Campagnolo Veloce jumping gears

secretsam

Hi all

I have a 10 speed Veloce equipped bike (2012), and since I changed the bars the upshifts on the cassette have started jumping several cogs at once. I wonder if this might be due to wear or due to routing where I changed the bars? Doesn't do it if I 'hold' the downshift paddle at the same time. Was fine previously, bike been little used since n+1 arrived (I nicked the bars and stem off the Campag bike for the n+1, hence the change)

Thanks in advance

dabber

Don't know if it could be any thing else but mine did exactly the same (including - "Doesn't do it if I 'hold' the downshift paddle at the same time."). I just changed my shifters.

pinno

Didn't you read my thread?!

Sounds like there's some slack in the system somewhere. Maybe where the outer cable enters the lever.
(Unless of course, the levers are worn out).

Take the bar tape off and check for play. Using a torch, check for tiny fragments of metal within the levers.
Make sure the cable outer is butt up into the lever aperture.

If you can, disconnect the rear mech cable clamp and pull on it whilst simultaneously, clicking the gear lever - you may need an assistant.
That may ascertain slack in the cable and/or something wrong with the gear cable: fraying perhaps?

Try not to shift the lever with no cable tension on it.

lesfirth

I had a similar problem a few years ago with the same shifters. The cause was a plastic ratchet that was knackered. A replacement should cost 50 pence but was not available. New shifter was the cheapest solution.
At the record end of the range Campagnolo might be wonderful but Veloce shifters are rubbish. Yours have done amazingly well to have lasted so long.

pinno

Yep, my Record 10 speed shifters are still going - 10 winters on and my Record 11 are 8 summers old.

secretsam

pinno said:

Didn't you read my thread?!

Sounds like there's some slack in the system somewhere. Maybe where the outer cable enters the lever.
(Unless of course, the levers are worn out).

Take the bar tape off and check for play. Using a torch, check for tiny fragments of metal within the levers.
Make sure the cable outer is butt up into the lever aperture.

If you can, disconnect the rear mech cable clamp and pull on it whilst simultaneously, clicking the gear lever - you may need an assistant.
That may ascertain slack in the cable and/or something wrong with the gear cable: fraying perhaps?

Try not to shift the lever with no cable tension on it.

Thanks Pinno, it really started when I changed the bars, shifting was fine before. Mebbe I'll unwrap the bars and check the various connections, like you suggest. It's a bit bloody sensitive, this Campag stuff, isn't it?

Ben6899

Let us know how you get on, Sam, my oldest bike has 2009 Veloce on it and I think the RH shifter is on its way out (doesn't always fully grab when shifting towards the spokes).

The more recent Veloce I have on another bike is wonderful (shifts as well as DA I have on another) so don't be disheartened if you need some new kit.

pblakeney

secretsam said:

pinno said:

Didn't you read my thread?!

Sounds like there's some slack in the system somewhere. Maybe where the outer cable enters the lever.
(Unless of course, the levers are worn out).

Take the bar tape off and check for play. Using a torch, check for tiny fragments of metal within the levers.
Make sure the cable outer is butt up into the lever aperture.

If you can, disconnect the rear mech cable clamp and pull on it whilst simultaneously, clicking the gear lever - you may need an assistant.
That may ascertain slack in the cable and/or something wrong with the gear cable: fraying perhaps?

Try not to shift the lever with no cable tension on it.

Thanks Pinno, it really started when I changed the bars, shifting was fine before. Mebbe I'll unwrap the bars and check the various connections, like you suggest. It's a bit bloody sensitive, this Campag stuff, isn't it?

Changing bars eh? You didn't happen to make this mistake?

pinno

If the gear shift was fine before the change over, then there's nothing to suggest that they are worn out.
If you rotate the bars back towards you a little, then you're effectively shortening cable distances and if you do the opposite, your lengthening them (the outers anyway).
Unless you used a very fine measurement, there's no way you have replicated the set up. But something has shifted and it shouldn't have.
I have a feeling that the cables have been pulled on and there is a gap between the cable outer end and the lever. This would have been easy to do in the absence of enough to secure the cable location.

A bit further down the line....

Sam - on the bars, use insulation tape to secure the outer cables in strategic points. You may have already done this but to be sure (to be sure):

Near to the lever primarily, at intervals between and some at the end of the point where the bar tape finishes/starts* so that rotation of the bars do not pull on the cables and tear the handlebar tape. The insulation tape serves to really clamp down the cables. If done properly, eliminates any give or play in that part of the gear shift.

*I start at the top of the bars - some will swear blind to do it the other way. There's no right or wrong, if you spend a lot of time on the drops, you may want to start at the end.

And no - Campag is not sensitive. Mine runs seamlessly mile after mile as long as I can be @rsed to keep it clean.

secretsam

Update: tried everything, undoing cables, re-doing indexing, cleaning shifter.
Nothing works.
Still goes down the cassette (towards largest sprocket) like a dream. But dumps upshifts, unless I hold the down shift paddle.
Bu99er. I was going to sell the bike.

thecycleclinic

Nothing sensitive about campag kit. Shimano is just as sensitive to poor setup. This is a poor setup issue. Nothing related to brand of drivetrain.

You have pushed the cable casing into the shifter body properly or something similar. If you have routed the casing on the out side of the bar that increases friction over the inner routing so that won't help. Cable may also be slack in the smallest sprocket.

secretsam

thecycleclinic said:

This is a poor setup issue.

You have pushed the cable casing into the shifter body properly or something similar.

Sorry, not sure I understand?

pblakeney

The cable casing should be inserted into the body, not just brought up to meet it.

dabber

I'll go back to what I said at the start of this thread.... I strongly suspect that the plastic ratchet in the shifter in knackered. When I had exactly the same symptoms as the OP, and after I tried a variety things to fix it, I bit the bullet and changed the shifter. No more problems since.

lesfirth

dabber said:

I'll go back to what I said at the start of this thread.... I strongly suspect that the plastic ratchet in the shifter in knackered. When I had exactly the same symptoms as the OP, and after I tried a variety things to fix it, I bit the bullet and changed the shifter. No more problems since.

Oh no you didn't. You just said that you changed your shifters. I said the plastic ratchet is knackered.

dabber

lesfirth said:

dabber said:

I'll go back to what I said at the start of this thread.... I strongly suspect that the plastic ratchet in the shifter in knackered. When I had exactly the same symptoms as the OP, and after I tried a variety things to fix it, I bit the bullet and changed the shifter. No more problems since.

Oh no you didn't. You just said that you changed your shifters. I said the plastic ratchet is knackered.

Lol... you got me there

secretsam

pblakeney said:

The cable casing should be inserted into the body, not just brought up to meet it.

It is - it's inserted right the way in.

@dabber and @lesfirth - did you buy the body (think it costs about £40-50) and just transfer all the bits and bobs over? Like this one:
https://thecycleclinic.co.uk/collections/shifter-spares/products/campagnolo-ec-ce300-veloce-centaur-r-h-ergo-shifter-body

dabber

secretsam said:

pblakeney said:

The cable casing should be inserted into the body, not just brought up to meet it.

It is - it's inserted right the way in.

@dabber and @lesfirth - did you buy the body (think it costs about £40-50) and just transfer all the bits and bobs over? Like this one:
https://thecycleclinic.co.uk/collections/shifter-spares/products/campagnolo-ec-ce300-veloce-centaur-r-h-ergo-shifter-body

No, I bought a pair of Centaur levers complete (with cables if I remember correctly).
Easily available then, not so easy now I suspect.

lesfirth

I bought new veloce shifters. They were £75 at the time. I sold the bike a few months later. I have been a reluctant Shimano man since.

secretsam

lesfirth said:

I bought new veloce shifters. They were £75 at the time. I sold the bike a few months later. I have been a reluctant Shimano man since.

I've just google'd these on Merlin, so it's not worth replacing the body only if you can get the whole lot for £80
https://merlincycles.com/campagnolo-veloce-10-speed-power-shift-ergo-levers-black-55934.html