28 or even 29 tooth cog on campag short cage derailleur?

[EastSussexCyclist]

Hello everyone. I'm running 9-speed Campagnolo components on all three of my road bikes which are currently fitted with 13-26 teeth cassettes and Campag Veloce SHORT-CAGE rear-derailleurs. Due to long-covid fatigue I've been wanting to gain an extra two or three teeth for largest cog at rear in order to be able to better tackle the hills here in Eat Sussex, and I see that Campag offer a 14-28, while Miche Primato offer Campag-compatible cassettes with either 13-28 or 12-29 (both 9-speed). The old information was that Campag short-cage derailleurs were only suitable for a maximum rear cog of 26 teeth, however that was before the availability of 28 and 29 teeth cassettes for 9-speed. Do any of you have real-world experience of using a 28 or 29 tooth cog with a Campag SHORT-CAGE rear-derailleur? I've seen some people saying that it's feasible, and of course I'll probably need to fit new and slightly longer chains, but does this lead to any issues with smooth shifting? One other option is to fit one of those Wolf Tooth Road Link (other brands are also available) to extend the rear derailleur a tad. They bolt on to the frame dropout and then the derailleur bolts onto the extender. I'm not wanting to purcase medium-cage derailleurs for my bikes unless absolutely necessary due to cost. Any advice on this would be greatly appreciated

 

[PpPete]

The short answer is "suck it and see"......
Manufacturers typically quote quite conservative limits - which should apply to any bike. Depending on exact geometry you may find it works for one of your bikes but not another. My only experience is of Campag 29 tooth is in the last incarnation of the Campag triple (more than a decade ago)... but on Shimano I've certainly gone at least 4 teeth over the recommended limits !

 

[fossyant]

Your main issue will be the mech's ability to clear the largest sprocket. It it's like Shimano Short cage mechs of that era, you'll struggle to go above the recommended maximum, as the body is quite small. My 8 speed Dura Ace and Ultegra won't take more than a 26T, as I can't get the top jockey wheel any further from the big sprocket to see if I could squeeze in a bigger sprocket. If I want to 28T the jockey would hit the sprocket.

You can always lengthen a chain. I've gone over the limit by two teeth on a 10 speed 105 mech - 32T limit, but will run 34T with the B screw wound in.

 

[gizmo1994]

This is my 8 speed Mirage which I assume is a short cage. Fitted with Miche 13-28. It works absolutely fine.