Campagnolo Update drivetrain



Waterlaw

New Member
Apr 23, 2010
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Have a 1999 Litespeed Ultimate that I am irrationally attached to that needs some updating. Main issues is that I want to have compact cranks but can't get there with 135 BDC Record spider.

Campy Record 9 speed, pre- 2001. Campy Proton wheels.

Question: If I buy new compact crankset, say an Athena, it will come as an 11s. I think I will have some serious chain noise with my existing 9s chain. What to do?

Keep in mind, I like these Proton wheels, which are in cherry condition and very functional.

Question 2: Will a Campy 10s or 11s cassette fit on that Proton wheel?
I'd be satisfied with running a narrower chain on a 10S or 11s cluster and forfeiting the extra speeds (or building in blanks in the cluster) so as not to replace the 9s levers. I know I'll need a shift mate to make it work.

I guess I should also consider something like the FSA cranks and not be a Campophile.
Any suggestions on a compact crankset that would be compatible with Campy 9s?
 
If you're keen on the Athena crankset, then you could buy a NON-Campy 110BCD chainring & elongate the "hidden" chainring hole to fit the crankset ...

OR, you could shim the 11-speed outer chainring by about 1mm to bring it into an appropriate separation from the inner chainring ... but, first I would try a 9-speed Shimano chain which I think is narrower than the chain you are currently using and may be narrow enough (why pay the premium for a 10-speed or 11-speed chain?).

Otherwise, just buy a Veloce-or-Centaur compact crankset ...

OR, if you aren't a Campy Only type, then you can simply install an FSA or Shimano compact crankset ... at least for this year ...
N.B. Supposedly, the Ultra Torque cranksets are going to be superseded by the Power Torque cranks which will eschew the Hirth coupling which I questioned/derided/whatever a year-or-so ago ... if true, then I would think it would be worth waiting a year for one of the updated Campy cranksets.
 
alfeng said:
If you're keen on the Athena crankset, then you could buy a NON-Campy 110BCD chainring & elongate the "hidden" chainring hole to fit the crankset ...

OR, you could shim the 11-speed outer chainring by about 1mm to bring it into an appropriate separation from the inner chainring ... but, first I would try a 9-speed Shimano chain which I think is narrower than the chain you are currently using and may be narrow enough (why pay the premium for a 10-speed or 11-speed chain?).

Otherwise, just buy a Veloce-or-Centaur compact crankset ...

OR, if you aren't a Campy Only type, then you can simply install an FSA or Shimano compact crankset ... at least for this year ...
N.B. Supposedly, the Ultra Torque cranksets are going to be superseded by the Power Torque cranks which will eschew the Hirth coupling which I questioned/derided/whatever a year-or-so ago ... if true, then I would think it would be worth waiting a year for one of the updated Campy cranksets.

Athena and below only, as I read it, not Chorus and above and it 'may' be Campagnolo's answer to BB30.
 
Peter@vecchios said:
Athena and below only, as I read it, not Chorus and above and it 'may' be Campagnolo's answer to BB30.
FWIW. My wild conjecture is that the Record/Chorus variant of the Power Torque cranks will have a larger diameter spindle ...

Perhaps, if the spindle on the Record/Chorus Power Torque crankset is 30mm in diameter, then it will be the first crank with THAT SIZE spindle to use external cups/bearings ... and, spindle spacers would subsequently be used to allow the PT30 (my designation, of course) crank to be installed in a BB30 frame.