Campy Comp Triple - Front Derailleur (FD) - Chainring Capacity Question

[litespeedguy]

Campy's tech specs for their Comp Triple FD mentions capacity 23 , max 53 , min 30 - that seems to indicate that a 24 or 28 tooth wouldn't work - not sure why but I recall seeing a discussion on this on another forum some years ago .

Does anyone know if , in fact, a 24 tooth would be an issue and more importantly the reason ???

 

[alfeng]

FYI. Specs are generally conservative ... The smallest Chainring which can be used is affected by (and, therefore partially dependent on ...) the angle of the seat tube WITH the theoretical limitation being due to the chain dragging on the rear brace of the front derailleur's cage ...

• if the frame has a 71º seat tube angle then the smallest Chainring which can be accommodated will be smaller ... if the frame has a 74º seat tube angle then the smallest Chainring which can be accommodated will be larger ...

The concurrent Cog which the chain is on also has an effect ... In other words, when you are using a so-called verboten Small-Small combination OR anything approaching it, the chain may drag on the trailing edge of the cage ....

• THAT is mostly a nuisance UNLESS you do it for mile-upon-mile, IMO ... of course, if-or-when you wear the chrome off, then you will know that you have been using a truly unsuitable Chainring-Cog combination too often & for too long!

which is to say, if you really want to use a 24t Chainring, then "why not?" BTW. When in doubt (when using Campagnolo shifters), choose a SHIMANO front derailleur ... FWIW. I use Campagnolo shifters ... REGARDLESS of the crankset MY current, general preference is for the 6503 (Ultegra) which was designed for Shimano's 9-speed Triple crankset.