New lovely Bianchi Campag Gears problem

[Rupie]

I have been saving up for a new Bianchi, and this year managed to purchase a Sempri Pro, with Campag gears. I had a 165 crank put on it due to my short legs !
The Bike is stunning, a massive upgrade from my trusty Nirone 7. I only have one problem, the gear shifting is rubbish. I did buy the unit from a shop and they are working on it, but have not come up with a solution but I thought i would put it out to the world as to a possible solution. Don't suggest take it back to the shop, I'm doing that, just asking everyone's opinion, and don't say, change from Campag; that's not an option.

Symptoms at the moment……When I change up and down the rear, it sometimes changes one cog, sometimes two, then slips back to one, sometimes it will take 2 or three seconds to change. It can take upto 7 or 8 seconds to fully change, especially down, if I click through a number of gears at once, like coming over the brow of a hill and accelerating down. If I change gear and nothing happens, then change again, it jumps two.

The front is similar, the lever has to be pushed as far as I can go up a cog. Then sometimes the front derailer slowly slips and starts rubbing the chain, and I have to push the lever across to reaffirm the position on the large cog. The worst thing is if I drop off the large cog and it sometimes gets stuck in-between the two, the only way to fix is to try and get back up to the large cog and then go down again. This does not always work and is dangerous when coming up to a road junction, where I have to stop.

The strangest thing about this all is that the further I go the worse it gets, 5 or 10 miles and not really an issue, but by 25, specially of I am climbing, it gets terrible. But if I go out again, in 4 or 5 days time, it is better to start with. It does not do it on the bike stand. I can only conclude that something is stretching as I ride.

Ideas ?

 

[Big Nick]

Sounds like your cables are too slack?

Can't see how the shop can't fix that though?

 

[Smokin Joe]

Sounds like your cables are too slack?

Can't see how the shop can't fix that though?

Got to be a cable problem as it's a new bike, a good shop would sort it in minutes. One thing worth checking, have they forgot to put ferrules on the ends of the outer cables? That can cause the outers to compress slightly when you shift which would explain the inconsistencies. Unlikely but worth checking.

 

[raleighnut]

Ditto with a Campagnolo 10 spd Centaur set up with compatible Record 10 spd bar end shifters. I think that's why they have 3 separate adjusters on the rear cable including one on the lever itself, very agricultural after Shimano but at least the gears engage with a clonk and then stay there even if you have to trim the rattle/rub out every 5-6 miles. NB using genuine Record gear specific inner and outer cables.

 

[Rupie]

It has been like that since I rode it away, my problem is that I have not give them time to solve it, so I'm not blaming them at all. I'm very busy and cannot get it to them in the day, except I did turn up once, out of the blue, for ten minutes.
My post was just to see what people thought so when it gets back to them, on Tuesday, I have suggestions. I am free Mondays but like most cycle shops they are shut (that's worth another post and discussion, in itself !!)

 

[fossyant]

Could be cable routing. I remember complaints about the Willier Cento 1 and it's routing fouling the cable. May need the internal cables re-routing, or running in a liner like with Gore cables

 

[berty bassett]

sounds like the cable is sticking somewhere to me but i aint no expert

 

[Graeme_FK]

Whereabouts are you based Rupie?

This sort of thing shouldn't happen in that any bike should be road tested before it leaves the shop - new or used, it makes no odds. No bike leaves our workshop (and hasn't in the the years I have been working on bicycles) without a road test. What happens in the workstand is, especially with used bike, is no reflection of what happens when it is being ridden.

Typical problems in a case like yours and not necessarily specific to Campagnolo are:

• Incorrect cables used (OEM often use third party cable) - SRAM works best with SRAM cable, Campag with Campag, Shimano with Shimano - despite what many of the third party makers will tell you
• Kinked inner cable, maybe hidden inside the outer or in your case, inside the frame but from the symptoms, inside the inner is more likely
• Poorly routed cables - the Sempre has internal and that can and does cause an issue sometimes
• Use of some in-line adjusters on the cables - these can not only add friction, but it's two extra cable ends that need to be checked, two extra ferrules and adjustment can drift with repeated turning of the 'bars. Often the wrong ferrules get used, too - plastic in a Campag system where they should be metal. If they need to be used, Campag make them to work on their own systems.
• Plastic not metal ferrules - can cause excessive friction as well as adjustment drift if not the correct size for the outer (and if it's Campag outer, they probably won't be).
• Incorrect chainset / incompatible chainrings - frequent problem on front shift issues of all sorts
• outer cable compression - cables don't stretch, this is a common fallacy - what actually happens is that ferrule / outer cable junctions get compressed, ferrules get pulled into sockets etc - any good mechanic sorts this out so that it doesn't happen on a new bike, by pre-stressing the cable system before the bike is ever ridden.
• Hanger alignment should always be checked
• High gear limit screw correctly set and with no cable attached
• Gear tunnels (where fitted) should be an exact fit against the BB shell with no space underneath and in good condition
• Dont spray lube down cable outers - a lot of shops do this and don't think that the lube might be corrosive to or cause swelling of the cable liners or that the propellant behind the lube might ditto cause damage to the cable liners - stainless cables in good quality outers may need a small drop of thin mineral oil but generally should not need any lube other than that supplied already on the cables
• If it's Campagnolo Veloce, Centaur or Athena, don't be tempted to (and don't allow the shop to) spray lube into the gear lever - if it is not operating freely, there is a problem with the lever and it should come to us as the main UK SC for Campagnolo. These levers do not require lubrication and some lubes can damage them.

There is a test that can be done called the 1kg test, to establish excessive cable friction - get the shop to call us for details if they can't fix the issue.

If you get really stuck and the shop can't sort it, contact us via PM and we'll try to put you in touch with a shop very familiar with both Campag and Bianchi, or if you are at all local to us, you are welcome to book your bike in with us.

HTH
Graeme
Velotech Cycling Ltd
Campagnol Main UK SC | National Standard Cycle Mechanics Training

 

[woohoo]

As per Graeme's post but with some extra info. Depending on the year of the Sempre Pro (2013 and later, I think) it will have internal cables. Mine has and there are no inline adjusters. This is not too bad for the rear der which has its own but setting up the front was tricky because the only way to adjust the cable was to unclamp it at the front der and do a series of try it and see setting. It was a pain but once done it has stayed there and been fine.

 

[Rupie]

Thanks for the replies, I am sure everything will be fine, I have not given them an opportunity to correct the fault, and this is not a slag off of a shop. I will keep you all posted.

 

[Rupie]

Campag update,

I took the Bike back, and told them they have 3 days to sort things, it had to be perfect, even if it took longer, I was away so not in a hurry. They phoned me later the same day saying it was ready. Upon collection I was told the fault was that because the original front Compact was FSA, so was the chain. They changed it to a Campag one and that apparently solved the problem. There were no issues with cables etc.

And it was much better, and almost all the problems have gone, but after 170 miles, as before, its all starting to slip a little and change badly again. To change the front deralier the lever has to be forced all the way to the right, almost bending it, to change up and to ride in the slowest gear up hills, it will not stay in the lowest gear, it slips down to the next. We are going to the Alps tomorrow, before the Prudential Ride 100 I do know know what it will be like upon my return.

 

[Big Nick]

I'll give you 50p and a large bag of haribo for it then

 

[Rupie]

Not the Tang fastic ones, I don't like those....

 

[Big Nick]

Not the Tang fastic ones, I don't like those....

Deal!!

 

[Graeme_FK]

I'm at the Pru 100 tomorrow, at the Richmond stop - with the Mavic boys. Come and find me if you need and we can look at the FD issue for you. Sounds like cable settlement - the dealer should have sorted that before he handed the bike back - there are ways - after all, we don't get TdF riders gear shift going west at the end of a long stage the day after we change their cables ...