Campag/Shimano/FSA - Will this work ?



Quigs Snr

New Member
Sep 27, 2004
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I have a new carbon frame which requires a 34.9 band on front mech which means that the 31.6 I bought is out the window !

I was told I could get a 34.9 adapter and buy a braze on front mech (Dura Ace) or I could get a campag one in the right size.

Heres what I have, Shimano Dura Ace 7700 9 speed shifters, FSA Compact Carbon Pro Elite chainset. Will both of the above options work well for me ? If the campag works would I be better with the Regular record front mech in Carbon, or the CT version ?

Thanks.
 
Quigs Snr said:
I have a new carbon frame which requires a 34.9 band on front mech which means that the 31.6 I bought is out the window !

I was told I could get a 34.9 adapter and buy a braze on front mech (Dura Ace) or I could get a campag one in the right size.

Heres what I have, Shimano Dura Ace 7700 9 speed shifters, FSA Compact Carbon Pro Elite chainset. Will both of the above options work well for me ? If the campag works would I be better with the Regular record front mech in Carbon, or the CT version ?

Thanks.

I think that a regular shimano front mech (or FSA or IRD compact front mech) will work better than the Campag with Shimano shifters. With the indexing of STI, the shimano trim function works better with the Shimano cage shape (or brands of front derailleurs made to work with the STI front shifter). On the other hand, Campagnolo shifter will work fine with anything. As an aside, in a recent tech talk by Lennard Zinn in velonews, he comments that Campag CT front derailleurs do not work well with non-campagnolo compact rings. I guess it has to do with the way the cage pushes the chain into the pick-up pins on the large chainring.

As far as your seat tube size goes, get the clamp adapter and use a braze-on. I did similar for going the other way in getting a front derailleur for an old 28.6mm seat tube steel frame. Works great, actually has more adjustability than with a typical braze-on, which may be helpful in using a compact crankset (sometimes you can't get the front mech low enough), and doesn't look bad.
 
I've been using a Campy Record carbon front derailleur with my Shimano shifters for a long time with no problems. The trim function works just fine. Anyone who tells you otherwise really has no idea what they're talking about. Like you I needed a 34.9 clamp size and didn't like the cobbled together DA clamp adapter with the DA braze-on FD. The Campy FD shaved a few grams too.
 
The O/S clamp adaptor w/ a brazed on will be more versatile and will work equally well with a brazed on Shimano or Campy FD. A Shimano FD or a Campag FD capacity will accommodate the usual compact chainring combo. I'am not sure though if a Campy ULTRA FD will be the better choice for your FSA Comapct than a pre Ultra Campy FD. The Ultra has a teflon insert making it narrower - suitable for a Campy C10 Ultra chain and ULTRA chainset.
 
jimmer23 said:
....Anyone who tells you otherwise really has no idea what they're talking about.

I guess I must not have been able to get the adjustment dialed in as well as you. Perhaps it is my personal preference, but I have never been as satisfied with STI front indexing as I have been with friction or Ergo front shifting.