JTek Shiftmate success - mixing campag/shimano.

graham_g

I've seen quite a few posts with people mentioning the JTek shiftmate and thought I should probably share my recent experience with it.

Just built up a Hewitt Alpine audax frame with the following:
Campag Chorus shifters (2006)
Campag Chorus triple chainset & BB (2006, 30/40/50)
Campag centaur triple front mech
Shimano 105 triple rear mech
Shimano 105 12-27 cassette (on Ultegra hub)
Jtek shiftmate model #3

First of all I did the classic 'don't read the instructions properly' and didn't get the jockey wheel the right way round and somehow missed the fact that the cable loops around the jockey wheel before exiting. This makes me an idiot I accept and the first 30 mile test-ride after building it up had just 9 sprockets available at the rear prone to jumping around in the middle of the cassette.
OK, back home, re-read instructions FULLY and realise I need a new cable. Turd. Finally get it set-up after assuring the other half that I'd only be half and hour.

Result: Perfect. Indexing is crack on, can get all 10 sprockets perfectly on the middle ring of the triple and no problems on the small/big ring at their respective halves of the cassette either.

Job done.

Nick Hill

having problems getting mine set up properly at the moment

have got hewitt cheviot se with 10 speed veloce and shimano deore xt every where else with a 9 speed casette

still got missing gears and erratic changes

any tips on setting up?

cheers

nick

BazookaMoor

I built up a Shimano/Campag drivetrain last year using the Jtek shiftmate and after some intiial setup problems was really pleased with it.

A new gear cable is a must (as stated in the instructions) and you also need to take up the slack as that cable stretches otherwise the rear shift can jump a bit.
Once it's all sorted it shifts perfectly.

I'd been a Shimano rider for a few years and wanted to see what the Dark Side was like without having to buy a whole new drivetrain. So I bought some 2nd hand Campag Chorus shifters and a Jtek shiftmate.

Not sure you can mix 10 speed Campag shifters with a 9 speed Shimano cassette. I think you need a 10 speed Shimano cassette.

PieterM

In my experience the index spacing of 10s Campagnolo is sufficiently close to that of 9s Shimano that there are no problems with the 10s Campagnolo shifters/ Shimano 9s mech combination. You have to be careful with setting the limit screws of the rear mech though as you may otherwise end up with a chain stuck between frame and smallest sprocket or between largest sprocket and spokes (depending on where your 'missing' 10th position is).