Is it a sin to swap out '80s campy components

[peanutgallery]

In the olden days (the dark ages), there was rarely a bike that you bought off the floor all complete and ready to go. By hook or by crook you acquired an italian frame of suspect quality/origin and built it up as you could with pieces and parts scoured from near and far

From my recollections, 80's Campy was beyond terrible. Brakes sucked, shifting was no good and freewheels were a no go. I came from the school that every bike had to have 1 Campy part and the rest was practical. My bike, and just about everyone that I knew, had a "salad" group on it ...and quick release paint. 6400 ultegra was damn good for the $, Campy crank/headset/front hub and ultegra shifting/braking. Practical and it worked, fairly common back then

For the OP, put that kit in a box until you find a museum piece to install it on and get a proper kit that works if you're going to actually ride the frame

FWIW: A proper Eroica bike would be a ratty italian frame with square wheels, salad kit, broken rear hub, benotto tape, seat slammed all the way back, 140mm stem, 44cm deep drop bars, 12/18 gearing and a giant "Power Bar" sticker on the top tube. And a matching look of misery on the riders face. The good old days

[Big Dan]

^
Don't give them reality.
People wonder why the MTB's took off.

[Hindmost]

Originally Posted by peanutgallery

FWIW: A proper Eroica bike would be a ratty italian frame with square wheels, salad kit, broken rear hub, benotto tape, seat slammed all the way back, 140mm stem, 44cm deep drop bars, 12/18 gearing and a giant "Power Bar" sticker on the top tube. And a matching look of misery on the riders face. The good old days

I give up, what is a salad kit?

Never mind. I figured it out. A salad is mixed (greens) components (kit.) Whew.

[fignon's barber]

Originally Posted by oldpotatoe

First and second gen friction, with retro friction shifters, C Record was excellent. Index shifting attempts thru CDA, A-B Chorus, Athena was a mess.

You're right. It was Chorus. How the hell do you remember all these details?

[jamesdak]

Originally Posted by fignon's barber

This. I remember Campa's first attempt at index shifting in the late 80's. It was only a matter of "when" you phantom dropped a gear when standing on a climb. And paint peeling like onion skin at the site of a rain cloud on those frames from the heart of cycling. How we romanticize the past.

Yep, I love everything about my Maillot Jaune except how it loves to drop a gear when I really get on it. I still set PRs on it but I wonder what I could do on it with a properly working rear setup. It's first gen Campagnolo Chorus 8 speed.

[jamesdak]

I don't see anything wrong with it myself. I see the reason sometimes to keep something period correct but in the end they are bikes and need to be ridden and ridden hard. I had my 1987 Schwinn Circuit built up with an 11 speed Athena groupset and the bike just rocks. For whatever reason I set my fastest sprints on this bike. This bike just works without any of the "charm" of some of my more period correct rides.




And like others pointed out. If you can find a silver Athena (or the likes) 11 speed groupset it can give you a classic look with modern performance. I had to hunt a bit but that's what I put on my mid 90's Giordana XL Super that I built up 2 years ago from a NOS frame.




I haven't had any issues with thousands and thousands of miles on some of the bikes that have gone from 126mm to 130mm.

[Tandem Rider]

Originally Posted by peanutgallery

In the olden days (the dark ages), there was rarely a bike that you bought off the floor all complete and ready to go. By hook or by crook you acquired an italian frame of suspect quality/origin and built it up as you could with pieces and parts scoured from near and far

From my recollections, 80's Campy was beyond terrible. Brakes sucked, shifting was no good and freewheels were a no go. I came from the school that every bike had to have 1 Campy part and the rest was practical. My bike, and just about everyone that I knew, had a "salad" group on it ...and quick release paint. 6400 ultegra was damn good for the $, Campy crank/headset/front hub and ultegra shifting/braking. Practical and it worked, fairly common back then

For the OP, put that kit in a box until you find a museum piece to install it on and get a proper kit that works if you're going to actually ride the frame

FWIW: A proper Eroica bike would be a ratty italian frame with square wheels, salad kit, broken rear hub, benotto tape, seat slammed all the way back, 140mm stem, 44cm deep drop bars, 12/18 gearing and a giant "Power Bar" sticker on the top tube. And a matching look of misery on the riders face. The good old days

Hey, what are you doing in my bike shed looking at my old bikes??

[fignon's barber]

Originally Posted by jamesdak

Yep, I love everything about my Maillot Jaune except how it loves to drop a gear when I really get on it.

Brilliant Lemond! Probably the best I've seen. Nice job. One observation,though: try the basic Fizik Microtex tape on this and the Giordana if your going to use white. It's the only one I've found that can be cleaned easily.

[oldpotatoe]

Originally Posted by fignon's barber

You're right. It was Chorus. How the hell do you remember all these details?

"It's my scam, it's my gig, it's my thing"...37 years 'in the industry', from when C Record was brand new in 1985 thru SuperRecord discontinued(sad), in 1987. Campag MTB stuff(which was actually quite good, some of it), thru Campag road index junque, thru viola! 1991/2 ERGO(huzzah!), 8s->9s->10s->11s(YIKES!!), throw in electronic and OMG, disc brakes on road bikes... till yesterday...always interesting, always perplexing(particularly today), always fascinating..

This helps as does a library of other catalogues dating back to Catalogue number 12 in 1953...

"It's my gig", hence the
'qui si parla Campagnolo'

Some others here are quite knowledgable also, GFK, Ralph, 11.4, Mark McM, others...great fun.

[oldpotatoe]

Originally Posted by Big Dan

^
Don't give them reality.
People wonder why the MTB's took off.

Scan thru RepackRider's posts as to 'why' MTBs 'took off'. It had a lot to do with crappy road stuff(shimano included, like on a Schwinn Varsity) but also click shifting from shimano and decent front suspension from RockShox..among lots of other things. It wasn't just Campag friction road stuff in the 80s, the same stuff Pros were riding, racing and winning on in Europe.

[Black Dog]

New/old work well together and old/old work well. As long as you ride the bike nothing else really matters.

[texbike]

I have a couple of 70s era bikes that have Campy Nuovo Record on them. They're essentially wall hangers that are only occasionally ridden. I plan to leave them original for the most part (the exception being clincher rims and modern cables). They are what they are. However, if I were to build a mid to late 80s era Italian classic with more modern, yet classic-looking Campy parts, I'd put together a mixed group that delivered improved shifting and braking.

Something like this:

Crankset - C Record with 10v rings,
Ergo Levers - either silver Chorus or Centaur 10v or 9v Record converted to 10v,
Brake Calipers - early 90s Record dual-pivot (they only say "Campagnolo" on them),
Rear Derailleur - Silver Chorus or Centaur 10v,
Front Derailleur - Silver Chorus or Centaur 10v, and
Wheels - Silver 10v Campy hubs laced to polished TB14s with nice, SS/DB spokes.

That set-up would provide more modern functionality with the silver bling that an 80s Italian steel classic deserves.

Texbike

[jamesdak]

Originally Posted by oldpotatoe

"It's my scam, it's my gig, it's my thing"...37 years 'in the industry', from when C Record was brand new in 1985 thru SuperRecord discontinued(sad), in 1987. Campag MTB stuff(which was actually quite good, some of it), thru Campag road index junque, thru viola! 1991/2 ERGO(huzzah!), 8s->9s->10s->11s(YIKES!!), throw in electronic and OMG, disc brakes on road bikes... till yesterday...always interesting, always perplexing(particularly today), always fascinating..

Some others here are quite knowledgable also, GFK, Ralph, 11.4, Mark McM, others...great fun.

So, let me ask this. If your first gen Campy Chorus drops a gear when you really stand on it even after rebuilding the DT shifter with new g springs and such and with a new cassette and chain is there hope? If I source the right ergolevers will that hold the gear? Each time it ghost shifts a quick click, click of the DT shifter sorts it out. So it seems like the shifter isn't holding it. I've got a Chorus 9 speed groupset I can update the bike too but I'd rather sort out the original gear if possible.

[oldpotatoe]

Originally Posted by jamesdak

So, let me ask this. If your first gen Campy Chorus drops a gear when you really stand on it even after rebuilding the DT shifter with new g springs and such and with a new cassette and chain is there hope? If I source the right ergolevers will that hold the gear? Each time it ghost shifts a quick click, click of the DT shifter sorts it out. So it seems like the shifter isn't holding it. I've got a Chorus 9 speed groupset I can update the bike too but I'd rather sort out the original gear if possible.

Probably not..these were very tough to hold a gear...as you see how easy it is to 'shift' if you just tug on the cable. You can crank the shifter fixing bolt down but then rearlly hard to move and they still don't 'hold' very well. Later 3rd gen DT shifter(2 spring..thru 1994)4th gen, 3 spring(1995-1996), with wee barrel adjust on RH shifter MUCH better but, alas, like ERGO, not compatible with that A-B chorus rear der. Your DT shifters are 2nd gen(BIG knurled knob on RH one for friction setting?)

ERGO levers, even first gen 8s are not compatible with A-B Chorus(nor are they with CDA or Athena)..You would need 1992 or so or later Campag rear der..even a 9s one would work fine with 8s ERGO.

[jamesdak]

Originally Posted by oldpotatoe

Probably not..these were very tough to hold a gear...as you see how easy it is to 'shift' if you just tug on the cable. You can crank the shifter fixing bolt down but then rearlly hard to move and they still don't 'hold' very well. Later 3rd gen DT shifter(2 spring..thru 1994)4th gen, 3 spring(1995-1996), with wee barrel adjust on RH shifter MUCH better but, alas, like ERGO, not compatible with that A-B chorus rear der. Your DT shifters are 2nd gen(BIG knurled knob on RH one for friction setting?)

ERGO levers, even first gen 8s are not compatible with A-B Chorus(nor are they with CDA or Athena)..You would need 1992 or so or later Campag rear der..even a 9s one would work fine with 8s ERGO.

It's actually indexing only. The setup in the pic below.