Campag Centaur compact

[woohoo]

I ran a Campag triple (52-42-30) setup with a 13-26 cassette and used a short rear mech. Certainly the 52 / 26 combination was on the absolute limit of something breaking (only tried once, very very carefully during installation) and the 30 / 13 combination left the chain far too slack but I would never (and didn't) use these pointless extreme cross chaining combinations when out on the road.

In the end, I replaced the triple with a compact (50-34) and a 13-29 cassette, still using the short rear mech. The lowest gear ratio was as near as damn it the same and the chainline was much better. On the triple set up with the correct Campag BB length (115.5mm) for the seat tube diameter (35mm), the 52 chainwheel was way over to the right and looked cross chained on any cog inwards of the third smallest cassette cog.

 

[tiredlegs]

Cheers guys for all this advice,though some of it was a bit tech for my simple Welsh brain. Weighing up the options,work and cost involved, would I be better off not selling the cannondale (triple) and using it when I know the ride involves a lot of climbing. I`d be a couple of hundred quid worst off but I`d have 2 bikes instead of the 1.
Or is that just silly?

 

[Paul_Smith SRCC]

- yes, agreed - I recently had to replace my Veloce shifters. I think there have been at least 2 versions since my original ones.

You do indeed have to be careful that you are looking at data for the correct generation of mech’, with the disappearing choice of triple Campagnolo mech’s available I decided to be indulgent and upgrade my Van Nicholas Yukon, I had a Centaur Triple Rear mech’ and Veloce Ergo shifters which worked well; but while I still could I decided to treat myself and fitted a set of Record 10 speed Ergos and a Record Long cage mech'.

My justifaction being that I'm one of those ex racer types who still keep a prestine best-race bike for the odd day when I want to feel fabulous, while my holiday bike has to make do with cheaper components, yet I use this one far more and I often whizz down hairpin mountain passes with luggage, so in many ways it doesn't make sense having this bike as the one I use with cheaper components, brakes especially. I confess it was harder to justify the rear mech! In reality I had one of those moments when I got home from a recent funeral and just thought "I don't really need it, but I want it and I'm having it!"

Paul Smith
Touring Tips