Sram cassette with campag group set

[Gordo]

I am doing the Etape this summer(alp d'huez) and looking at different set ups for the bike.

my new bus is a Specialized S-works SL3 of which i am very proud.
Problem I have is that the cassette that came with is a campy record 11-23 with a 39-53 combo up front. Not strong enough to push this but love trying to.

really like the 39-53 so don't want to get into triples and compacts. some really big long descents in the alps so really want to hold onto that top end speed as much as possible.

Question is this. I have been seeing that you can get 11-32 cassettes from SRAM and also 12-29 from Campy, pretty sure this can be changed to 11-29 if wanted but the 12 or the 11 isn't really a big issue for me. Want to know is it possible to get a Sram cassette to fit a campy hub (euros wheels) and also more importantly is a long cage required on the derailleur or just a slightly longer chain?

 

[Smokin Joe]

A SRAM cassette will not fit on a Campag hub.

 

[Ravenbait]

What Joe said. The splines are different.

Sam

 

[adscrim]

And your rear mech won't take a 32, I'd have thought a 29 would be pushing it too but don't know for sure. So you'd need a long cage rer mech.

 

[RecordAceFromNew]

Campag cassette to 32T is not available for love or money, afaik. However IRD makes and e.g. SJS sells them but I have no experience and am unsure whether they are any good.

 

[Ravenbait]

Rear mech won't take a 32. My Veloce just about copes with the 29.

I have a 2001 Orbit Fast Tour. Back then they came equipped with Hope hubs, SRAM cassettes, Sugino chainsets, Shimano BBs and 9-speed Campag Veloce triple transmission. No, really. For the past 10 years, every time the cassette has worn out, I have had to buy a 9 speed 11-32 SRAM block, dismantle it, remove the 32 cog, replace the spacers and reassemble as an eight-speed 11-29 to make the gears work.

I love my bike. Fingal is a noble steed, steeped in infamy and fabled throughout the land. But I bloody hate his transmission.

Chainset is worn out and I have a lovely Chorus triple. I'm saving up to replace the rear wheel, the cassette and the BB with Campag parts and then I shall be a happy corvid. Although hills are going to be so much harder. Especially when loaded for touring.

Sam

 

[661-Pete]

every time the cassette has worn out, I have had to buy a 9 speed 11-32 SRAM block, dismantle it, remove the 32 cog, replace the spacers and reassemble as an eight-speed 11-29 to make the gears work.

Is that an OK thing to do then? I wasn't sure.

I'm 'stuck' with Campag cassettes, 9-speed, unless I decide to change out the whole lot: hub, cassette, chain at one fell swoop. So I keep on buying campy. Getting a pain to find 9's now, 10's seem to be the norm. So I can buy a 10, throw one away and use the spacers from the old 9, can I?

 

[Smokin Joe]

Is that an OK thing to do then? I wasn't sure.

I'm 'stuck' with Campag cassettes, 9-speed, unless I decide to change out the whole lot: hub, cassette, chain at one fell swoop. So I keep on buying campy. Getting a pain to find 9's now, 10's seem to be the norm. So I can buy a 10, throw one away and use the spacers from the old 9, can I?

You can do that, the sprockets are exactly the same, only the spacers are different.

There are still loads of places selling nine speed cassettes if you shop round and people like BBB do Campag compatable sets.

 

[MartinC]

Gordo, if your Record set up is 11 speed it will run a 12-29 cassette no problem - it's within Campag's spec. If it's 10 speed you'd need a medium rear mech to run (by Campag's standards) with a 29 sprocket at the back. But you might get away with a short mech - depends to some extent on the frame geometry. Not everyone does (see Ravenbait's post, I've had similar problems on one bike). The problem isn't chain wrap, it's the top jockey wheel running clear of the big sprocket. A medium cage mech has the jockey wheels 72.5mm apart, a short 55mm. There's only one 11 speed rear mech - the paralleogram geometry is different.

The SRAM cassette won' fit on a Campag hub 'cos (as above) the splines are Shimano standard and different. You'd have to change the hub and the transmission to get it to work.

IRD cassettes are hard to source and expensive. You might not be able to run a 32 sprocket anyway - see above.

If Campag cassettes are too expensive then Miche make cheaper 11 speed ones. R J Chicken import them and it's likely that they supply your LBS.

 

[HLaB]

Is that an OK thing to do then? I wasn't sure.

I'm 'stuck' with Campag cassettes, 9-speed, unless I decide to change out the whole lot: hub, cassette, chain at one fell swoop. So I keep on buying campy. Getting a pain to find 9's now, 10's seem to be the norm. So I can buy a 10, throw one away and use the spacers from the old 9, can I?

When I was in Spain Miche were a big competitor to Campy and nearly half the price; I've not seen to much miche stuff here but a quick google brought up this 9 speed cassette in Evans.

 

[Will1985]

Do some training then you won't need a 32t.

I really don't understand the hang-up people have with compact cranks. I believe they are the future - the 110bcd offers the flexibility to go from a 34 up to 53 (with a carefully chosen outer ring). 36/50 is just as good as 39/53 and will give you an equally low gear for a smaller cassette - the jumps between gears are also smaller.
By choosing 12-29 you are putting some big gaps in the useful range of gearing. Nobody needs 50 or 53x11, especially in a huge non-race event such as the etape.....bloody dangerous trying to turn that down a hill with hundreds of cyclists of unknown ability in front of you.

It sounds like you are on 11 speed so any change is going cost you big money. If you were 10 speed I would say get an UT compact crank and a 12-27 cassette. You can always flog cranks later as used once.

 

[MartinC]

There's a lot in what Will's saying is good sense. From what you describe as the riding you want to do a 53/11 or even a 53/12 combination is not much use to you.

A better set up for your etape needn't involve changing much though and you've said you don't want an expensive change to triple or compact. If it's 11 speed put a 12-27 or 12-29 cassette on - either Campag if you want or a Miche cassette and a KMC chain for not a lot more than £100. If it's 10 speed then a 13-26 cassette for £200-£40 (13-29 if you've got a medium mech) and £60-£20 for a chain. You'll get a significantly lower bottom gear, lose the top end that you don't need and maybe lose a sprocket in the middle that might be of some use.

 

[Smokin Joe]

When I was in Spain Miche were a big competitor to Campy and nearly half the price; I've not seen to much miche stuff here but a quick google brought up this 9 speed cassette in Evans.

I've got a Miche ten-speed cassette.


Never again, the changes are not a patch on Campag with rough running and missed shifts common on certain sprockets. There have been reports of broken teeth on other forums.

 

[MartinC]

I've got a Miche ten-speed cassette.


Never again, the changes are not a patch on Campag with rough running and missed shifts common on certain sprockets. There have been reports of broken teeth on other forums.

Good points. The sprockets on the Miche cassettes aren't timed so the shifting won't be as good as a Campag cassette where each sprocket is shaped to match the sprockets on either side. Some people find it acceptabe and some don't! The upside is that Miche supply individual sprockets and spacers so that you can build custom cassettes or replace individual sprockets.

The quality certainly isn't as good as Campag, I've had the chrome plate on the odd tooth flaking off as you take them out of the box. But they are cheaper and offer you more gearing options.

You pays your money and you takes your choice.

 

[heretic]

If you have 10 speed Ergos then beg borrow or steal a Shimano rear wheel. Fit an 11-32 or 11-34 *9SPEED* cassette, Deore mtb mech and alter the cable attachment point as described on the Hubbub website. It'll index perfectly. Needs a 9 speed chain of course but it'll run smooth.