10 year old campy gearset

peacefulloflove said:

Hey All,
I have a ten year old, 8 speed campy record gearset, with a LOT of miles on it. It still works pretty good, but the rear cog always skips a gear when i shift up, and when i am in the lowest gear it always phantom shifts up a gear. I am leaving on a cross country bike trip and was wondering if i should replace the whole grupo? A mechanic at a bike store told me taht the right brake level isn't ratcheting, which means taht something is worn out in there and so if i can find a brake lever to replace it, my problems will be solved. However, he didnt strike me as being very knowledgable.
Any suggestions?
I could get a whole new gearset, but i'd rather not unless necessary.
Thanks!
Andy

Ah, the advantage of Campy. You do not need to replace the whole group. If everything is good, but just worn, you may be able to replace the small parts and get good-as-new performance. If you had Shimano, you would have little choice but to junk the shifter. Find a bike shop that sells a lot of Campagnolo stuff and see if they can order the small parts to overhaul and repair your levers. Alternatively, if you are inclined to do the work yourself and are certain of the problem, you may get what you need online at:

www.branfordbike.com

You can also find decent condition used 8-speed components on ebay.

If you are not sure what the problem is, best to go through a shop bike shop-one that knows Campy and is not only in the disposable Shimano mindset.