Campagnolo Ergo lever help

I've just acquired a lovely early nineties Colnago Master and I've spent some time making it my own.

I've never ridden with Campag before this, having been a Shimano man since day one and the levers seem to operate completely differently to STI.

The bike has an 8 speed Record cassette and I was told by the seller, 9 speed Chorus Ergo levers. But with the way they ratchet, how do I tell if my levers are I deed 9 speed? Or, more accurately, if I wanted to replace my current levers with newer versions of Ergo's that I know say 9 speed on them, will they be compatible with the 8 speed cassette?

Firstly, they're not that different. Campag shifters have always had the down shift lever behind the brake lever which isn't used for shifting, and the up shift button on the hood. Easy once you get the hang of it.

Secondly, you can tell if they are 9 speed if the are 8 clicks between top and bottom gears.

Finally, I'm not sure that Campag 8 speed cassettes were ever compatible with 9 speed levers, either the older or newer versions. But someone else might know better.

I've worked it out now. They are 8 speed levers.

Best sell them then, before the G-spring mount ring goes and you discover that spares are unavailable.

Don't ask me how I know this...

Trouble is, it's not that easy. If you have a Campag 8 speed setup - Ergo levers, mech, cassette, hub - then none of it is compatible with anything newer from Campag or Shimano (mech excepted, maybe) so you are faced with replacing everything in one go.

But once the spring mount ring goes your shifting is shafted, so you're stuck with a group you can only use with DTS.

I loved my 2nd gen. Chorus, but what's the point of an entire group that is rendered unserviceable by one solitary component?

1999 Avanti was the last 8v group: unless you want to dedicate your life to paying through the nose for outdated kit in the hope of scavenging lightly used spring mount rings, best to bite the bullet now and reap some retro-tax.

Whilst, as Scilly.Suffolk says, the spring mounts and springs do occasionally fail in these 15 year old (!) 8s levers, the prospects for repair of these parts at least are by no means as dire as he suggests.

There are some slow-wearing parts that do fail and can't (depending on which version of 8s the end user has) be replaced, but we have new spring mount rings and index springs for these levers - provided the lever service is done by someone familiar with the levers of this generation, they can be perfectly succesfully serviced and give many years of continued use.

Even when we run out of the spring mount rings, the later-pattern items can be modified to work with absolutely no problem.

Hope that helps
Velotech Cycling Ltd
Main UK Campagnolo Factory-Appointed Technical and Service Centre

we have new spring mount rings

You didn't when I was in touch with you last year.

You did say you thought it might be possible to modify a 9v ring, but never got back to me, despite me following-up a number of times.

I can assure you that no-one else in the country has any new rings.

I know later springs are compatible and readily available, but it was at your suggestion that I checked and replaced the rings:
"If you are looking at doing it yourself, and found broken G springs, we'd recommend replacement of the spring mount ring in any case - often, that's the next tghing to fail & in any case, when the lever has been in use for some while, the G springs form a small indent at the point where they meet the mount ring, so become less likely to hold the gear, especially on the last few clicks towards bottom (easiest) gears."

Hi

Does the issue of the g springs and ring mount availability discussed above also affect pre 2001 9 speed ergos (with the 1st gen pointy hoods) ? Considering purchasing some but won't if they will be tricky to repair . Cheers

They will wear in the same way, but the springs (unchanged between 8v and 9v) and 9v rings are still readily available.

Cheers Scilly that's good to know. Also any idea if I could use 2nd gen ergos (9 speed) with 1st gen 9 speed drivetrain? I've read the actuation ration is different but don't know if its enough to cause a problem.... I've only tried the 2nd gen ergo shape, I have the c-record era brake levers and find them very uncomfortable so am assuming (perhaps incorrectly) the 1st gen ergos will have a similar feel ...

When 10v was introduced in 2001, 9v also adopted the new Ergo and RD: so 2001 9v is not compatible with 2000 9v.

PM me your email and I'll send you the catalogues: they're too big to upload here.

Thanks for the clarification much appreciated, I think I've got the catalogues from Retrobike already . cheers!

You did say you thought it might be possible to modify a 9v ring, but never got back to me, despite me following-up a number of times.

We may not be talking about the same part - some 9s spring mount rings are identical to the current part EC-RE111, some are an older design EC-RE011 which can be "made" from EC-RE111 by careful removal of the return spring mounting post.

I think your query related to putting a 9s ratchet into an old 8s lever where it is possible to modify a recent and still-available 9s ratchet into an original version 8s lever - I indicated in my answer that the modification can be done but in general we really don't recommend it.

It's very rare for us not to follow up on email - I won't say it doesn't happen - when each tech here gets upwards of 50 or 60 a day they can & do get missed - but if we did miss a mail string, I apologise, of course.

Acting on your recommendation (see above), I wanted to replace the G-spring mount ring in two pairs of 8v Ergo, at the same time as I replaced the G-springs.

I scoured the country for 8v rings, without success, and you suggested that it may be possible to modify 9v rings to suit.

Which is as far as I got with Velotech: I was in touch with you personally (via e-mail and telephone) and at least one other person.

I do appreciate that for VT, a couple of spare parts for redundant components is certainly more trouble than it's worth and would quite understand if told as much.

What I don't appreciate is you contradicting my advice above, when it is based upon your recommendation (to replace rings at the same time as springs) and my first-hand experience (that rings are not available).

On my quest for rings I spoke to a well respected figure in the "obsolete" Campag spares market and related your suggestion (to modify 9v rings) and my frustration at not being able to progress the matter. He replied that VT had a reputation for promising much, but delivering little, which is unfortunate considering your valued contribution on LFGSS.

this is all becoming a bit 'pistols at dawn', I'm glad you amended your closing sentence

Ha!

I'm not fussed about the rings: like I say, "small beer" for VT and I've long since given up on 8v.

And I've explained what did irk me.

Standing my ground without "throwing down a gauntlet" isn't easy, which is why I tagged on the very last phrase.