Campagnolo Shifter Compatibility

Rigged

Hi folks!

I recently purchased a Wilier Lavaredo 2011 and love it, my one gripe though is the Mirage shifters on there. I'm not a fan of the plastic lever for gear change, I'd like the newer vari-cushion hoods, and wouldn't mind having multi shifting both up and down rather than just up like the Mirage do. Now I know that recently Campagnolo changed a few things about their shifters so I'm not entirely sure about what is/isn't compatible. Here's the current groupset on there:

Shift Levers: Mirage 10 Speed
Front Derailleur: Mirage 10 Speed
Rear Derailleur : Mirage 10 Speed
Cassette: Miche 12-25
Chain: KMC
Crankset: Xenon 50/34
Front & Rear Brakes: Veloce


Am I right in thinking I just need to make sure they're 10 speed shifters or is there more to it? It seems obvious that 9 speed won't work but what about 11 speed?

As a cheap alternative, would the replacement vari-cushion hoods fit the Mirage shifters or has the shape been altered too much?

Cheers, guys!

Rigged

Also, apologies if this should be in the workshop section but I was unsure which suited it better!

rc856

I'm no expert but think it would be fine based on the fact that I changed my levers from Chorus to Centaur when a lever broke. Old Chorus and brand new Centaur.
Then changed the mechs to Record before changing the levers again.

All been 10sp, worked fine.

Sammyw23

Yes I bought a Bianchi with xenon rear mech and changed the shifters to Veloce 10s straight away. As long as the speeds match (i.e. 9s, 10s, 11s) then it should be fine I think.

g00se

If you want the new shape levers and also the full multi-shift (called ultrashift) for 10 speed, then you'll need to source some 2009 or 2010 Veloce or Centaur levers. From 2011, all 10 speed stuff went to 'powershift' which is like your older mirage stuff where the thumb only actuates one shift at a time (though it's a lot smoother than the older escape stuff).

They usually turn up on ebay or some shops have older stock (you can tell them apart by the older style logo):

http://www.gbcycles.co.uk/product/31782/Campagnolo_2010_Veloce_10_Speed_Ergopower_Levers

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2010-Campagnolo-Veloce-10-Speed-Ultrashift-Ergopower-Levers-Cables-Black-/150768914725?pt=UK_sportsleisure_cycling_bikeparts_SR&hash=item231a871125

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Campagnolo-Veloce-Ultra-Shift-10sp-Ergo-Levers-2010-/170677977678?pt=UK_sportsleisure_cycling_bikeparts_SR&hash=item27bd33424e

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Campagnolo-Centaur-Ultrashift-ergo-shift-brake-levers-/220997209063?pt=UK_sportsleisure_cycling_bikeparts_SR&hash=item337475cbe7

Rigged

Thanks for the responses guys!

The veloce 2010 was what I was looking at but it looks as though it has the same plastic shifter as the mirage. Having read the specs of both centaur and veloce and given it a google it only mentions what the brake lever is made from and not the shifter. Can anyone confirm whether they're both plastic or not or is there somewhere that would say?

2alexcoo

The only current shape Ergopowers with metal shift paddles are the alloy version of 2009 Centaur or the alloy version of the current (2011 on) Athena.

They are easy to spot as the shift paddles are silver. Anything with black shift paddles (even Super Record) are plastic.



The 2009 Centaur shifters are getting hard to find, and early models can suffer from mushy shifting, so I would avoid unless you can try before you buy. Athena are all 11 speed so definitely won't work.

Personally, I find the plastic shift paddles absolutely fine. As others have said, the 2010 Veloce shifters @ £85 are an absolute bargain, especially as it includes a £25 cable set. At that price I've bought a pair for the spares bin!