Re-using an old 8-speed Campagnolo wheel

[Bice]

I have a spare industrially made Campagnolo wheel (aero bladed spokes on Mavic Open Pro rims) that I had for a 10-speed Italian steel frame with Ergo shifters.

But I have not used the wheel for years, as I long ago built up a nice pair of wheels on Ultegra 6800 hubs and, again, Mavic Open Pro rims. These look much better, and perform very well. (Not sure that they are better, mind you.)

The wheel is languishing, but I now think I could happily re-purpose it for use with two other bikes: both are more or less Shimano/ JIS - an old Carlton mixte frame, which I use every day, and a Diamant Belgian light tourer - and fortunately both have Suntour friction downtube shifters (the racheted ones that are excellent, IMHO). So a Campagnolo cassette would present no problems.

But I can't find any available with lower than 28T gearing, and they seem to be sold with a retro premium.

I have some old 10-speed Campag cassettes which might have life left in them, given forgiving downtube shifters. But 10-speed is too much for friction shifting, IMO, and becomes a pain, although perhaps I could space out fewer gears?

An alternative may be to take off the cassette hub and put a Shimano / JIS one on instead, which would give me a far wider and more economical range of cassettes. Or are Campagnolo cassette hubs screwed on in a special way?

Doing this this would also give me the opportunity to regrease and put in new ball bearings, which it is probably overdue.

[mattsccm]

l I assume that you are talking about a Campag hub. If so then the freehub, the bit that spins one way, is not swappable with something that will take Shimano bits. Campag hubs mean Campag cassettes . You can get things like Miche cassettes which will fit but I have found that they just mirror Campag sizes. You can play around with Shimergo, see "Too good to lose" lower down the index page .
You could re hub the wheel but to be honest you could just buy a Shimano hubbed one cheaper and especially nowadays when rim braked wheels are losing their value. Flog the Campag wheel, which, depending on the actual hub, may have some retro value.
Why not use the biggest cassette you have and swap the front gearing out? Often easier in these circumstances.

[Bice]

Yes, I mean the black splined ratcheted hub: with Shimano you just use an allen key to remove. I assumed it was just a case of removing the axle and bearings, and then removing the Campagnolo hub and threading on a Shimano one.

Shame.

I don't think this wheel has any retro appeal, but would be quite handy for me.

[drossall]

It's not the hub proper, it's the body (the splined bit onto which the cassette slides). Campagnolo and Shimano have never made available bodies for each other's cassettes. You'd need an independent hub to make the kind of swap you are proposing, in either direction. For example, though it's of no use with your hub, a number of independent hubs take Novatec bodies.

[NickJP]

It's not the hub proper, it's the body (the splined bit onto which the cassette slides). Campagnolo and Shimano have never made available bodies for each other's cassettes.

This is definitely wrong as regards Campagnolo. They make cassette bodies for Shimano cassettes that fit their hubs. I have two of them on Record hubs that I used to race on, but converted with the Shimano-compatible cassette bodies when I wanted lower gears than the largest Campagnolo cassette would give me.

See, for example, https://thecycleclinic.co.uk/products/c ... alloy-axle.

[mattsccm]

Ah but those are Fulcrum bodies /wheels not older Campag . You have fitted one of those free hubs to a Campag , not Fulcrum, hub?
Just looking at the fitment options. Be good if they do fit ( I would like such a thing myself) but methinks not unless the OP hasn't posted clearly. He does lack detail.

[853]

Campagnolo and Shimano have never made available bodies for each other's cassettes. You'd need an independent hub to make the kind of swap you are proposing, in either direction.

In 2004 I went to a very well known bike shop in Preston, (named after the local river), to buy a new par of Campagnolo Proton wheels with a Shimano-compatible freehub. After seeing the wheels, the conversation went a bit like this:

"Will this hub take a Shimano Cassette?"

"Yes"

"Can I see a Shimano cassette on the hub?"

"Certainly."

When the Shimano cassette and locking ring fitted the Campagnolo hub perfectly I got my credit card out.

[drossall]

This is definitely wrong as regards Campagnolo.

Serves me right for being too definite But I think it's fair to say that most interchanging goes on with third-party hubs, and relatively few Campagnolo, and possibly no Shimano at all, hubs can be made to take the other brand's cassettes?

[TheBomber]

Serves me right for being too definite But I think it's fair to say that most interchanging goes on with third-party hubs, and relatively few Campagnolo, and possibly no Shimano at all, hubs can be made to take the other brand's cassettes?

I think that because it isn’t widely known that you can get Campag hubs that take Shimano cassettes, and because Campag are understandably reluctant to make a big thing of it in marketing, that they came up with Fulcrum wheels. Campag wheels for Shimano fanboys.

As you say, I’ve never come across a Shimano brand freehub for Campag cassettes. But you never know…

[NickJP]

Ah but those are Fulcrum bodies /wheels not older Campag . You have fitted one of those free hubs to a Campag , not Fulcrum, hub?

Correct. Campagnolo Record hubs that I had built into wheels myself. If you scroll down the Cycle Clinic link that I previously gave, it lists the Fulcrum/Campagnolo wheels/hubs that the freehubs fit.

[hamster]

But that won't be for an older 8-speed hub with a steel axle.
There are also some hubs (like the Chorus 9s one I have) that had an intermediate axle size which only ran for a couple of years.

[drossall]

I think that because it isn’t widely known that you can get Campag hubs that take Shimano cassettes, and because Campag are understandably reluctant to make a big thing of it in marketing, that they came up with Fulcrum wheels.

I either didn't know or had forgotten that Fulcrum was a Campagnolo brand, to be honest.

There is something I recall about 8-speed (Campagnolo) splines being softer than 9, that might make 8-speed hubs not such a long-term option. I've stopped using my 8-speed stuff in favour of slightly-less-ancient 9.

[Brucey]

IIRC Miche do sprockets (into the 30's IIRC) to fit campag freehub bodies. Not that it isn't especially difficult or challenging to make your own, but they also do various width spacers, so you can build up miche cassettes to be compatible with almost any modern indexing system.
IIRC ambrosio(?) used to do a replacement cassette where each sprocket used a slightly larger splined fit and the cassette came with spacers and carriers to suit. I mention this because IIRC this system was quite popular BITD,(so there is lots of campag 8s stuff out there), the system supported larger sprockets (which don't tend to wear out) and you could use as many ( or as few) of the special sprockets as you want. Given how useless (for touring) the smallest sprocket in a standard cassette is together with how easy it is to add a sprocket at the other end of the cassette it wasn't exactly surprising to see how many people ran basically standard cassettes but without the smallest sprocket and with an added larger one.

Anyone with a welding set and half an ounce of brain power pretty much has the World at their feet here, I reckon. Whilst it isn't even slightly tricky to weld HG type steel sprockets together so they are strong enough it is tricky to get everything to stay concentric and sufficiently free of distortion. However, if you can manage this, there is nothing to stop you from rebuilding any worn campag fit cassette using shimano sprockets, any size.

[hamster]

There is something I recall about 8-speed (Campagnolo) splines being softer than 9, that might make 8-speed hubs not such a long-term option. I've stopped using my 8-speed stuff in favour of slightly-less-ancient 9.

It's the other way round:
8 speed Campag uses a steel freehub body and low splines. 9S and up uses an aluminium body with deeper splines. An 8S sprocket will fit the later body but chew into the splines as the load is over a smaller area.

[Brucey]

FWIW you can always modify a 9s, 10s or 11s sprocket so that it fits an 8s body, by grinding.