Campagnolo Gearing Advice

[Wezzo]

Hi. I’ve just scored a 90s Carerra ( Italian not the Halford rubbish) and it’s carrying a 9 speed Campag set up. Now 8m pretty new to this old stuff and my usual road bike has a 50/34 front and a 11/32 rear. This Campag stuff is 53/39 and 26/13. Simple maths tells me I’m going to struggle to get up the steep stuff here in the Quantocks with my old knees. So here are the questions

1) I can see Campag triple cranks on EBay. If I went with one of these would my current Mirage left shifter and Veloce front mech need to be changed? I ask as I have seen shifters advertised as 2/3 speed.

2) what’s the biggest cassette available for a Campag Mirage rear mech?

Thanks

 

[jonnyboy666]

Re:

think i'm right in saying that on those chainsets you will need a different axle length BB, think the double runs a 111m and the triple runs a 115mm assuming same era campagnolo chainsets.

the front mech will have to change to a triple front mech, i think the shifter will work though as i think there are enough clicks as it's usually one big swing from inner ring to top ring on a double with a couple of spare clicks for trim, then if you set it up for a triple again one big swing to the middle ring then another big shift to the top ring so i think that's fine.

i should also say you may need a longer cage rear mech for the triple if the double has a typically short cage rear mech.

it might be easier to fit a newer compact chainset, then when the cassette wears out you then replace it with a wider ratio and new chain and maybe a longer cage mech. spreads the cost a bit more.

the chainset i'd recommend is a stronglight impact, it's a silver square taper compact chainset with 34/50 rings, it won't look too out of place and they shift nicely when set up correctly. can't remember the BB axle size though.

 

[jim haseltine]

A 1990s 9 speed Mirage rear mech will likely have a short cage. They will (just) cope with a 29t if set up to do so but tend to over wrap on smaller sprockets while on the little ring. I'm fairly certain that Campag recommended a lower maximum - probably the 26 on your cassette.

 

[hamster]

I've done the following with 9 speed setups similar to yours:
1 If the ergos have micro-indexing you will be OK with a triple - it should shift with a smooth movement rather than big clicks.
2 Campag advise a 111 or 115 mm BB for a triple - a 115 is necessary with a 34.9mm seat tube - narrower ones work with 111.
3 You can wrap a 29T difference with a short cage mech: I have run 30/39/48 with a 12-23. It's extreme and can be rattly in big-big, but it just goes.
4 I have run 24/39/48 with a 12-23 on a long cage rear mech.

I have a spare long cage Mirage 9 rear mech - £25 posted. It's not the best, but it's functional.

 

[nammonk]

I've got a couple of Racing Ts running on 111mm BBs on 28.6 seat-tube diameter frames, and the chainline is fine. You'll need a triple front mech. Works ok with my 8 speed ergo levers, but not tried 9 speed. You'll need a long cage rear mech as well.
Nick