Ambrosio cassette, Campag spacing Shimano spline

whyamihere

Anyone used one? I've just bought one to put my winter bike 10 speed from the 8 speed Shimergo setup, but it will not index.The smaller 5 or 6 gears (separate ones) shift fine, but on the two large sprocket clusters it won't shift to a smaller sprocket properly.

I've tried it with a proper Campag cassette off my other bike to make sure it's not a problem anywhere else in the drivetrain, and the shifting was flawless as ever. So, do I have a one off bad cassette which needs replacing, or are they all crap and I need a refund?

a_n_t

cant really help but I was going to buy one for my planet x rims so I await with baited breath! May as well keep the shimano cassette on if the ambrosio is naff!

Steve928

I have an Ambrosio 11-23 10 speed Campag spaced cassette on a Shimano freehub P-X 101 wheel and it indexes and shifts fine.

Not the lightest cassette in the world but it does work fine.

a_n_t

Steve928 wrote:

I have an Ambrosio 11-23 10 speed Campag spaced cassette on a Shimano freehub P-X 101 wheel and it indexes and shifts fine.

Not the lightest cassette in the world but it does work fine.

was it just a straight swap or did the wheel have to be re-dished?

Steve928

No, no need to redish, just bang it on and ride.
No indexing adjustments needed either when swapping with a Campag freehub wheel.

a_n_t

Steve928 wrote:

No, no need to redish, just bang it on and ride.

cool.

Steve928 wrote:

No indexing adjustments needed either when swapping with a Campag freehub wheel.

er, bit too late for that, I've been "tinkering" to try and get the gears to work on the shimano one!

pinno

What type of chain have you got? I suspect this is a chain problem. If the chain is an Exa drive/ Shimano equivalent, the ambrosio teeth just don't mesh properly. The Campag cassette if you notice has the teeth pattern staggered (about a half tooth overlap between each sprocket) - same as the shimano cassette.
Is the Ambrosio cassette staggered like the Campag cassette? ...does the chain have profiled links ? Exa drive or not, since Campag produced the 9 speed and upwards, there is a particular profiling of the inner part of the link which is usually only compatible with the equivalent manufacturers cassette (yes, I know - there is a lot compatibility between Shimano and Campag, so all the anoraks out there don't reply to this comment).

Personally, as a stop gap to keep me going during an upgrade I bought a Miche cassette and it worked perfectly with Campag although a little heavy, it was fine. You can pick a 2nd hand cassette up pretty cheap on e-bay and probably cheaper than a very decent quality chain that you would not buy 2nd hand anyway. I also gave up buying equivalent "Campagnolo compatible" chains as spending the extra on a manufacturers own chain, especially campag, results ina much better gear change. I also heard good things about Marchisio sprockets/ cassettes.

whyamihere

:oops:

It's fixed. I won't reveal what was wrong, as it would result in great personal embarrassment for overlooking something so simple. I can confirm that these cassettes are indeed fine. Shifting's not quite as crisp as a Campagnolo cassette, but it works fine.

a_n_t

whyamihere wrote:

:oops:

It's fixed. I won't reveal what was wrong, as it would result in great personal embarrassment

ah go on!

glad to hear they work.

a_n_t

One other question, do you just use the original shimano lockring on this cassette?

whyamihere

I used the lockring that came with the cassette.

Smokin Joe

pinarello001 wrote:

What type of chain have you got? I suspect this is a chain problem. If the chain is an Exa drive/ Shimano equivalent, the ambrosio teeth just don't mesh properly. The Campag cassette if you notice has the teeth pattern staggered (about a half tooth overlap between each sprocket) - same as the shimano cassette.
Is the Ambrosio cassette staggered like the Campag cassette? ...does the chain have profiled links ? .

That will make zero difference. ANY chain, provided it is suitable for a ten speed cassette will work perfectly.

a_n_t

whyamihere wrote:

I used the lockring that came with the cassette.

ah right, didnt know you got one with it. cheers.

JesseD

Sorry but need to revisit this thread, my wheels have a shimano splined freewheel but I run campag, I bought a ambrosio 12-26 cassette and a KMC 10 speed chain, but I can't get the shifting to work properly, it just won't index through the middle part of the block. I have checked the hanger alignment and it's fine and changed the cables etc but no joy.

I work in a LBS and even got the mechanic to have a look and it's puzzuled him too!

Anyone got any ideas on how to solve this or do I just sell the wheels and buy Campag wheels or change my groupset to Shimano?? (both expensive as I would lose money either way)