Mixing Campy Wheelsets with Shimano Groups OK?

JTE83 said:

Ok, is it possible to mix a complete campy wheel with campy cassette with the rest of the bike group being shimano? Like will a campy wheel with 9spd Campy cassette work on a Shimano 9spd groupset? Likewise will a campy wheel with a 10spd Campy cassette work on a Shimano 10spd groupset? Has any one ever done this?

Campy Scirocco wheels are nice, but they don’t make them in Shimano cassette compatible versions – I think. That’s why I’m thinking of mixing Campy 9spd with Shimano 9 spd.

Dunno bout the compatibility of the campag stack to the shimano front, but when i bought a set of Campag wheels, (believe it or not) my shimano stack fit directly onto the rear hub. Before i bought them i thought that i would have to but a different stack but no need ( with my wheelset anyway: Campag Vento G3's). So if they are compatible, would be worth contacting the distributor yourself to see if Scirocco's will take Shimano.
Cheers

A Campy cassette is not going to work with Shimano shifters. The cogs are spaced differently.

JTE83 said:

Ok, is it possible to mix a complete campy wheel with campy cassette with the rest of the bike group being shimano? Like will a campy wheel with 9spd Campy cassette work on a Shimano 9spd groupset? Likewise will a campy wheel with a 10spd Campy cassette work on a Shimano 10spd groupset? Has any one ever done this?

Campy Scirocco wheels are nice, but they don’t make them in Shimano cassette compatible versions – I think. That’s why I’m thinking of mixing Campy 9spd with Shimano 9 spd.

Campagnolo 9-speed 4.55 mm Inter-Cog Spacing
Shimano 9-speed 4.34 mm
Campagnolo 10-speed 4.12 mm
Shimano 10-speed 3.95 mm

There seems to be sufficient "slop" in modern derailers for this to work depsite the spacing differences.
Wheels Manufacturing and American Classic make cassettes and spacer kits for going with Campy spacing on Shimano cassette hubs, but this is backwards from what you are trying to make work.
If I were to try this I would go with as a narrow chain as you can.

daveornee said:

Campagnolo 9-speed 4.55 mm Inter-Cog Spacing
Shimano 9-speed 4.34 mm
Campagnolo 10-speed 4.12 mm
Shimano 10-speed 3.95 mm

There seems to be sufficient "slop" in modern derailers for this to work depsite the spacing differences.
Wheels Manufacturing and American Classic make cassettes and spacer kits for going with Campy spacing on Shimano cassette hubs, but this is backwards from what you are trying to make work.
If I were to try this I would go with as a narrow chain as you can.

To add to this, there is device called a shiftmate that also makes campy/shimano work together.

artmichalek said:

A Campy cassette is not going to work with Shimano shifters. The cogs are spaced differently.

See Daves answer and get on the learning curve.

afroboy said:

Dunno bout the compatibility of the campag stack to the shimano front, but when i bought a set of Campag wheels, (believe it or not) my shimano stack fit directly onto the rear hub.

Thats because certain Campy wheels are availabe with either a campy or shimano hub body.You just got lucky.

Thanks for all your responses. I'll not mix Campy with Shimano, unless I have a Campy bike to mess around with.

I asked the original question because I was thinking about building an OCR 1 frame and putting panniers on it -- thought the Campy Scirocco wheels would be nice. But Licktons Bike shop might have the Scirocco wheels in Shimano hub versions.

My only dissapointment now is the high cost of the new Ultegra 10 speed components. I'd rather pay old Ultegra 9 spd prices!

JTE83 said:

Thanks for all your responses. I'll not mix Campy with Shimano, unless I have a Campy bike to mess around with.

I asked the original question because I was thinking about building an OCR 1 frame and putting panniers on it -- thought the Campy Scirocco wheels would be nice. But Licktons Bike shop might have the Scirocco wheels in Shimano hub versions.

My only dissapointment now is the high cost of the new Ultegra 10 speed components. I'd rather pay old Ultegra 9 spd prices!

Are you going to be able to put panniers on an OCR1 frame?

Gilders said:

Are you going to be able to put panniers on an OCR1 frame?

Yes, you can put panniers on a 2004 OCR2 or OCR1 - they have the proper screw holes for a rack. I already have 2 high quality road bikes -- a 2002 Giant TCR Aero 2 and a custom 2003 Cervelo Soloist Team bike ($3085).

I'd like to have a road bike that can carry stuff. So the Giant OCRs would be great. A stock OCR1 would be excellant, but I'm currently watching / might bid on an OCR2 on ebay (for $380). Otherwise, maybe a Specialized Allez would do.

Now with the increased prices on Ultegra & Dura Ace -- its getting real expensive custom building a nice bike. I guess my best way to buy a bike is to get a complete stock bike instead of custom building one.

JTE83 said:

Yes, you can put panniers on a 2004 OCR2 or OCR1 - they have the proper screw holes for a rack.... Now with the increased prices on Ultegra & Dura Ace -- its getting real expensive custom building a nice bike. I guess my best way to buy a bike is to get a complete stock bike instead of custom building one.

I never knew that - thanks for the info.

Re: increased prices - as the OCR frame geometry has just been changed fairly dramatically to semi-compact instead of compact, keep your eyes open for the 2004 frames, which should be available at knockdown prices from online and bricks-and-mortar retail outlets. (really don't know why Giant are bothering to do this - what are the benefits of semi compact over compact?).

Re: components - I suppose it depends what you want, but you're right - stock bikes do often tend to be cheaper rather than upgrading piecemeal. Been mulling the 10 spd Ultegra 05 vs 9 spd 04 myself and not so sure I think it's really worth spending all that extra cash on the groupset and a new back 10spd compatible wheel just for 2 more gears (regardless of double or triple), particularly when some outlets are flogging off 9 spd at really cheap prices! Personally, also think that the new Ultegra - and D/A chainsets look really ugly, compared to their relative predecessors.

Good luck with getting what you want in the end, though - a decent bike that's a pleasure to ride.

How much do you plan on putting in the paniers? If you're going to be carrying a lot of weight, you might want to think about a stronger wheel than the Sirocco.

You can indeed buy Campag Scirocco's with either a Campag or Shimano compatible freehub. I bought a pair of Eurus wheels originally fitted with a Shimano freehub for one of my bikes. Took them to a LBS to have the freehub changed to a Campag one so i could use them on my new Centaur equipped racer. Though, like other people have said, it would be easier and less expensive to buy a conversion cassette/spacer kit, this way you can just swap cassettes around.

[quote="JTE83"]Yes, you can put panniers on a 2004 OCR2 or OCR1 - they have the proper screw holes for a rack. I already have 2 high quality road bikes -- a 2002 Giant TCR Aero 2 and a custom 2003 Cervelo Soloist Team bike ($3085).

I'd like to have a road bike that can carry stuff. So the Giant OCRs would be great. A stock OCR1 would be excellant, but I'm currently watching / might bid on an OCR2 on ebay (for $380). Otherwise, maybe a Specialized Allez would do.[QUOTE]

An update about my 2004 OCR2 & OCR1 comment -- I think only the USA versions of this Giant frameset have the capability of putting on a rack. I was recently in a 1 month long vacation in the Phillipines and noticed 2004 OCR1 frames being sold in Asia <- that had no capability of putting a rack on them! As for European market frames, I don't know about that either.

Go to jtekengineering.com The jtek shiftmate will solve all your comaptibility problems, it's is a god send. It's NOT a ROLLAMAJIG. Once you get to the web site, click on products, then click on the shiftmate. This little baby works wonders! I put Camp ergo shifters up front with a shimano drivetrain, and the baby is smooth. It will solve most of your compatibility problems

daveornee said:

Wheels Manufacturing and American Classic make cassettes and spacer kits for going with Campy spacing on Shimano cassette hubs, but this is backwards from what you are trying to make work.
If I were to try this I would go with as a narrow chain as you can.

Help! I'm a recent convert from my vintage 10speed (2 X5) British road bike, trying to get to grips with all this 'indexed' stuff.
I have wheels with a Campag 9 speed hub but only a Sram Cassette and chain with Shimano STI shifters. The Sram works fine on my Shimano wheels, but they are going to my wife! I'd like to run a large rear cassette (32t at least) but Campag just don't go there.
Do "American Classic" make anything in this range, and where do I find them? They don't appear to have a web presence (that Google can find anyway).
Any assistance gratefully accepted.
cheers
Michael

accent said:

Help! I'm a recent convert from my vintage 10speed (2 X5) British road bike, trying to get to grips with all this 'indexed' stuff.
I have wheels with a Campag 9 speed hub but only a Sram Cassette and chain with Shimano STI shifters. The Sram works fine on my Shimano wheels, but they are going to my wife! I'd like to run a large rear cassette (32t at least) but Campag just don't go there.
Do "American Classic" make anything in this range, and where do I find them? They don't appear to have a web presence (that Google can find anyway).
Any assistance gratefully accepted.
cheers
Michael

American classic does not have a cassette cog larger than 28T.

amclassic.comamclassic.comOpen ↗

Campy 9s/10s is not compatible with Shimano shifters without special modifications such as the JTEK device, altered cable routing at the rear derailleur, or respacing the cassette. Before you do brand mixing, you should consult with a local shop or someone else experienced in making such combos work.