Campagnolo Cassette Compatability

riggsy81

Im currently running a compact 10 speed Veloce chainset with a 50/34 up front and a 12-25 cassette

My question is what is the biggest rear cassette I can run with to make it more hill friendly??

Cheers

drlodge

I would think 12-27 as anything bigger like 12-29 requires the newer 11s RDs. What options do you have (I'm a 11s man so not familiar with the 10s options)?

nochekmate

34/25 is pretty 'hill-friendly' as it is - what you need is more miles rather than a different cassette.

riggsy81

cheers guys it was only due to someones comments the other night that got me thinking, not really had many massive problems in all honestly but then again Im not riding or planning on riding the Alps LOL

drlodge

I find my 34-27 useful above the next best 34-25. Not much different, sure, but on a long or steep hill that bottom gear is just what I need.

Coach H

I currently have fitted a 13-29 on my compact and it works fine. Clearance is close but OK

Only put it on for a sportive next weekend but have enjoyed having it so much I may leave it on. The differences I have found is that I only have one shiny unused small sprocket rather than 2 and It feels much better mentally climbing in the 25 when you have 2 left rather than none.

Calpol

I've got 34/25 combo if required. I don't need more than that round here where climbs tend to be relatively short and steep (maybe 1 mile at 7%) however I have just bought a 13-29 to fit for a sportive I am doing in June (Le terrier). I agonized over the decision for a while. I considered getting the Miche 12-27 but in the end stuck with the campagnolo cassette. I suspect I won't use it much but for my level its probably safer to be over geared than under. I heard that the last section of Le terrier is pretty tough so I may be glad of spinning something pretty easy with 80 odd hilly miles in my legs. Havent fitted it yet but reckon its not a massive issue even with short cage dérailleur.

rolf_f

nochekmate wrote:

34/25 is pretty 'hill-friendly' as it is - what you need is more miles rather than a different cassette.

Thou talkest piffle! Why do people keep saying that all you need is 34/25 and in the same breath they say nobody needs an 11 tooth sprocket?! It's the inconsistency of it all that drives me mad!

You can almost certainly run the 13-29 with the standard 10 speed short cage and a couple more links in the chain. Personally, I suspect my bike could handle the 12-29 as well but that may not apply to all.

12-27 is a nice compromise though.

cycleclinic

Miche to a 12-27 cassette that will work with a short cage mech. There is also a 13-26T veloce cassette. Running a 13-29 veloce or a 12-29T miche cassette will require running a medium cage mech (not an 11 speed one although the veloce mechs do have 11 speed geometry).

By hey I climb 10% gradients on 39:21T ratio - I think that is hill friendly.

g00se

The current (new logo) style 10 speed campag short cage rear mechs should take a 13-29 cassette on a compact front according to the campag tech docs.

I've got an older 2010 style 10 speed rear Centaur mech which officially can only go up to a 12-26 but it works fine with a 13-29 campag cassette and a 12-29 Miche cassette (though it's very close).

Coach H

thecycleclinic wrote:

Miche to a 12-27 cassette that will work with a short cage mech. There is also a 13-26T veloce cassette. Running a 13-29 veloce or a 12-29T miche cassette will require running a medium cage mech (not an 11 speed one although the veloce mechs do have 11 speed geometry).

By hey I climb 10% gradients on 39:21T ratio - I think that is hill friendly.

Not on my bike it doesn't, as quoted above.

Calpol

Just fitted a 13-29 to my rear wheel along with a new chain. Seems absolutely fine on the Veloce short cage. Made a small adjustment to the lower limit screw but other than that it seems to run well. First time I changed a cassette and it wasn't too difficult. Just hope I haven't undertightened or overtightened the cassette.

Monty Dog

You should be able to run a 13-29 with a short-cage rear mech no troubles. "Hill friendliness" depends a lot on where you're riding as well as your fitness

Calpol

Calpol wrote:

Just fitted a 13-29 to my rear wheel along with a new chain. Seems absolutely fine on the Veloce short cage. Made a small adjustment to the lower limit screw but other than that it seems to run well. First time I changed a cassette and it wasn't too difficult. Just hope I haven't undertightened or overtightened the cassette.

Well I rode today. 50 miles and no dramas. It runs as smooth (well actually smoother with new KMC chain) as my 12-25. Didn't need the 29 much but it was easier to stay in the big ring for much of the ride and i think I was actually faster in some sections. Looks like a versatile setup. I recommend.

gfk_velo

To give a definitive answer to this (I am head tech at Velotech Cycling Ltd., Campag's main UK Service Centre) ...

First, it depends on the age of your gearing system.

Prior to the introduction of PowerShift and the new "11s shape" 10s rear derailleurs - i.e. RDs with codes RD4-CExx, RD7-CExx or RD9-CExx, a short cage RD would reliably run a 27T bottom cog, with a maximum cassette tooth difference of 16 and a total overall tooth difference of 31 - so with 50x34 (difference 16) the maximum rear difference would be 15T, meaning with a 12T top, a 27 would be OK - 15T difference, 15+16=31.

To use a 29 bottom, on a system of this age, you'd need a medium cage RD.

With the introduction of the new-design RD, RD12-CExx, the maximum capacity in terms of sprocket size for a short cage RD increased to 29T but the overall capacity and the maximum difference at the cassette stayed the same.

What this means is that although you can use a 29T bottom gear, with 50x34, the smallest sprocket you can run in the cassette is a 13, because 50-34=16, leaving you 16T "available", 29-16=13, hence a 13T top.

Again, a medium cage (introduced this year for the triple systems) gets you around this.

Importantly though, the second dependency - it depends on the extent to which the gear hanger conforms to Campagnolo's specification as given in the tech doc here:
http://www.campagnolo.com/repository/do ... _10_12.pdf (see section 3.2)
Some hangers, typically but not exclusively on older steel and some alloy or alloy / carbon road and TT frames, are not long enough to run a 29T bottom sprocket at all and a very few will struggle with a 27.

Some hangers are longer than Campagnolo's specification and will allow a 29 or even a 30T bottom, with a 12T top although we would not recommend this as it is operating outside of the design characteristics of the RD. Poor shifting at the "top" i.e. the 12, 13, 14 end of the cassette would be one problem this might generate.

HTH!

riggsy81

thanks very much for that detailed reply

I presume mine will be the newer but will check as is a new bike (well 6 mths)

gfk_velo

No problem, we get asked this quite a lot :-)

If it's a new bike and a 2011, 12 or 13 model, you'll have the new "29T-as-standard" version of the 10s rear gear, unless the RD has been swapped out for some reason. Normally there is white decal on the underside of the RD that says "29T Compatible".