Campy Long Cage Opinions?

[Joellogicman]

Plan to use my forthcoming custom for spirited riding and light touring. Front gearing is 46/36/26 with the Campy triple der. Rear cluster is 14-30.

Everything I read on the several NOS Campy Rally long cage rear ders I have suggest they are best left in the display case.

But how about the contemporary Campy long cage rear ders? They are among the only all alloys on the market (also have seen a carbon/alloy that looks much better to me than other similar options).

I am using Simplex Retrofriction DT shifters, so indexing is not an issue. Primarily I want something that looks good but is at least somewhat unlikely to break down on me.

[pbbob]

I have a veloce all alloy long cage rear on one of my bikes. looks good. functions great.
solid.

[djg]

Well, it wasn't all alloy, and I had it for a double setup, rather than a triple, but I had a Record 10 speed long cage derailleur for five or six years and it worked great -- just dandy on 13-27 and no problems whatsoever on a 12-25 cassette either. I bet Centaur would work equally well, if they have it (I have Centaur 10 alloy short cage on my cross bike and it seems to work as well as anything -- quick, precise, and dependable).

[Ahneida Ride]

I have 2002 Campy Record Triple

13-29 cogs //// crank is TA Zephyr 22/36/48 ..

Shifts perfectly, no complaints.

[Ralph]

I had a Rally in the 80's. It worked OK with friction levers. As I recall......the threads on the attachment bolt were not quite the same as the Japanese made frame I used it on. It went on tight. Double check that.

But it does not compare well to modern derailleurs. As I recall....it was mostly a NR rear with a long cage. You might note.....Campagnolo does make a long cage rear derailleur now, but what some on here call long cage is really the mediun cage.

Also....depending on how savy you are at setting these things up....you might want to get the correct one for your use. I know (and many on here) how to use a short cage real derailleur with a triple (30-40-50 as an example) if no rear cog is over about 26 or so, and I (and many on here) know how to use a triple front with 20-22 difference and a 13-29 with a med cage rear....but they work best with a real long cage....check out the Comp triple long cage....not med cage. Figure all that out and you'll be fine. If you use a derailleur designed to be used with a 130 MM rear, and instead use it with a 6 or 7 speed screw on cluster, sometome the adjusting screw won't go in far enough, so you may have to cut the little spring around the screw so it can go in further. Just use a 9 speed chain with the 10 speed derailleur if you do that.

[Joellogicman]

Ralph, I have a line on some new long cage Centaur through a friend in the UK. However, your advise is intriguing, as I have 4 record rear ders with nothing to do at the moment. Perhaps between the builder and I, we can figure out how to make it work. I'll get a long cage for insurance.

crank is TA Zephyr 22/36/48 .

Jealous.

Never got around to buying one back when they were available and am kicking myself ever since. Really hard to find new or like new condition. Everyone who saw them other then I recognized a classic.

[Ralph]

I normally run a 39-50 on my bikes.....with a short cage rear (13-23 or 13-26).....it's mostly flat where I spend most of my time (I'm retired)....and I'm not the strongest rider around even though I do ride a good bit.....but when I slap on a triple or even my compact 34-50....for a trip to the NC mountains.....sometimes I'm too lazy to change out the rear derailleur and change out the chain for one with proper length......and I just run it with the chain very slack in the little rear cogs and leave on the short cage. I just need the chain to work OK in a couple of the big rear cogs. However.....I usually keep a chain with a quick disconnect available and ready to go with a mid cage when I change my front crank. It's not complicated. And I'm not racing like many on here....just riding.

[palincss]

Plan to use my forthcoming custom for spirited riding and light touring. Front gearing is 46/36/26 with the Campy triple der. Rear cluster is 14-30.

Everything I read on the several NOS Campy Rally long cage rear ders I have suggest they are best left in the display case.

But how about the contemporary Campy long cage rear ders? They are among the only all alloys on the market (also have seen a carbon/alloy that looks much better to me than other similar options).

I am using Simplex Retrofriction DT shifters, so indexing is not an issue. Primarily I want something that looks good but is at least somewhat unlikely to break down on me.

With that setup, any new rear derailleur you could buy could be counted on to be unlikely to break down on you. How often do rear derailleurs "break down," anyway? I think I've seen it happen once, and it wasn't on a tour.

Looking good is nice, but really not all that important. How often do you get the chance to actually look at your rear derailleur, after all? However, if you like the look of Campagnolo, by all means get one!

[Joellogicman]

With that setup, any new rear derailleur you could buy could be counted on to be unlikely to break down on you. How often do rear derailleurs "break down," anyway? I think I've seen it happen once, and it wasn't on a tour.

As nice looking as the Rallys are - I have one of the earliest made, and one of the slightly revised second generation - from what I have read they tend to shift very sloppy, have a tendency to bounce around and need to be adjusted frequently. One can live with that - but why?

On the other hand, with their long cages, the two make nice book ends for the Campy hub shelf.

Looking good is nice, but really not all that important. How often do you get the chance to actually look at your rear derailleur, after all?

But imagine coming out of the pension early a.m. pumped about heading into the interior of Sardinia, only to see the ugly black matte long cage most every rear der for tour and mtbs have these days. Not the end of the world, but certainly dampens the mood.

However, if you like the look of Campagnolo, by all means get one!

For looks, my favorite are the champagne Simplex SLJs. I have two, but NOS SLJs are getting too rare to use on tour, and have their own share of reliability issues.

[oldpotatoe]

Plan to use my forthcoming custom for spirited riding and light touring. Front gearing is 46/36/26 with the Campy triple der. Rear cluster is 14-30.

Everything I read on the several NOS Campy Rally long cage rear ders I have suggest they are best left in the display case.

But how about the contemporary Campy long cage rear ders? They are among the only all alloys on the market (also have seen a carbon/alloy that looks much better to me than other similar options).

I am using Simplex Retrofriction DT shifters, so indexing is not an issue. Primarily I want something that looks good but is at least somewhat unlikely to break down on me.

Campagnolo 'Comp' long cage RD....