just buying another set of Campy wheels, what brands/types should I look at? I see some super expensive ceramic ones, but also cheap ceramic and sealed bearing ones. The original Campy pulleys don't have bearings, just a bushing. Does it really matter?

FBinNY 

Given the loads and speeds involved, bronze bushing pulleys are more than adequate. I've yet to see any that wore out before the chain ate them up.

Your 20 years experience means that out.

If you want to try something else, be sure to mat the width.

FBinNY 

Given the loads and speeds involved, bronze bushing pulleys are more than adequate. I've yet to see any that wore out before the chain ate them up.

Your 20 years experience means that out.

If you want to try something else, be sure to match the width.

Also note that Campy used the same pulley top and bottom, whereas many made for Shimano had upper pulleys with sideways float.

Aardwolf

I replaced the jockey wheels on some SunTour Cyclone that were 40 years old with sealed bearing ones.
I've done over 500 miles on them and no problems.

They also make a 9-11 speed version: https://www.amazon.co.uk/BBB-Jockey-...R8A/ref=sr_1_4
For the price I'd say worth a try.

Andrew R Stewart 

The Campy (and Shimano) guide pulleys have a free floating lateral play designed into them (to better align with a cog after a shift, this free play absorbs minor tolerance and adjustment "offnesses"). Most of the cartridge bearing pulleys I've seen don't. Whether this difference makes a difference when actually riding will depend on a bunch of factors like how worn the rest of the system is and how close to the intended did the manufacturer make the specific parts on the bike (what are the actual tolerance drifts and do they add up or cancel out).

The other aspect of aftermarket pulleys is the material they are so often made of, Aluminum and not a plastic. Often the noise of the chain running over the pulley is increased. Andy

13ollocks

Pretty sure my Campag 10sp pulleys are specifically labeled "UPPER" and "LOWER" - what would be the point of they were identical?

smd4

In my experience, aluminum pulley wheels do not exacerbate noise at all, and the fact that the top pulley does not "free float" does not affect index shifting to any noticeable degree on my DA 7700 system.

ScottCommutes

I don't know. Lots of things in life are identical but still install in a certain position due to wear. In the 1700s for example, shoes were identical, but you always wore them on the same feet. The identical legs on my kitchen table are also numbered 1-4.
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13ollocks

Hm - I have no doubt that things that start out identical end up being different as a result of differential wear - those initially identical shoes would certainly take on "right" and "left" forms after some use. However, this doesn't explain why apparently identical pulleys would be specifically labeled "upper" and "lower" if their initial placement didn't matter, regardless of how they ultimately wore from use.
I have no comment or insight wrt your table legs

Troul 

idler & pulley material is likely going to be the thing to consider if operating noise is of concern. alloy/metals will likely drive with a noticeable noise, & impact chain wear over a composite/poly material.

Troul 

underwear isn't "numbered" (unless you do do the #2 in them) , yet some folks might [after initial use] turn them around, inside out & then around for the 4x use.

FBinNY 

Sorry, I my Campy familiarity is a bit dated. I stand corrected.

KCT1986

Sometimes the pulleys may appear identical but some companies have pulleys that have slightly different teeth profiles. The upper may have a fuller profile to better 'grip' the chain, and the lower a beveled shape to allow for the varying approach angle of the chain.

zacster

This discussion has convinced me to just get Campy replacements instead of the 3rd party ones. I thought about getting the BBB ones mentioned above, but that was the UK Amazon with prices in GBP plus shipping and the US site was almost as much as Campy. I'm ordering those and a new Veloce 13-29 cassette. I already have a new KMC chain in the package so what I plan on doing is putting a new chain on, but using the old chain when I go back to the trainer in the fall. No sense in wearing out a chain indoors, plus the cassette is old on the trainer at this point. On top of that it is an Ultegra cassette respaced for Campy and if it impacted wear I'll eliminate that. I'm not that concerned but why not.

ScottCommutes

I should have led with a better example. When you overhaul an engine, you keep the parts associated with each cylinder together, often in little plastic bags.

Andrew_G 

I've previously used both steel bearing and ceramic bearing Tacx 9/10 speed pulleys on my Campy 9 drivetrain. To me, the BBB pulleys look identical to the Tacx pulleys, except for color(s).


I found the Tacx pulleys shifted more slowly and less distinctly than the OEM Campy pulleys. To fault isolate the slower shifting, I once did a 2 derailleur, 2 pulley set, 2 chain & 2 cassette swap and try test sequence. I thus isolated the slower shifting to the Tacx pulleys.


The Tacx 9-10 pulleys had thinner teeth than the OEM Campy 9 pulleys. With the thinner Tacx pulley teeth, the derailleur had to move more to contact the inner side of the chain to implement a shift; this resulted in a slower shift time.


I went back to OEM Campy 9 pulleys, and I've been happy with those. The Tacx 9/10 pulleys may work better on a Campy 10 drivetrain, which I don't have.


BTW, both the Tacx 9-10 and the Campy 9 pulleys have designated upper and lower designs. The upper Tacx pulley has thinner teeth than the lower one, which helps with drivetrain misalignments but doesn't help the shift time.

zacster

I just bought the Campy pair on eBay and in looking at the photo the upper and lower pulleys ARE different. The lower pulley has deeper grooves to keep the chain aligned while the upper is shallower and lets the chain glide better for shifting. I doubt any of the others would have this specific setup and are more designed the Shimano way. I have 10sp and all of the Campy 10sp appear to use the same wheels. 11sp is totally different. The newer 9sp looks the same as the 10sp.

I'm hoping that between this, a new 13-29 cassette and a new KMC chain the shifting will be more precise. It just doesn't shift as well now as it once did. I'd get a Campy chain but I already have the KMC.

Campy jockey wheels - eBay

alcjphil

I have used Campagnolo and KMC chains on my 10 speed Chorus drivetrain. However, the last time I changed my chain I bought a Wipperman. Better shifting and quieter than either of the other 2

Troul 

unless you replace everything, the worn pivoting points in the existing parts are never going to produce that once precise feeling of a shift. Expectations need to be brought to reality in this case.

KerryIrons

Upper and lower includes the "play" in the upper pulley that is there on purpose. The questions is whether that design was in place on the original pulleys. My memory says it was (my 1998 Record had it) but I don't recall if the pulleys were labeled or you just "knew" that the pulley with play went on top. I assume that if Record was doing this, Chorus was too, but only the OP can tell us whether his pulleys are like this.

Eric F 

I have found the same with 3 of my bikes using JRC aluminum pulleys - Campag Record 11s, Shimano Ultegra 11s, and SRAM XX1 12s. I use them because I like the color.

smd4

Cool. I’m using Omni Racer pulleys. I like the color and weight savings.

Eric F 

I have an Omni Racer seatpost on my gravel bike that has been great. I had one of their Ultra-Lite stems, too, but they use a smaller than normal bolt size (M4) in an attempt to save weight. Two bolt heads snapped off when tightening to spec'd torque.