Shimano chainrings with FSA crank and Campy chain???



Sooooie

New Member
Apr 5, 2007
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I have a FSA Pro Carbon Team Issue Crank 130mm BCD with all other compenents full Campy Record. The FSA chainrings are worn some and the shift to large ring sometimes requires a double shift. This is a used bike, so I don't know if the shift is due to the rings being worn or due to the FSA rings themselves. I have heard that Shimano rings are gated, in addition to the pins, and that they provide the quickest and smoothest front shifting. Will a set of Dura-Ace rings fit on my FSA crank okay and run okay with a Campy record chain?
 
Sooooie said:
I have a FSA Pro Carbon Team Issue Crank 130mm BCD with all other compenents full Campy Record. The FSA chainrings are worn some and the shift to large ring sometimes requires a double shift. This is a used bike, so I don't know if the shift is due to the rings being worn or due to the FSA rings themselves. I have heard that Shimano rings are gated, in addition to the pins, and that they provide the quickest and smoothest front shifting. Will a set of Dura-Ace rings fit on my FSA crank okay and run okay with a Campy record chain?
It normally takes TWO index "CLICKS" (sometimes THREE, if there is slack in the cable or you have the "wrong" front derailleur) to move the chain from one chainring to another with Campagnolo shifters.

You can continue to use a Campagnolo chain if you get Shimano chainrings for your crankset OR opt for something like the SRAM 89R chain.

FWIW. Ramping & pinning DO improve shifting (just put some 8-speed rings on a 9-/10-speed Shimano drivetrain!) ... but, a couple of years ago I decided to see if/how my slew of 8-speed rings (non-ramped, non-pinned) would work with my Campagnolo shifters/etc. ... they work (well enough for me ... your expectations may be greater). So, while it is better to have ramped/pinned rings AND you can put Shimano rings on your FSA crank (there was ONE early exception, I think, which had a replaceable spider with 135BCD Campagnolo ring size), you can buy/use almost any other 130BCD/Shimano-compatible ring to use on your crankset & Campagnolo shifters. Let your budget & circumstances of availability be your guide.
 
Well, on my system now, if I'm in the small chainring, I can sweep the shifter all the way to the right, clicking through all of the indexes, until it stops and it won't always climb to the big ring. Most of the time, I have to press the shifter again (even though it feels like it is at the stop) to get it to climb.
 
Sooooie said:
Well, on my system now, if I'm in the small chainring, I can sweep the shifter all the way to the right, clicking through all of the indexes, until it stops and it won't always climb to the big ring. Most of the time, I have to press the shifter again (even though it feels like it is at the stop) to get it to climb.
Geez. How much slack do you have in your derailleur cable?

If there isn't currently any slack in the cable, per se, when the chain is on the inner ring, then your LEFT shifter probably needs to be rebuilt -- the G-spring is the likely culprit. It is an inexpensive part (there are two per shifter), but necessary to prevent the slippage you are probably/possibly referring to. While you can replace it yourself, you have to be REALLY MOTIVATED to do it ... and, it is probably worth the cost of having your LBS do the work (NOT ALL shops can do this work).

Alternatively, you can buy a MIRAGE/VELOCE shifter and (for cosmetic reasons, only) move the brake lever from the one shifter to the other ... this will be MUCH less expensive, but some people would find it to be an unsatisfactory option. The pre-2007 shifters are functionally equivalent up-and-down the Campagnolo line (except for the XENON), and most of the parts are interchangeable ... bling, break-in time, and a small weight differential are the only true differences in most of the Campagnolo components from the various groups.
 
Sooooie said:
I have a FSA Pro Carbon Team Issue Crank 130mm BCD with all other compenents full Campy Record. The FSA chainrings are worn some and the shift to large ring sometimes requires a double shift. This is a used bike, so I don't know if the shift is due to the rings being worn or due to the FSA rings themselves. I have heard that Shimano rings are gated, in addition to the pins, and that they provide the quickest and smoothest front shifting. Will a set of Dura-Ace rings fit on my FSA crank okay and run okay with a Campy record chain?
It doesn't necessarily sound like the crank is the problem. The cables might be stretching, or the deraileurs themselves might not be true.

Safest bet w/ out having to buy new parts is first take it to your LBS.