The 'Un-Official' Campagnolo Ekar thread

[vespasianus]

Originally Posted by perdido

No luck. Shifting is somewhat improved but still subpar. It hesitates at some point both going up and down the cassette.

I did install a new cable and liner from Jagwire (Road Elite sealed) and did check hanger alignment once again.

Last bullet is Max Smoothness cable set, but can't bring myself to pay that absurd amount of money (100 coins), especially when only 1/2 of the set is needed.

Very odd, what gears is it hesitating in? The same issue with the last two largest cogs? Can you shown any pics or video of the setup.

Also, for cables, I use this for my campag bikes:

https://www.condorcycles.com/en-us/p...31645441851530

[nalax]

Campy also recommends cable ends with a nose for the shift cable. I've tried both types and the long ones work better.

[vespasianus]

Originally Posted by nalax

Campy also recommends cable ends with a nose for the shift cable. I've tried both types and the long ones work better.

And no cable end ferrule where the outer cable fits into the shifter body. Will take some pictures of my cable routing.

[MXLeader]

Originally Posted by vespasianus

Very odd, what gears is it hesitating in? The same issue with the last two largest cogs? Can you shown any pics or video of the setup.

Also, for cables, I use this for my campag bikes:

https://www.condorcycles.com/en-us/p...31645441851530

If your bike frame needs a full housing run then the Ekar cable and housing kit comes with 2100mm of housing and cable. It's part number is CG-RD703 and can be found also at Condor...https://www.condorcycles.com/en-us/p...41890952773782.

I'm glad to see the Ekar cable set in stock again, it was nowhere to be found for many months. I ended up using the Jagwire Campagnolo-specific inner cable and threaded it through the existing Campy housing as there was no binding at all when I ran the cable through.

[MXLeader]

Originally Posted by perdido

No luck. Shifting is somewhat improved but still subpar. It hesitates at some point both going up and down the cassette.

I did install a new cable and liner from Jagwire (Road Elite sealed) and did check hanger alignment once again.

Last bullet is Max Smoothness cable set, but can't bring myself to pay that absurd amount of money (100 coins), especially when only 1/2 of the set is needed.

I changed out my Max Smoothness inner cable with the Jagwire Elite cable when my shifting got funky. Turns out that the campy cable was fraying just a bit (like 2 strands) right outside the lever body. I couldn't see any reason that the cable would fray except that I had a heck of a time routing the shift cable through my Coefficient handlebars. Perhaps all that fidgeting around was enough break a strand or two, but that was several thousand miles before the shifting started acting up.

When you removed the max smoothness cables, did you notice any crimping, scratching or crushing of the housing? The inner cable looked good, too? The Open UP looks like it has a pretty clean run from entry port to the exit port but sometimes working the housing around the BB area can cause issues.

[perdido]

To be honest, I'm not sure that the bike (Open U.P.) came built with max smoothness cables. I replaced the shift cable with jagwire sealed about 4 months of riding with the original cable. There were a couple of details (i.e. no safety clip on the bb cups) that make me wary of the built, not sure if it was Open Cycles fault or my LBS.
This bicycle uses semi internal routing that requires short pieces of liner at the entry point into the frame (headtube) and through the bottom bracket guide. My bike did not have these liners installed either.
The issue could be somewhere in the internal routing so I'm thinking of getting the max smoothness full casing set and temporarily routing externally to see if that improves shifting. If it does, I could drill entry/exit ports to accept full casing internally.

[vespasianus]

Originally Posted by perdido

To be honest, I'm not sure that the bike (Open U.P.) came built with max smoothness cables. I replaced the shift cable with jagwire sealed about 4 months of riding with the original cable. There were a couple of details (i.e. no safety clip on the bb cups) that make me wary of the built, not sure if it was Open Cycles fault or my LBS.
This bicycle uses semi internal routing that requires short pieces of liner at the entry point into the frame (headtube) and through the bottom bracket guide. My bike did not have these liners installed either.
The issue could be somewhere in the internal routing so I'm thinking of getting the max smoothness full casing set and temporarily routing externally to see if that improves shifting. If it does, I could drill entry/exit ports to accept full casing internally.

It does seem like something is not moving smoothly. My bike has internal routing through the down tube but is exposed - no liner or anything - on the bottom of the chain stay. I have always been worried about that but it has never been a problem.

Another thing to think about is your handlebar tape. The cable routing through the shifter has a little opening and if your tape or any "gel pads" are over that area, it can stick to the cable and cause shifting problems.