Problem with Campag Shifter

You need a rebuild.

disassembly:
[ame="[MEDIA=youtube]2t0ttU_Jm0Y[/MEDIA]]YouTube - Ergopower Disassembly[/ame]

assembly:
[ame="[MEDIA=youtube]qSAnAmBXYSY[/MEDIA]]YouTube - Ergopower Assembly[/ame]

artemidorus said:

Dear Campag experts, my Campag Veloce left (front) shifter seized up about a month ago, such that it would neither shift up nor down. Some very gentle forcing (about 50% harder than you would normally press to shift) freed it up again, and it returned to working normally. Over the last couple of days, while continuing to work normally, it has started to make a high-pitched ping with each ratchet in either direction. I imagine that one of the springs has snapped, or become dislodged from its normal position.

I have only ever owned this one Campag shifter, and have never stripped it down, having bought it NOS in '06. It was said to be '98, but I can't verify this. I attach a picture of a similar set of shifters below, identical in all aspects except that mine only has Veloce stamped on the lever rather than horizontally in white on black above the lever.

I'm certain that I need to strip it down, but I don't know what I'll be looking for. Is there a part or set of parts that I should order in advance?
[IMG]member.melbpc.org.augitane6.jpgOpen ↗[/IMG]

'Could' be 1998, last year of pointy top ERGO, along with rounded shape of Record and Chorus. Innards are different than the video shows. Not that hard to OVH but re-assembly can be a challenge with a big, flat spring at the very back of the shifter.
Send t to me for a one day turn around.

[email hidden]

Vecchio's

The timing reminds me of my years running the East Coast Service Center for Campagnolo. after a few years I noticed certain seasonal problems, one of which I called the August shift lever blues.

Every August there'd be a surge in jammed ergo levers, typically caused by sweat wicking into the thumb levers and rusting the pivot. I'm speaking of the little riveted pivot where the thumb pad joins the section entering the lever body. When you press the thumb pad, this articulates and engages the cam, but if rusted the friction is too much for the spring to lift the pad and dis-engage the cam after shifting, and the lever jams with the next shift.

Fortunately, this can often be fixed without dis-assembling the lever.

Locate and examine the pivot. With the bike right side up, depress the thumb pad slightly then release. the pad should crisply snap back to place. If not wick in a drop of penetrating oil (mix machine oil and mineral spirits or naphtha 1:4) and work the pad until it's 100% free and springs back instantly when released. Prevent future problems by oiling the pivots on both levers from time to time.

FBinNY said:

The timing reminds me of my years running the East Coast Service Center for Campagnolo. after a few years I noticed certain seasonal problems, one of which I called the August shift lever blues.

Good suggestion, but I'm in the southern hemisphere - not too much sweat running down my wrist in chilly August!
I've had a look and I don't seem to have any rust on the shifter.

Australians - where do you get your Ergopower shifter parts? The Internet doesn't seem to offer much (or anything, really).

artemidorus said:

Good suggestion, but I'm in the southern hemisphere - not too much sweat running down my wrist in chilly August!
I've had a look and I don't seem to have any rust on the shifter.

Australians - where do you get your Ergopower shifter parts? The Internet doesn't seem to offer much (or anything, really).

We ship worldwide, even to Australia! Let me know what you need and I can get it to ya.

[email hidden]

Vecchio's

I'm reactivating this thread because my shifter is now properly broken (it went back to normal after I posted last year). Now the thumb lever has to be pulled back up after use (on my left shifter) and if I don't do this, then it sometimes will let out a few more clicks of cable. Can anyone tell me which spring or carrier this might be, so that I can order in advance?
I'm pretty sure that the lever is pre '95 Veloce (model name stamped on lever blade, pointy top, no white lettering above the lever blade).

Quoted post said:

Originally Posted by artemidorus [IMG]/img/forum/go_quote.gif[/IMG]

I'm reactivating this thread because my shifter is now properly broken (it went back to normal after I posted last year). Now the thumb lever has to be pulled back up after use (on my left shifter) and if I don't do this, then it sometimes will let out a few more clicks of cable. Can anyone tell me which spring or carrier this might be, so that I can order in advance?
I'm pretty sure that the lever is pre '95 Veloce (model name stamped on lever blade, pointy top, no white lettering above the lever blade).

EC-RE-016 is the part number(LH lever). Thumb button return spring. If the pivot for the thumb button is 'stuck' frozen, thumb button is EC-RE-005...

Peter,

thanks for your very useful reply. If the Sydney campagnologist doesn't have the part, I'll PM you to order it.

I'm in danger of becoming a Campag convert! This overhaul job was easy and very satisfying. I'd been warned by most that three hands are required for this job, but if I'd had a bench vise, I could have done it with one hand. Don't listen to the hype, Campag owners, this is straightforward.

The nominally difficult (but really easy) part is retensioning the main flat spring at the back of the shifter, after you have stripped it down, replaced your broken part, and reassembled the cleaned parts with fresh grease. Simply place the flat spring in the slot on the axle, hook the end on the shifter body (for a pre-'98 shifter) or the spring carrier (for a newer shifter), place your hex key (for a pre-'98 shifter, or your large flat-blade screwdriver for a newer shifter) in the socket on the axle and turn the axle (clockwise for a left shifter) until it drops down ~ 1 mm into the slot on the other half of the axle. Now, provided that you are careful, you can remove your hey key (or screwdriver) and let go: the spring tension keeps everything in place - no need for three hands! It may feel a little more secure if you press down on the axle with a small tool as you pull out the hex key. At your leisure, drop on the big disc washer and screw in the retaining bolt.

The shifter now feels like I have changed from Mirage to Super Record. (Conversely, I wonder how many people are riding Super Record that feels like Mirage because they haven't cleaned the innards lately?) I suspect that the feel of the shifter depends a lot more on its state of maintenance than on which model you have.

Thanks very much, Peter, your diagnosis was spot on - the long arm of the thumb-lever return "banjo" spring had broken off and was loose inside the shifter. Thanks also for your prompt service. The original index springs looked fine, so I cleaned them up and left the new ones for later.

Differences between old and new Campag? Minimal indeed. I used a Campag video for '08 Record to take me through the overhaul process for my pre-'98 Veloce - it was invaluable. The new Record had a ring washer between the spring carrier and the cable spool/ratchet body that the old Veloce doesn't have, and the new Record spring carrier, apart from being composite, has a post for the main flat spring that is lacking from the old metal Veloce spring carrier. Apart from these, there were no differences at all. (I didn't strip down the components in front of the spring carrier, so I can't comment on differences there.)