Campag FD fettle advice? Help!

Wheelspinner

Odd one really. I have both 10 speed Record and 11 speed Super Record gruppos in use. The 10 speed was installed on a frame with a braze on mount tab (Colnago E1) and I had no issue at all in setting up the Front derailleur. Had the 11 speed fitted on a different frame, and although it's a braze on mech, I had to use a clamp bracket as that frame has no bracket fitted. Again, no problems fitting it.

Swapped the 11 speed over and the front mech is way off alignment when fitted. I can get it to shift ok, but barely. As soon as I tighten the mech mounting bolt it ends up twisted well off parallel to the chainring.

Did the geometry or shape of these things make them incompatible with slightly older frames when11 speed was introduced?

Stumped.

rolf_f

On the worthy advice of Graeme from Velotech (gfk_velo) I have just ordered a Campagnolo braze on adaptor bracket to replace the non Campag original - he says they often place the front mech in the wrong place. So if your adaptor isn't a Campagnolo one, that may be a worthwhile modification.

Surely getting the mech parallel to the rings shouldn't be hard - you just need to loosen the bracket and twist it round a little.

Calpol

I have just completed a build using Chorus shifters and Athena mechs. Setting up the front mech was harder than getting the indexing right on the rear. I suspect I don't quite understand the shifting mechanics of Chorus 11 and need to read up on it as I think the mech has a setting that seems to allow three positions. getting the alignment with 35mm clamp on has proven a challenge to prevent chain rub out with the middle ratios of the cassette. Probably more fettling required.

bontie

Calpol wrote:

I have just completed a build using Chorus shifters and Athena mechs. Setting up the front mech was harder than getting the indexing right on the rear. I suspect I don't quite understand the shifting mechanics of Chorus 11 and need to read up on it as I think the mech has a setting that seems to allow three positions. getting the alignment with 35mm clamp on has proven a challenge to prevent chain rub out with the middle ratios of the cassette. Probably more fettling required.

Front mech is more difficult to set up, so that shouldn't be a surprise. Camapg front shifters have more than 3 positions, and allows you to trim it for where the chain is on the rear cog. I struggled a lot in the past to set up front shifting and mostly it was me overtightening the cable. It needs to be pretty slack to allow use of all the trim positions. YMMV.

To the OP - I found something similar on fitting Chorus 11 to a Colnago C40, it is not 100% parralel but shifting is spot on though.

papavero

Calpol wrote:

I have just completed a build using Chorus shifters and Athena mechs. Setting up the front mech was harder than getting the indexing right on the rear. I suspect I don't quite understand the shifting mechanics of Chorus 11 and need to read up on it as I think the mech has a setting that seems to allow three positions. getting the alignment with 35mm clamp on has proven a challenge to prevent chain rub out with the middle ratios of the cassette. Probably more fettling required.

I did the same, chorus shifters Athena mech, the front was never quite right. Changed the front mech to chorus and it works beautifully. Don't know why it may just be coincidence. Set them both up the same way.

Calpol

bontie wrote:

Calpol wrote:

I have just completed a build using Chorus shifters and Athena mechs. Setting up the front mech was harder than getting the indexing right on the rear. I suspect I don't quite understand the shifting mechanics of Chorus 11 and need to read up on it as I think the mech has a setting that seems to allow three positions. getting the alignment with 35mm clamp on has proven a challenge to prevent chain rub out with the middle ratios of the cassette. Probably more fettling required.

Front mech is more difficult to set up, so that shouldn't be a surprise. Camapg front shifters have more than 3 positions, and allows you to trim it for where the chain is on the rear cog. I struggled a lot in the past to set up front shifting and mostly it was me overtightening the cable. It needs to be pretty slack to allow use of all the trim positions. YMMV.

To the OP - I found something similar on fitting Chorus 11 to a Colnago C40, it is not 100% parralel but shifting is spot on though.

Ah thanks for that
Would you mind telling how the trim system actually works? I am right in thinking that Veloce doenst have that functionality?

Wheelspinner

Rolf F wrote:

On the worthy advice of Graeme from Velotech (gfk_velo) I have just ordered a Campagnolo braze on adaptor bracket to replace the non Campag original - he says they often place the front mech in the wrong place. So if your adaptor isn't a Campagnolo one, that may be a worthwhile modification.

Surely getting the mech parallel to the rings shouldn't be hard - you just need to loosen the bracket and twist it round a little.

Only ever used Campagnolo clamp brackets when required and they work fine but the problem is fitting it to a frame with a riveted in front mech tab. The FD itself has a washer with a slightly concave face specifically designed (I assume) to help centre and align the mech in the bracket. You can't twist it round and tighten it into a different position.

I can only assume Campag decided that henceforth they would not accommodate frame with braze on tabs already fitted and only clamp brackets should be used.

The shifting does work ok, but I expect better than ok from this stuff!