Campag Veloce 11-25 rear cassette and 34/52 front setup compatible?

christiandransfield

Hey everyone,

I currently have a bike with a Campag Veloce chainset, with 34/50 on the front, and 12-25 on the back. I'll be racing in a few weeks, and need a few more gears when sprinting, so wondered if a 34/52 on the front and 11-25 on the back would be compatible, or whether I'd have to replace the front derailleur or anything.

If you're wondering why I've opted for 34 on the front instead of 36, I still need the 34 for the Cornish 20-30% hills I regularly climb.

Any advice would be much-appreciated!

davidof

That's an 18 tooth difference on the front (32 total). A short cage Campag Veloce derailleur has a capacity of 27 teeth so you sound way over on all counts. I suspect you are pushing things too far, particularly with respect to the front mech where you should run 36-52. With

keezx

So 50x12 is not enough for you?

rolf_f

First of all see if you can spin at 120 cadence in 50-12 (39mph). If you can do that, then you can put an 11-25 on (43 mph) and try the same experiment (kudos if you like 34-25 as a bottom gear in Cornwall!). If you can do that, then you'd probably have to try 12-27 with 52-36; similar bottom gear, slightly larger top. Might be able to get away with the short cage, might not. You might be able to eek out a bit more range with a 12-30 but you'd want a medium cage for that - front mech should be fine.

But I agree with Keezx - if your cadence is as high as it should be, 50-12 or even 50-11 should be plenty.