How do I configure lower gearing on my 10 speed Campagnolo

[Horsley Legs]

Hi all,
I have a 10 speed compact cassette Campagnolo Centaur. Front 50/34, Rear 12/29.
I would like a little more on the bottom end as I do the majority of my cycling in the Surrey Hills. I’ve had my road bike for a year and love it but my previous bike was a Marin MTB and obviously has lower gearing.

Without changing the whole groupset how could I change the configuration? In order to get this. I’m 62 years old and fit. I don't want to be grinding uphill at my age!

Regards.
Horsley Legs

[tatanab]

The quick answer is that you cannot. You cannot fit a smaller chainring, and 29 is as big as Campag go on the cassette.

Probably the cheapest thing to do is change the chainset.

[Brucey]

you get 30T cogs in some campag cassettes now. But one tooth more is hardly worth it really.

At the front you can buy a campag triple chainset; newer ones won't go smaller than 30T(duh!... ) but older ones (still available NOS, eg Geoffrey Butler cycles) with ST BB axles will accept down to ~24T inside chainring.

cheers

[Valbrona]

You can't fit a smaller inner chainring to your existing double crankset than 34t. But you can fit bigger sprockets at the back. The biggest Campag do in 10 speed is 30t, but other aftermarket cassettes are available from people like Interlock Racing Design/SJS Cycles that go bigger.

But you really need a sensible triple set-up. What Ergo levers you using? Older 10 speed Ergolevers are designed to be both triple and double chainset compatible (with no further adjustment required), but newer ones come in double and triple format.

[mattsccm]

Here's a thought. My roughstuff bike has a MTB chainset on it with an otherwise Campag 10 speed set up. It did have a Campag triple with a 28/39 50 set of rings. Still didn't need the 50 so the MTB chainset is running a modern double setup. 28 inner with a 42 in the middle position. The outer is just empty. Modern doubles actually have the outer position smoothed off somewhat. A good option if you don't need the higher gears and my double from mech copes perfectly.( I sometime run a Shimano cassette with an 11/32 range. Now that is low. Actually the cassette is spaced out with spacers from an unknown conversion cassette.) I assume you have a Campag hub so thats 29 coupled with a 28 front, be it traditional triple or MTB double will give you plenty of low gears.
I 'd would probably look for a used Campag triple.

[CREPELLO]

If you do go down the triple chainset route, your ergo levers will probably cope. Although, allegedly, modern ergo shifters are not designed for triple chainsets, many find they wok fine as such. I run a 2009 Ultrashift Centaur set up that shifts an Ultegra triple FD (triple bad!) really well, with no slippage. I also had in my possession briefly, some 2013 veloce double Powershift ergo's. Although they were marked double, they pulled the same amount of cable as my 'triple' ergo's with a similar amount of clicks. So if you have marked double ergo's, consider a good triple chainset. The front/double mech may even cope.

[Mick F]

You could buy the Centaur 12-30 cassette. It's uses ultra-shift system of shifting just like the 11sp cassettes.
It doesn't give you much lower gearing, but it's a simple and easy option.

I took that option some time back and went from 29t to 30t and found that although it was only one tooth difference, the feeling was as if it was more.

[pete75]

I also had in my possession briefly, some 2013 veloce double Powershift ergo's. Although they were marked double, they pulled the same amount of cable as my 'triple' ergo's with a similar amount of clicks. So if you have marked double ergo's, consider a good triple chainset. The front/double mech may even cope.

I can confirm that these ergos, the actual ones mentioned, work well on a triple chain set with a Veloce double front mech.

[foxyrider]

34 x 28 gets most peeps up Holme Moss - i don't see the issue

I'm running triple on one bike - old Xenon triple chainset with a Foxyrider built 11 - 29 10 speed Campag cassette.

[123malford]

http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/ird-elite-10 ... prod22878/ looks like these go to 34T.

[Brucey]

http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/ird-elite-10-speed-cassette-campagnolo-compatible-prod22878/ looks like these go to 34T.

but is there a campag rear mech that will manage 34T ?

cheers

[pete75]

http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/ird-elite-10-speed-cassette-campagnolo-compatible-prod22878/ looks like these go to 34T.

but is there a campag rear mech that will manage 34T ?

cheers

Yep - the Rally. 36 tooth I believe. Obtaining one might be a bit hit and miss.

For less than the 129 quid that cassette costs you could probably obtain a new back wheel with Shimano freehub, 9 speed Shimano cassette with 34T max spocket and Deore dérailleur which would all work fine with 10 speed ergos.

[Brucey]

but is there a campag rear mech that will manage 34T ?

Yep - the Rally. 36 tooth I believe. Obtaining one might be a bit hit and miss...

and it won't work with 10s ergos....

I agree there are lots of expensive solutions to this BTW, especially if you want to stick with an 'all campag' solution.

BTW a Mirage triple (eg from G Butler), a suitable BB and a replacement inner ring should be around £80, and give a low gear of around 24" with a 26T inner ring.

cheers

[MartinC]

You might get away with a 32 or even a 34 sprocket depending on the frame geometry - trying it is the only way to find out. Finding a NOS square taper triple is one solution if your mechs and ergos will cope - again you'd have to try it and see. Neither IRD cassettes nor a new chainset are cheap and you stand the chance of it not working as well as you'd want.

One option no-one has mentioned is using a alpine chainset - a compact with smaller rings than 50-34. There are off the shelf options from various manufacturers (TA, Middleburn, Sugino, IRD, Herse) but a more economical approach would be to build one with economical Stronglight 74/110 BCD triple cranks and use just the inner and middle rings to five you 46-0 or lower. I'm sure other posters have got Spa Cycles to build these. The other components in your set up should cope with this without problem of you get the chainline right(ish)