liquid_liquid 

I recently scored a good deal on a Veloce groupset, and I would like to put it on an 80s steel frame that I have. This frame does not have downtube braze-ons, so I'll need some form of cable clamp for my brifters.

My question is: does anyone know if it is preferable to use an old pair of down tube shifters and remove the levers or to use a cable stop?

Apologies if I'm not using the exactly right terms. Basically I want to know if there is a benefit to using something like the component in image A vs. B.

A)


B)


If I go with A, I am going to need get some stops to put on top of the shifter mounts. If I go with B, I'm assuming I need to get some kind of barrel adjuster? And if it affects this decision, I'd like to get an old Campagnolo clamp to match the groupset (by the way, let me know if you have an extra lying around you'd like to part with ), so I'm not sure if this makes finding shifter mounts any more or less difficult or expensive.

Thanks in advance.

bikeaddiction1

I believe you have already identified the advantage to B. If you have no other adjustability in the cable it is good to go this way.

ZudeJammer

A) cable stops wont fit on that shifter clamp without a dremel
B) classic option
C) run the housing the full length using black cable ties

I had the same issue putting bar ends on an old bike, I went with B and got a shiny Huret clamp but I am debating switching it to C to keep my cables clean, and am gonna add a cable adjuster at the derailleur

nlerner

For this purpose, I've retapped Huret downtube shifter clamps with an M5 tap so that they accept cable stops with adjustors. That Campy stop could work, but on the rear, at least, you definitely need an adjustor/tightener somewhere along the line, and I've also found that those stops need to be reamed or drilled out a bit to accept cable-end ferrules.

francophile 

This ^^

It's also what I do to build up 1x6 - 1x8 bikes for intown riding with Shimano rear mechs and lever - Huret downtube clamp, tapped M5. You can get cheap tap-and-die sets on AMZN that'll do the job fine for a little more than you'd pay for a single high-quality name-brand tap.

Dylansbob 

So what I've done a few times is to take apart an old clamp shifter and use it's band with a modern shimano shifter boss adaptor. Usually you just need to use the orignal bolt to tighten it down.

rjhammett

I would go with option 'B'. You can then use an in-line cable adjuster if desired. Example:

RiddleOfSteel

Origin8 and Problem Solvers among others offer some modern solutions, otherwise your two initially proposed ideas are solid and I've employed both. And like @nlerner said, finding clamp-on DT shifters with an M5 threading (so you can mount cable stops w/ barrel adjusters) is preferable. There are Shimano 600 units that are the Holy Grail (IMO), but they can be pricey. Where are you located with respect to a major metropolitan area and the likelihood of a bike shop that sells new/used components? (It would also be tremendously helpful for the rest of us if you could put your city/area/region in your profile)



Shimano 600 clamp on DT shifter adapter that works for all indexed Shimmy-Shammy levers as well as downtube cable stops (when you remove the adapters for the shifters).


Downtube cable stops. They come in fully concave backing/interfaces (like for vintage steel tube diameters), semi-concave (OS tubing and aluminum frames etc), and flat (Cannondales and earlier carbon bikes etc).

degan

Inline cable adjusters are something I used for this exact same problem some time back. Worked like a dream, but I think I had to order them because the LBS didn't have them.

cyccommute 

I can’t say for sure that any modification would be needed with the old shifter stop. I’ve used them on conversion for Shimano using a Shimano downtube housing stop on either a Shimano clamp or a Suntour clamp without modification. It would be best to just see if it works first and make any necessary modifications as needed.

However, the second option probably won’t work at all. I’ve seen people try it at the local co-op and the cable housing just doesn’t have enough support for the precision needed for index shifting. The cable housing flexes too much and the shifting is very dodgy. You need a much stiffer anchor for the cable end. Campy does seem to make a cable stop as well. That might work better with a clamp-on shifter boss.

You might be able to use an adjuster called “mouse ears” from Jagwire. You might be able to drill out the Campy cable stop (option B) but I don’t think there is enough metal here. The diameter of the mouse ears is too wide for the cable stop and you’ll probably just break it.

liquid_liquid 

Thanks for the replies everyone. These are really helpful, and it seems like I have some good options.

I need this info for my first ground-up build. I'm seeing how nice I can make my ride for as affordable as I can. The challenge, I'm realizing and as I'm sure you all know, arises when you want to be consistent with the components, and the components happen to be from a certain Italian manufacturer: it can be turn out to be pretty pricey. You would think a simple band of metal with Campagnolo stamped on it (B) would be cheap, but we're looking at at least $30 when I think I can get some used clamp on shifters (A) from another manufacturer at a local shop for a few dollars. (And I've seen some rusty bikes for sale with a Campy downtube shifter for $100, which makes option B seem absurdly pricey.) The modern solution that RiddleOfSteel suggested at least doesn't have a brand prominently displayed on it, though these clamps may be a bit clunkier than the look I'm going for.

I'm in the Greater Boston area, by the way.

nlerner

I don’t know what the current state of bike co-ops is under pandemic conditions, but usually Broadway Bikes in Somerville and Bikes Not Bombs in JP have ample used parts bins.

liquid_liquid 

I decided to return to this thread for posterity's sake. If anyone stumbles on this thread via Google looking for a solution to a similar problem, here is what I did:

First, I came across a clamp-on set of Campagnolo downtube shifters with the levers removed, which corresponds to image A. As several posts pointed out, this did not work. It is impossible to fit cable stops onto the clamp.

I decided to run with the option I knew would work, which is the "modern" solution. I used the Origin8 cable stop. I don't particularly like the look given the rest of my bike's aesthetic, but I can say this solution does work and I was able to race with no problems.

This is what it looks like:

Classtime 

For posteriors sake we need a picture of this C&V bike you race on.

edit: funny posteriors. Did I do that?

jdawginsc 

Did you use an inline adjuster with the rear, or do you just adjust at the cable stop on the derailleur?

liquid_liquid 

'sHere are a few quick shots.

I had meant to start a full thread about this build but haven't gotten around to it. The bottom line was that I wanted to create a gravel ride with a frame I had acquired that could take big tires, and I wanted to do so as cheaply as I could (which means no wireless components) and still have some style. Ultimately, I had to bite the bullet and get new wheels, I learned, because no old rims would take large enough tires. I was trying to keep things "Italian" because, despite the frame's origins, the model is called Giro. I did a pretty good job, except the saddle, which I got for free; the handlebars, because I wanted some wide ones; and the tires because at that point I had spent more than I wanted to and ran out of patience looking for Italian gravel tires.

And I didn't use an inline adjuster. The main reason was this was my first build ever, so I learned a lot along the way, and I ran out of time to do any more tweaks before my race.

Classtime 

Nice job. I bet it was the best looking bike on the course. What size are those Gravelking? (35s fit on regular road rims in CX race situations. For next time$?)

liquid_liquid 

Yes, they are 35s. I was afraid to risk trying to put them on a 15mm or smaller inner rim width.

Jsendin

I know this is an old thread. I recently bought the Origin 8 solution (waiting in the post) but in the meantime also made my own with Shimano Altus clamp-on shifters and Shimano barrel adjusters. I kept the screw (M4?) from the Altus and it seems to work well (M5 screws from the barrel adjusters didn't fit). I haven't installed it yet but can't see why it won't work.

RiddleOfSteel mentioned Shimano 600 clamp-on shifters as ideal but as he notes these are expensive whereas the Shimano Altus are cheap and readily available (in my area)

I only did one side as it's for a 1x with trigger shifter

ascherer 

Maybe I'm the lucky dog? I've used old Campy, shimano, and Huret cable stops without adjusters successfully in 2/3 x 9/10 setups. The brifter and derailleur adjusters seem to be sufficient. That said, I may tap one and see what happens.

DiegoFrogs

When I briftered my Pro Tour, I used the original Suntour cable stop that worked with the original Barcons. My brifters don't have adjusters, but the RDs that I used did, so the rear wasn't an issue. For the front derailleur I used a barrel adjuster where one side fits into a housing stop, which I mounted in the Suntour stop. Works great! I even shift the original front Cyclone on a double with the Claris brifter.