I want to revamp my Gios’ drivetrain. It currently has a mish mash of campy stuffs on it(long cage “racing triple” RD, Chorus ergo levers, 7 speed freewheel, etc).
I’ve been tossing around the idea of outfitting it with a Rival group. Of course, all said n’ done this would cost around $800+ because I’d have to get a new back wheel.
Today I’ve been thinking it would be rad to just say blah to all that and look around for a little bit on Ebay/CL and put some better, more period correct things on there and switch to downtube shifters(I like and have used these extensively).
Of course the latter would be the more cost effective way of going about it. But would I really be that pleased with the Rival stuff? I like to do distance riding and this bike will not be raced.
I guess I’m just looking for thoughts, opinions, or insight because I really like this bike, but the drivetrain is god-awful.
If you don’t want to drop cash on Rival try replacing what’s there piece by piece. Start with the cassette, maybe the derailleur then see if anything improves. If nothing else you can put what’s on there up on eBay and recoup some of it.
Your bike is pretty. I don’t understand what is god-awful about the drivetrain.
I’m guessing you have 8speed shifters on 7speed freewheel. Does it shift okay? I don’t like downtube shifters, and I do like steel bikes with brifters, so I would say just get the shifters that are on there running smoothly.
Edit: the long cage RD shouldn’t matter, unless it’s worn out. I don’t have a lot of Campy experience, but shimano 8 speed shifters should shift 7 fine, and I think Campy’s the same in that respect.
if you’re not racing, you don’t need brifters. if you’re riding long distances, you’ll probably want the adjustability of friction shifters.
shifters and brake levers, what $150?
then a rear wheel set up and you’d be fine. you can keep the derailleur too.
Well, the freewheel on there right now is geared way too low. It creates an odd combination of gears and I always feel like I’m geared too high or too low. I don’t know if that makes sense, but I’d really like something more mellow in range.
Plus the current RD is just very slightly bent creating very slight shifting problems. The shifters feel very mushy.
I was going to do the piece by piece deal but Sram and Campy aren’t very compatible, plus the freewheel as opposed to freehub situation doesn’t help.
I think I’m going to just replace the RD and freewheel and see what happens.
But I may just be patient and score some nice downtube shifters/aero levers and call it a day. Because goddamn I just got a Concept.
*edit
I guess I’m kind of cheaping out, I blame the recession
But as bward said, it would be nice to fix some shit on the fly if I was on a super long ride with DT shifters. Plus I’m kinda just used to them anyway.
I’ve been looking at some Campy downtube shifters and also found some pretty rad Modolo levers. Ha, I even considered those carbon Record aero levers. But that would be, oh so, redonk.
new RD, new freewheel, hose out the shifters with spray lube, and check chain for stretch… no wait just go ahead and replace it.
Sure, you don’t need brifters, but shit, you’ve got 'em. No way would I get rid of re-buildable shifters to replace 'em with downtube ones. But I ride taller bikes and fuck reaching down that far.
[quote=“bward1028”]if you’re not racing, you don’t need brifters. if you’re riding long distances, you’ll probably want the adjustability of friction shifters.
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It’s ridiculous to suggest that indexed shifting would be less desirable for applications other than racing. Modern indexed systems work very well. Not to mention they can be barrel adjusted pretty easily on the fly even though that’s something you’ll only do every few thousand k.
The point is especially moot with campy brifters since the fd can be trimmed.
I’d say get the 8 speed cassette. If I understood right and you really have a 7 sp freewheel, the upgrade woul mean not only better shifting, but a much stronger axle and a little less weight. I’d say keep an eye on ebay.
Campy 8 speed is my all time fave. Good deal can be found if you’re patient. I got my girlfriend a barely used 6pc Athena group for about $130 a year ago.
take everything apart on the bike. clean the shit out of everything. check the bottom bracket. clean stuff by hand or with some degreaser and/or run it all through a parts washer. ditch the freewheel. get a rear 8 speed freehub body campy wheel or a hub and have it built, sell the old wheel, and see whats wrong with the rear derailleur. maybe it just needs some love. if not get one. youre gunna need a new chain and cassette too for 8speed, not because what you have isnt compatible, but because you just need to buy a new chain when you buy a new cassette, or your shifting will be awful. also check those shifters. older campy brifters can get pretty dreadful after a while.
new- rear wheel or hub, chain & cassette, maybe R. derailleur, and a good cleaning. and new cables. the bike might look great but youd be surprised whats happened to old steel bikes when you take them completely apart. my dads colnago could grow plants in the bottom bracket shell from the amount of dirt that was up in there. besides, its good to learn whats going on with the bike.
what id do: ditch the ‘‘italian purebred’’ obsession and sell the entire campagnolo group, because youll get a decent amount of money for it, especially on ebay, and get something new. new is nice, especially if you want to do some serious long distances on it. rival or 105 or something.
Yeah. I’ve been thinking about it. I’m not crazy into it being all Italian. Just sometimes. I think I’ll wait for my B-day as my mother has decided to pay for a great portion of the track bike I just bought, and go with Rival. Yeah.
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