Campagnolo 8 speed cassette on 9/10 speed hub

jimmybloom
jimmybloom Posts: 82
edited April 2013 in Road buying advice
Hi all,
Looking for a bit of help tracking down the above...
I've got 8 speed chorus on the commuter, which is currently run as 7 speed due to the screw on freewheel limitations of the wheels. I've got some campagnolo khamsin's spare/winter wheels...so....
Was wondering if I could get an 8 speed cassette to fit the khamsin's?
Have had a good google but can't seem to find anything, plus the old campag cassette options are plentiful!

Any help/suggestions/links would be appreciated!

Thanks!

Comments

  • cycleclinic
    cycleclinic Posts: 6,865
    No. 8 speed freehub bodies where different. To run 8 speed on your campag wheels what you need to do is by a veloce 9 speed cassette and remove one sprocket and use a wheel manufacturing spacer kit to repace the sprockets for 8 speed spacing. You may not find that spacer kit in shops but I know where to buy them.
    http://www.thecycleclinic.co.uk -wheel building and other stuff.
  • majormantra
    majormantra Posts: 2,094
    As above, no you can't. Campag 8 speed stuff can be found pretty cheaply though as it's an orphaned system - might be worth picking up a cheap rear wheel.
  • Monty Dog
    Monty Dog Posts: 20,614
    The 'official' conversion was to take a 9 speed cassette like Veloce/Mirage (or Miche), drop the big sprocket and use an 8 speed spacer kit.
    Make mine an Italian, with Campagnolo on the side..
  • jimmybloom
    jimmybloom Posts: 82
    Thanks chaps, this all confirms what i've managed to find so far....or not find :)
    Looks like this will be the way to go, as I was hoping to keep it as cheap as possible, but new (slightly more suitable)wheels may be an option down the line.
    thecycleclinic, if you've got a link for the spacer kit, I'd appreciate it, though I will give the LBS a go first!
  • MichaelW
    MichaelW Posts: 2,164
    The other way of hacking different speeds is to fit Marchisio sprockets and spacers.
  • huuregeil
    huuregeil Posts: 780
    As it happens, this does work. 8 speed cassettes are the same width as 9 speed cassettes, and although the splines aren't a perfect match the 8sp cassette will go onto the freehub and, if you tighten it up hard, will function. Not ideal but feasible - a mate did this when his rear-wheel blew up on tour and he got a cheap new 9/10sp campag rear wheel, I didn't believe it till I saw it!

    BTW the other way 9/10sp cassette on 8sp hub categorically doesn't work, the different/deeper splines makes this impossible.

    PS Note that there are two types of 8sp cassette, this trick only works with the newer mid-90s-ish design.
  • jimmybloom
    jimmybloom Posts: 82
    Interesting, though I think I'd rather go down the 9 speed with spacers route, seems less bodged. :)

    I'm surprised they haven't made 8 speed cassettes for the new freehubs, seems to be demand for them!!

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