Campagnolo front derr cages.....

[corky]

Sick to death of carbon front mechs breaking both record and super record, I’ve broken 4 in the last couple of years 1 Record of the current iteration and 3 of the previous, all 4 have broken the carbon outer plate at the point the chain contacts it. I am not clumsy and keep everything clean and well maintained. I suspect that the potholes/speed bumps and general shite roads we endure here cause the chain to really slap about.

Spare/replacement cages seem rarer than rocking horse shit.......at least in UK.

Does anyone know if a full metal cage like Athena/Centaur cage will fit a record/Sr mech? Thinking of buying one and swapping the cages if this is possible.

I’ve had enough......rant over.....

[Calnago]

Hmmm... how about a Chorus cage? I don't know if the cages themselves are swappable, but you could just stick a whole new Chorus FD on there I suppose. The pros sometimes used to do that for the added stiffness they thought it gave. I've never seen one of these broken, chips in the clear coat for sure, but that's just cosmetic. Is the outer cage perfectly parallel to the chainrings. How close do you have the lower edge of the outer cage to the teeth of the rings when it is directly above them? I know they spec it should be between 1-3mm. I never set it to 1mm, and pretty much always go 2-3mm. Campy rings? Campy chain? Do you set height of derailleur when it is above the tallest teeth?.... basically when the arm is at the 3 o'clock position. Just wondering why you are having such a time with them breaking. Not sure what I could be really, but I've just outlined everything I would check.

[taztaylortaz]

Does anyone know if a full metal cage like Athena/Centaur cage will fit a record/Sr mech? Thinking of buying one and swapping the cages if this is possible.

I don't have personal experience with this but, per Branford Bikes, it's possible and looks fairly straightforward.

"Campagnolo front derailleur cages are also interchangeable. A Record front derailleur will accept a Chorus or Centaur cage assembly and vice-versa. You may also switch cage assemblies between two and three chain ring Record, Chorus or Centaur front derailleurs."

Look here for more detail and part numbers: https://branfordbike.com/front-derailleurs

- taz

[corky]

Cheers Taz......I will let you know how I get on.

[corky]

Thanks for your response Cal, all good points...... my only thought on a possible cause is having the cage down at 1mm from the big ring, and then road surface bounce causing the chain to flap and ultimately snap the carbon front plate.

Seems strange, and it’s happened on more than 1 bike.......

[Calnago]

I have found that 1mm is simply too close. Lots of conditions you might encounter, or even flex in the frame etc, could easily take up that gap. Plus, I found shifting to be better if it’s closer to 3mm than 1. I’ll bet that’s your issue, especially if you’re trying for a 1mm gap thinking that must be “best”. And one other thing is that with the 2.5mm gap, where I set it at, you can swap wheels with a larger cassette without any potential for chain rubbing the underside of the cage on the rare occasion you may be completely crossed big/big.

[corky]

I’m an older rider and brought up with the belief that cross chaining was a major faux-pas so try to avoid it but maybe 1mm is too close but why do Campag spec it?

Anyhoo on reflection I’m going to go chorus with an alloy cage and hopefully elliminate the possibility of it happeneing again.

[Calnago]

Ok. Yes, cross chaining is not something you want to make a habit of but with Campy you have clean access to the entire range of cogs when in the big ring without having to touch the front derailleur (i.e., no trim). While I never find myself in the small/small there are times when I would certainly use the big/big combo for a short time... say the last little bit of cresting a “big ring” hill, instead of dropping to the small ring for such a short distance.

I think your cage was just a bit too close for your conditions. Campy specs 1-3mm, who’s to say 3mm isn’t “best”. It depends. Give it some breathing space, especially since it seems that is probably what’s leading to this. Think of it this way, a heavier rider on a flexy frame and/or wheels may have to set their brake pads a bit further away from the rim than a lightweight rider on a super stiff frame/wheels might.

[Mr.Gib]

I assume a Campy chain? Heard about problems with KMC.

[corky]

Yeah Campag record chain......... in all cases

[AJS914]

I easily fixed a carbon Record derailleur. I used a small length of an old spoke to replace the plastic bridge. I bent it into a loop that would accommodate the screw on the inside of the cage. Then I epoxied the other end to the carbon outer cage. I wrapped it with black sewing thread to hold it together and bind with the epoxy.

[deano87]

Surely somethings not right there. 1 maybe 2, but 4 breakages? Doesnt seem right

Ive seen the cages on ebay for reasonable price. Try a worldwide search

[corky]

I easily fixed a carbon Record derailleur. I used a small length of an old spoke to replace the plastic bridge. I bent it into a loop that would accommodate the screw on the inside of the cage. Then I epoxied the other end to the carbon outer cage. I wrapped it with black sewing thread to hold it together and bind with the epoxy.

Very ingenious and resourceful........mine seem to break 1 to 1.5 cm up from the end of the faceplate (the end nearest the screw).

Also they have been used on standard and compact setups.....

[alistaird]

Sick to death of carbon front mechs breaking both record and super record, I’ve broken 4 in the last couple of years 1 Record of the current iteration and 3 of the previous, all 4 have broken the carbon outer plate at the point the chain contacts it. I am not clumsy and keep everything clean and well maintained. I suspect that the potholes/speed bumps and general shite roads we endure here cause the chain to really slap about.

Spare/replacement cages seem rarer than rocking horse shit.......at least in UK.

Does anyone know if a full metal cage like Athena/Centaur cage will fit a record/Sr mech? Thinking of buying one and swapping the cages if this is possible.

I’ve had enough......rant over.....

I bought an SR FD 2nd hand and the card was worn, so I bought an Athena (from memory) new on sale and drilled out the cage retaining rivets. Fitted it to the SR FD but it needed some washers/spacers to make it fit around the cage retaining pins and c clips. I definitely found an article on-line explaining how to do it and it was pretty straight forward. I'll try and find the link, but I've now got an SR FD with metal cage.

A

Found the link...

https://forums.thepaceline.net/archive/ ... 74438.html



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[tabmaster]

Been there, done that, got the t-shirt. Well, once but once was enough. As Cal pointed out earlier, quickstep used chorus front mechs as they were stiffer so that's what I did too and they don't break. Carbonis not a material for use everywhere.
Solution: bin the sr mech. Get a chorus one. Swap the bolts & washers as they are Ti. End.