Campy derailers with DT shifters on MTB

[p nut]

Currently have 3x9 MTB drivetrain on my Riv. Front: 44/34/24; Rear: 11-32. Dia Compe friction DT shifters.

Would 9-sp Campagnolo derailers work with this set up?

[bfd]

Get a Racing T RD

[p nut]

Wow, they are not cheap, are they?

I did find a Veloce triple FD. Hope that will work.
Rear: I’m hoping any 9-Sp RD med/long cage will work with MTB spacing. The Racing T RD on eBay is $200.

[pbarry]

Friction shifters don’t care what brand of derailleur is at the end of the cable.

[AngryScientist]

Originally Posted by pbarry

Friction shifters don’t care what brand of derailleur is at the end of the cable.

Correct.

A brand new $60 centaur mid cage will work fine for that setup

[Mark McM]

Originally Posted by pbarry

Friction shifters don’t care what brand of derailleur is at the end of the cable.

That's true, but as the number of sprockets increases (and the spacing between gets smaller), friction shifting becomes more fiddly, and allows less error in shifter position. 9spd is probably on the edge of okay, but I don't think I'd want to friction shift 12spd.

[dddd]

None of the 9s-era Campag derailers were rated for larger than a 26t cog iir, so issues with max cog size may come up as a mere 29t cog is installed.

I have used the long-cage versions of 9 and 10s Campag rear derailers with 29t, but I got the feeling when setting them up that I was at the limit.

I recall that there was one particular version (of three choices) of the 10s rear derailers over the years that was made to accomodate 29t, but I recall getting the middle version to work that I think was only rated for 26t.

[p nut]

Originally Posted by dddd

None of the 9s-era Campag derailers were rated for larger than a 26t cog iir, so issues with max cog size may come up as a mere 29t cog is installed.

I have used the long-cage versions of 9 and 10s Campag rear derailers with 29t, but I got the feeling when setting them up that I was at the limit.

I recall that there was one particular version (of three choices) of the 10s rear derailers over the years that was made to accomodate 29t, but I recall getting the middle version to work that I think was only rated for 26t.

Good info. Thanks. I will get a Roadlink to remedy this issue. Hopefully that will work.

[p nut]

Originally Posted by Mark McM

That's true, but as the number of sprockets increases (and the spacing between gets smaller), friction shifting becomes more fiddly, and allows less error in shifter position. 9spd is probably on the edge of okay, but I don't think I'd want to friction shift 12spd.

I tried 10speed with friction shifters, despite Rivendell's recommendation not to do it. I should've listened. Didn't work very well. Lots of ghost shifting as I couldn't get the RD lined up just right on each shift. 8 and 9 speed work well.


My question is, if I get a 10 or 11sp RD, and pair it with the friction shifter and 9-speed cassette, will that cause any issues? Specifically regarding the cable pull ratio?

[dddd]

Originally Posted by p nut

...My question is, if I get a 10 or 11sp RD, and pair it with the friction shifter and 9-speed cassette, will that cause any issues? Specifically regarding the cable pull ratio?

Any pull-ratio differences will be slight, far too small to affect choice of friction-shift levers.

One thing that can reduce sensitivity of friction-shifting narrow-spaced cogs is the use of narrower chain than the cogset normally uses, so use of a newer derailer and chain might likely work the best overall.

And some chains are definitely less tooth-grabbing than others!
I can recommend SRAM 9 and 10s chain as being less tooth-grabbing than Shimano's 9 and 10s chain. Normally this can result in poor indexing when using SRAM chain on a Shimano drivetrain, but with friction shifting it's a definite advantage!

So I would recommend a one-increment narrower (than the cogset) SRAM chain for use on a friction-shifted 9 or 10s cassette.

[Mark McM]

Originally Posted by dddd

None of the 9s-era Campag derailers were rated for larger than a 26t cog iir, so issues with max cog size may come up as a mere 29t cog is installed.

Not quite true. While Campy's pre-9spd road derailleurs were only rated for 26t maximum sprockets, Campy's OR (Off Road) 7/8spd derailleurs used cable pull ratio as their road derailleurs, and were rated for maximum sprockets of 32t (and Campy did produce OR cassettes with 32t sprockets). These are hard to find today, but they are still around.

Originally Posted by dddd

I recall that there was one particular version (of three choices) of the 10s rear derailers over the years that was made to accomodate 29t, but I recall getting the middle version to work that I think was only rated for 26t.

Any of Campagnolo's 10spd derailleurs could handle a 29 tooth sprocket. The difference in the derailleurs was only their capacities (chain wrap). A short cage 10spd derailleur can easily handle a 13/29 cassette with 53/39 chainrings. With proper chain length and tension adjustment the short cage derailleur could just barely handle a 13/29 cassette and 50/34 or 52/36chainrings, but it was usually suggested to use a medium cage derailleur for this combination. With a 13/29 cassette and a triple, a long cage derailleur was required.


Edit:

Here's a catalog of the 1992 Campagnolo Off Road groups for those who are interested: http://www.disraeligears.co.uk/Site/...oad_Range.html

[choke]

Originally Posted by p nut

I tried 10speed with friction shifters, despite Rivendell's recommendation not to do it. I should've listened. Didn't work very well. Lots of ghost shifting as I couldn't get the RD lined up just right on each shift. 8 and 9 speed work well.

Interesting. I have a Campy 10 drivetrain that I friction shift and it works great....I can't recall a single ghost shift. I use Doppler (retrofriction) shifters so that may be the difference. I think Doc (rccardr) has one bike that is 11sp friction.

My question is, if I get a 10 or 11sp RD, and pair it with the friction shifter and 9-speed cassette, will that cause any issues? Specifically regarding the cable pull ratio?

I can't see that the cable pull being a problem since you're using DT shifters; if you were using MTB top mounts in friction then you might hit the stops at the end before you pull all the cable but shouldn't happen with DTs. The only possible problem that I could see is that the space between the cages might be smaller and the chain could rub them.