I've been fretting about fitting old and new Campagnolo parts onto my recent build, whether my 2003 9 speed levers would work with the 2011 rear mech I bought by mistake, and whether I'd get enough power out of a set of cantilever brakes. I analysed the tech docs, asked loads of questions on forums, and so on...
I needn't have worried. It all works together very well. For the record I have
Veloce 2003 (or 04) 9 speed levers
Shimano BR-R550 brakes with Kool Stop salmon pads
9sp campy chain with wippermann link
2011 veloce med cage rear mech (new geometry)
2009 comp triple front mech
14-28 rear cassette (9sp)
46/36/26 stronglight triple crank
Ultra-shift cables (slightly narrower than pre-ultrashift ergo cables)
It all works together, and pretty well so far. Touch wood of course. Cantis are easily as good as the V brakes that came off, and as good as dual pivots with Kool stops. Most surprising is that the rear mech indexes fine, despite the change in geometry. I believe I have routed the cable differently, but it all works. 9sp chain passes through the front and rear mech cages no problem, and I have the benefit of being able to trim the front as well.
When I asked about power shift/ultra shift compatibility the first reply was "just try it and see". Turns out that was better advice than I gave the poster (accountantpete, I think) credit for!
Oh yeah, I even used a double fd for a while to shift the triple, and it worked - just enough range to shift from granny to big ring. New mech shifts better and has spare capacity though.
I needn't have worried. It all works together very well. For the record I have
Veloce 2003 (or 04) 9 speed levers
Shimano BR-R550 brakes with Kool Stop salmon pads
9sp campy chain with wippermann link
2011 veloce med cage rear mech (new geometry)
2009 comp triple front mech
14-28 rear cassette (9sp)
46/36/26 stronglight triple crank
Ultra-shift cables (slightly narrower than pre-ultrashift ergo cables)
It all works together, and pretty well so far. Touch wood of course. Cantis are easily as good as the V brakes that came off, and as good as dual pivots with Kool stops. Most surprising is that the rear mech indexes fine, despite the change in geometry. I believe I have routed the cable differently, but it all works. 9sp chain passes through the front and rear mech cages no problem, and I have the benefit of being able to trim the front as well.
When I asked about power shift/ultra shift compatibility the first reply was "just try it and see". Turns out that was better advice than I gave the poster (accountantpete, I think) credit for!
Oh yeah, I even used a double fd for a while to shift the triple, and it worked - just enough range to shift from granny to big ring. New mech shifts better and has spare capacity though.
