Chorus inconsistent Rear derailleur shifting

jupamaso
jupamaso Posts: 21
edited October 2017 in Workshop
I bought a new Campagnolo Chorus 11s groupset 2 months ago to replace my 105 on my Roubaix SL4. First Time with Camapagnolo.

Since then, and after 7 mechanics trying to fix it, I have had inconsistent shitfing with the Rear derailleur. To be more precise, I have sometime trouble (1 out of every 4 Times) shifting from the 3 to 4 cog and from the 4 to 5 cog. The rest of the cogs shift correctly.

Everything was checked, the bike was recabled 3 times, chorus chain was replaced by a new record chain, new cassette, even returned to the régional distributor (who spent a half a day working on my bike and said everything was ok) to no avail: after 50 km, the problem returns.

Is this normal with Campagnolo? One of my friends (who has a lot of experience with Campagnolo) said to me that with a 11 speed Campagnolo group, there is always one cog that does not shift perfectly. Suffice it to say that i am not impressed by Campagnolo.

Comments

  • cycleclinic
    cycleclinic Posts: 6,865
    Every cog on my campag groupset shifts perfectly, like wise every cog on the drivetrains I fit and maintain work fine too. The problem is with your mechanics.

    Setting up chorus is like setting up any other derailleur mechanism. I would need to see it to advise. It could be anything from hanger alignment to cage twist to cassette tracking..... maybe cassette damage.

    It it is not the groupsets fault unless you have a warrantable fault in which case that should have been spotted and dealt with.
    http://www.thecycleclinic.co.uk -wheel building and other stuff.
  • thegreatdivide
    thegreatdivide Posts: 5,803
    As above, it sounds like a bent rear mech hanger to me. Get it checked and realigned.

    And your friend is talking rubbish. A properly set up Campagnolo groupset will shift with no issues.
  • davidof
    davidof Posts: 3,036
    Could be cable issues, is it routed correctly?

    I would have expected mechanics would have picked this up but I recently had a Campagnolo Potenza 11sp bike where the cable had been clamped on the wrong side of the nut on the rear derailleur and it had issues around 4/5.

    Otherwise as others have said, gear hanger is the most likely culprit.

    If both of the above are okay check limit and b screw adjustments. In my experience 11sp setup needs a bit more care than 10 or 9 sp as the tolerances are a bit tighter.

    You should be able to run any 11sp chain btw.

    Campagnolo Chorus should be a big step up from 105's agricultural shifts.
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  • bobones
    bobones Posts: 1,215
    davidof wrote:
    Campagnolo Chorus should be a big step up from 105's agricultural shifts.
    Ha! The only thing "agricultural" about 105 shifting is its buttery smoothness. :)
  • cycleclinic
    cycleclinic Posts: 6,865
    buttery shifting - a spreadable mess.
    http://www.thecycleclinic.co.uk -wheel building and other stuff.
  • Guernsey Donkey
    Guernsey Donkey Posts: 144
    Have you got the cassette spacers in the correct order? There are two different sizes and they have to be in the right order.
  • Udder
    Udder Posts: 20
    Check the following:

    Hanger alignment.

    Cable routing - route cables as directly as possible - ensure a nice generously sized rounded loop of the cable housing into the rear mech. Campagnolo springs are lighter than Shimano meaning the mechs are more at risk of cable friction, presenting the rider with sluggish shifts if there is a kink or two in the routing.

    Campagnolo can be tricky to get right if you've never used it before but it's worth persevering with.

    One thing I will add is that changing the tension of the quick release when putting the wheel back in the frame can knock out the indexing of 11sp setups - also. I've had bikes shifting perfectlyin the stand but badly when I've swung a leg over it and ridden down the road with QR's too loose. I've experienced that annoying phenomenon on both dura ace and super record builds.

    Can't believe your mechanics swapped out the chain and cassette. I wouldn't use them again if I were you.
  • jupamaso
    jupamaso Posts: 21
    Thanks for all of your replies. I was surprised by what my friend said, to say the least.

    I'm returning my bike to the distributor, to whom I spoke to today. He said that the problem may be with the shifter. He wants to keep it for a week+...

    Maybe Campagnolo is not compatible with the Roubaix SL4 with the internal cable routing? Anyway, I'll keep you posted.

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