Campy rear mech compatibility



LeeDome

New Member
Sep 22, 2013
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I have a bianchi road bike, whilst riding yesterday the rear mech decided to snap off this seems to be a common problem with the 10 speed xenon, would anyone know if the 10 speed veloce rear derailleur is compatible? Many thanks.
 
Yep, it's compatible. As for the RD that snapped off, that's not typical. RD's generally don't just "snap off". What was going on at the time?
 
Well looking on various other forums many others seem to have had similar problems, the body is made of plastic which seems to be the problem which is why i was looking at the veloce mech which is alluminum.
 
As i moved away from a set of traffic lights i shifted up a gear heard an almighty crack and the mech was just hanging on the chain, its broken off from where it mounts to the hanger, i've never had and problems with the gears the bikes only 6 months old or so.
 
"RD's generally don't just "snap off"."

They do, if they're old plastic Xenons. Junk.

The old Xenon rear was noted for breaking. Cheap assed plastic (glass reinforced nylon) upper parallelogram knuckles were known for breaking right below the pivot/mounting bolt. They only manufactured them from plastic for a short period.

Let's see a picture of yours, OP.
 
400
 
LeeDome said:
That does suck. If I were you I would definitely contact Campy to see if they'll replace that under warranty. Since Campy no longer markets or sells Xenon, you'd likely get the Veloce RD as an upgrade.
 
I've contact campy and the shop where the bike was bought, do hopefully they'll get back to me soon, thanks for all the advice, i'll let you know the outcome.
 
Campagnolo OWES you a new Super Record EPS groupset AND the replacement costs for a new pair of cycling shorts.

There is exactly zero excuse for the premier name in cycling to manufacture such absolute trash. It is criminal negligence that Campagnolo has not recalled this known safety issue...much like they skated on their craptastic aluminum crankarms that were known for breaking in two and causing loss of control (ask me how I know!).

Definitely contact Campagnolo and send them multiple pictures. Do NOT send the the rear derailleur until you have a settlement, even if that is just another rear derailleur.

Perhaps our esteemed JHuskey Esq. can represent you in a civil suit!
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Replacement derailleurs are cheap. Serious injuries are not and there have been several cases of riders being injured when the broken derailleur went flying into the spokes, locking up the rear wheel and causing a loss of control and crash.

I hope you sustained no injuries when your derailleur failed, Lee.
 
Luckily i was moving slowly so i wasn't injured i've heard a few stories of the mech jamming in the wheel.
 
Back in the 1970's there was any number of poorly designed derailleurs that flexed, bent or broke with the sometimes serious result of a locked up rear wheel.

Campagnolo has no excuse for the poor material choice (when combined with the thin cross section). The derailleur should have been recalled and replaced long ago.
 
LeeDome said:
Luckily i was moving slowly so i wasn't injured i've heard a few stories of the mech jamming in the wheel.[/quote Yes, it can lock up a rear wheel, which can suck really badly in certain situations. A few years ago I was testing a new set of wheels for a wheel manufacturer when I hit a pothole at speed, and the wheel took the rear derailleur and part of the replaceable hanger off. Fortunately the rear wheel didn't lock. As it happened the RD was a Campy Record 10spd, but the RD wasn't to blame. It was the wheel design that had pathetic lack of lateral stiffness.
 
"It was the wheel design that had pathetic lack of lateral stiffness."

Someone loosened the nipples 2-1/4 turns? Jobst-Tested/Scientist Approved? Pro rider/wheel tester that could not discern wheel flex?
 
I've only ridden fixies untill i got this bike,(sort of wish i stuck to them) i shouldn't have the same problem with a veloce mech should i?
 
None of the all-aluminum or aluminum/carbon fiber Campy rear derailleurs have a track record of trying to self-destruct maim the rider. That said, travel adjustments should be carefully set and wheel flex taken into account to make certain the cage stays out of the spokes.

Unplanned rear wheel lockups suck.
 
Its being fitted by my local bike shop who deal with alot of road bikes so should be all ok, once again thanks for all the advice really appreciate it.