Campy derailleur shifting issue

[Mustangski]

Hello,
I’ve been riding with SRAM for a couple of years now and have wanted to try Campagnolo for a while. I know absolutely nothing about Campy, so the following issues are more than likely my fault. I purchased a used set of Chorus 11 speed shifters and rear derailleur a while back and finally got around to installing them over the weekend. I believe they are the older generation UltraShift.

I read the instructions online and it seems fairly straightforward to adjust, however the rear derailleur won’t shift from the small ring until the third click of the shifter. So I clicked the shifter once and turned the barrel adjuster until it shifted and then the derailleur seemed to shift smoothly through the gears. I searched and found a couple of sites saying that excess cable friction can cause issues so I routed the cable on the rear position of the shifter and behind the bars, however I still had to use the barrel adjuster turned way out to shift it.

I live in Okinawa, Japan so finding an LBS that is familiar with anything other than Shimano is not easy. The mech at the shop basically did the same thing, increasing cable tension with the barrel adjuster until it shifted. They told me they believe the rear derailleur spring is weak and may need to be replaced soon, although not sure if that’s accurate. The bike seems to shift smoothly the majority of the time, however every once in a while hesitates shifting from the smallest cog.

Cassette, chain, and cables were all replaced with new when I installed the derailleur. Since it seems to shift fine I’m going to ride it as is for now, but am concerned about the barrel adjuster turned all the way out.

Any thoughts?

[Mzilliox]

forgive me if this seems overly simple, but if increasing tension with the barrel adjuster helps, why not back off the barrel adjuster and pull the cable tighter then just turn the barrel adjuster a bit? I get a bit of cable stretch when first installing, perhaps this is the issue?

[weisan]

. bike seems to shift smoothly the majority of the time, however every once in a while hesitates shifting from the smallest cog.

Mustang pal, first off, I am not a campy guy.

Secondly, what the bike shop told you about the spring might be true. Just because they are a shimano outfit doesn't mean they don't know their stuff. A lot of the bicycle parts are working off more or less the same principles and had to obey the same physical laws.

Thirdly, one suggestion. Use your finger to drag the line along the downtube while turning the cranks and observe how the chain shifts up and down between the smallest cog and the next up. See if it can spot any drag on the cable guide beneath the BB. Or alternatively totally disconnect the cable from the derailleur and use your hand to hold on to the end of the cable while shifting, see if you can sense any drag, whether it's smooth.

I have a hunch, your LBS might be right.

[moobikes]

Yes, put the cable adjuster back to starting position and re-clamp the shift cable. This time use a pair of pliers to pull the cable tight before clamping.

Also, check that the high limit screw is at the right setting.

[Lewis Moon]

I always turn the barrel adjuster all the way in the first fitting, use a pair of needle nosed pliers to pull the cable tight, tighten down the nut and shift....if it shifts well w/o turning the adjuster out more than 1/2 way I call it good. If it doesn't, I repeat. If you're fitting new cables and housing, invariably there'll be gobs of slack in the system until the cable housings seat in.

[oldpotatoe]

Originally Posted by Mustangski

Hello,
I’ve been riding with SRAM for a couple of years now and have wanted to try Campagnolo for a while. I know absolutely nothing about Campy, so the following issues are more than likely my fault. I purchased a used set of Chorus 11 speed shifters and rear derailleur a while back and finally got around to installing them over the weekend. I believe they are the older generation UltraShift.

I read the instructions online and it seems fairly straightforward to adjust, however the rear derailleur won’t shift from the small ring until the third click of the shifter. So I clicked the shifter once and turned the barrel adjuster until it shifted and then the derailleur seemed to shift smoothly through the gears. I searched and found a couple of sites saying that excess cable friction can cause issues so I routed the cable on the rear position of the shifter and behind the bars, however I still had to use the barrel adjuster turned way out to shift it.

I live in Okinawa, Japan so finding an LBS that is familiar with anything other than Shimano is not easy. The mech at the shop basically did the same thing, increasing cable tension with the barrel adjuster until it shifted. They told me they believe the rear derailleur spring is weak and may need to be replaced soon, although not sure if that’s accurate. The bike seems to shift smoothly the majority of the time, however every once in a while hesitates shifting from the smallest cog.

Cassette, chain, and cables were all replaced with new when I installed the derailleur. Since it seems to shift fine I’m going to ride it as is for now, but am concerned about the barrel adjuster turned all the way out.

Any thoughts?

Couple of things.
-no ferrule or anything at the lever for der housing?
-wee brass washer is in the shifter where the housing butts up against it?
-der housing(4mm) cut cleanly?
-minimal drag, housing cut cleanly at both ends, length at rear der long enough?
-white delrin ramp in lever(wee bit of grease on it).
-cable seated in spool in lever, shifters 'clcky', otherwise may need to tighten front and back thru bolts
-internal der cable routing? Needs to be smooth, no drag abywhere.
-smallest cog position, barrel adjuster all the way in..pull cable TIGHT, secure, then shift once, adjust pulley to be centered on next cog up.

"rear derailleur spring is weak"..makes no sense otherwise the der would shift more readily rather than slowly/not at all. Besides, they aren't replaceable anyway and seldom if even 'wear out'...NOT replaceable on shimano either plus which 'spring'?/ There are 4...

[Mustangski]

Hello,
I appreciate everyone's responses, and to answer some questions.

I used a fourth hand puller initially to pull the cable tight when first installed, the shifter wouldn't move the derailleur until the third click then seemed to shift ok through the middle of the cassette.

I disconnect the cable and clicked the shifter, the cable initially pulls through my hands so curious why it wouldn't initially move the derailleur. Also, the shift lever clicks however has a good amount of play before it clicks. I can move the lever about 3/4" before it engages the ratcheting mechanism internal to the shifter. Not sure if that matters with possibly having to tighten down the internals, which I may try anyway.

The issue with finding an LBS here is really because most don't want to work on anything other than Shimano, I had a similar issue when I had SRAM which lead me to do most of my own adjusting anyway. Which is also the reason I would like to figure this out, mainly to gain knowledge.

To answer the remaining questions:
-no ferrule or anything at the lever for der housing?
- No ferrule used in the shift lever.
-wee brass washer is in the shifter where the housing butts up against it?
- Not sure, will have to check but I didn't remove anything either.
-der housing(4mm) cut cleanly?
- Yes, and new housing/cable.
-minimal drag, housing cut cleanly at both ends, length at rear der long enough?
- Yes, I copied the length from my old cable housing. Will try to upload a photo if I can.
-white delrin ramp in lever(wee bit of grease on it).
- Not greased, will add some tonight. I've never greased this before so was unaware, will give it a shot.
-cable seated in spool in lever, shifters 'clcky', otherwise may need to tighten front and back thru bolts
- I may try this as well, the shifter is clicky but there is a good amount if play in the lever before it engages.
-internal der cable routing? Needs to be smooth, no drag abywhere.
- Yes internal, and what a PITA that is...I don't beleive there is drag but may replace the cable again with a new internal just to be sure. There was a small kink under the bottom bracket but since it was just past the cable guide I didn't think it would affect it.
-smallest cog position, barrel adjuster all the way in..pull cable TIGHT, secure, then shift once, adjust pulley to be centered on next cog up.
- This is what was done to get it to shift, I rode it this morning and shifts ok but has some road noise and hesitates sometimes during shifts. Hopefully the above corrections will fix it.

Thanks everyone, will give some of these things a check and report back.

[Spaghetti Legs]

I will exho oldpotatoe in that I seriously doubt it is an issue of a worn out derailleur. Are you still using a SRAM cassette? My understanding isn’t that Campy and Shimano 11 speed work OK together, but something to think about. A bent or misaligned derailleur hanger can also cause rear shifting problems but really, to me, it sounds like you just need to get all the slack out of the cable.

[oldpotatoe]

Originally Posted by Spaghetti Legs

I will exho oldpotatoe in that I seriously doubt it is an issue of a worn out derailleur. Are you still using a SRAM cassette? My understanding isn’t that Campy and Shimano 11 speed work OK together, but something to think about. A bent or misaligned derailleur hanger can also cause rear shifting problems but really, to me, it sounds like you just need to get all the slack out of the cable.

I agree..check the der hanger and make sure the der cables, internal(Boo-hiss) aren't crossed inside the frame..did that once on a Spec-Ed and it took a while before figured it out.

[oldpotatoe]

Thanks for your service, in Okinawa and..'Mustangski'? USN or USMC?

[Veloo]

Have you thought about doing a video chat with someone with something like Facetime or Skype?
I did it with Don when I was getting my D2 shoes and with some friends as well. Works out pretty well. Always nice to have some visuals.

[ultraman6970]

Besides to what everybody said. What ive done several times is to use cable liner under the BB or in places i knew the friction was going to be an issue.

[Black Dog]

Check the alignment of the deraillure hanger.

[Mustangski]

Thanks again everyone, I'm going to take it to another LBS today to check the hanger alignment since I don't have the tool for that. Then try the other things as mentioned, I don't believe the cables are crossed internal because there is a liner in the down tube for the rear derailleur cable.

OP,
Thanks, I'm USMC. Been stationed here for about 4.5 years now and love it. Great riding year round as well!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[oldpotatoe]

Originally Posted by Mustangski

Thanks again everyone, I'm going to take it to another LBS today to check the hanger alignment since I don't have the tool for that. Then try the other things as mentioned, I don't believe the cables are crossed internal because there is a liner in the down tube for the rear derailleur cable.

OP,
Thanks, I'm USMC. Been stationed here for about 4.5 years now and love it. Great riding year round as well!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I ‘hear’ the airwing from USS Reagan is moving from Atsugi to Iwakuni...true?