mixing Campag and Shimano drivetrain components?

[Bill D]

Hi, does anyone know please if it would work to use a Campag 9speed rear wheel & cassette with a shimano 9speed chain and derailleur? Thanks Bill.

[gaz]

.

[Ivor Tingting]

I use a Campag Record 8 spd hub and cassette with Shimamo Ultegra chain, chainset, mechs and 8 spd shifters no problem what so ever. Diff between 8 and 9 spd is the spacings between the rear sprockets and shifter pod ratchet ratio or STI ratchet. Parkers International do spacer rings.

[scottg]

http://jtekengineering.com/shiftmate.htm

ratio changing pulley gadget.

I use one with Campag 9 speed shifters and derailers, with Shimano hubs and cassettes.
Works very well, been using the shiftmate for about 3 years.

Scott G.

[JohnW]

Some months ago I built up a bike around a brand new frame - yes, brand new - made to measure and with all the brazings I wanted.

I use down-tube gear-change friction levers - not even indexed, never mind sophisticated semi-automatic.

I have a Campag Veloce rear changer, a Shimano Ultegra front changer, Simplex levers, Sun-Toureight speed cassette on a Shimano Ultegra hub, KMC chain and Campag Record triple chainset. Absolutely utterly compatible. When one item becomes life expired (i.e. worn to knackeration) I can change it for anything else which does the job. And none of it is reliant upon spending £100 for a set of brake levers.

On another bike, I have a similar set-up, but I'm still using Campag Record screw-on hubs and screw-on blocks, usually Shimano.

I run what I want to run, and not what greedy manufacturers want me to run.

Am I an anachronism? - well, probably, but it's simpler that way - and it's done me well at about 8 to 10 thousand miles a year for half a century, so there can't be much wrong with it. And it all costs less per mile.

[JohnW]

I'm still using 5 speed equipment

Good on yer gaz. My LBS has warned me that Shimano five speed blocks will become unobtainable, although their six speed blocks will continue. The six-blocks are currently, in my experience, better quality then the five-blocks anyway. It's just going to be a matter of checking that the wheel-dish/frame combination will take the wider block. New wheels can be dished accordingly anyway.

I'm still using screw-on blocks an two of my bikes, and when I get a new pair of wheels built nowadays, I buy enough blocks and chains to see the rim through - just in case manufacturers stop making blocks before the rims are worn out.

[glueman]

What a good thread. I've also built a new bike recently with 7-speed block, downtube changers, a Stronglight chainset, threadless headset. It all works exactly as one would imagine.

[glueman]

Perhaps we need something like the confrerie des 650 to keep older gearing sysyems going?