Campy 10, Med-cage RD question

[Catagory6]

i've seen that the medium cage RD has a capacity of 36.
which looks like i could run 34x50 and a 12-32 cassette
but i'm wondering what the real-world capacity is.
anybody know if that 36-number could be pushed to 39?
i would like to go as big as possible in the rear with an 11-34 (i don't see a 12-, or 13-34 campy-compatible cassette anywhere)
i imagine i would be using a wolf's tooth hanger extender

[CarlosFerreiro]

I've run 50/34 11-32 no problem with a medium Veloce mech, and it looked to have room for more.

[alcatraz]

It depends on the size of your derailleur hanger. Unfortunately every bike is not the same. 32t could be max on one bike, 34t on another and 36t on another.

10s campy cassettes are limited to 12-30t as the largest I think. No?

A derailleur hanger extender could make it possible to clear a larger cassette. Expect shifting to be less smooth in the small cogs. It happens because the guide pulley is too far away from the cassette so the chain can easily deflect onto the neighbor cogs.

Something you can do to get a tiny bit more clearance, and I mean tiny, is this. Lets say you want to clear a 32t cassette when your current max is 30t (observed max, not specifications max), then you can try swap your upper pulley with a 10t with a thin-wide tooth shape. It will help guide the chain a bit more accurately (better shifting) and at the same time give you that little extra clearance.

[Catagory6]

It depends on the size of your derailleur hanger. Unfortunately every bike is not the same. 32t couldbe max on one bike, 34t on another and 36t on another.

10s campy cassettes are limited to 12-30t as the largest I think. No?

A derailleur hanger extender could make it possible to clear a larger cassette. Expect shifting to be less smooth in the small cogs. It happens because the guide pulley is too far away from the cassette so the chain can easily deflect onto the neighbor cogs.

i am planning to purchase the IRD 12-32 campagnolo-compatible cassette.

wondering if anybody might make a 12-, or 13-34 campy-compatible. i cant imagine ever needing to hammer a 50-11 gear combo.
at 48 years old i don't need to go THAT fast down hill anymore

[alcatraz]

You make a lot of sense. Unfortunately campy 10s is still kind of limited in the range. It's a new trend to go spinning up climbs.

Check if the derailleur can clear a 32, if not maybe do the 10t pulley trick and skip the hanger extender.

What might interest you are these new "adventure cranks" 46/30t. If you aren't a small guy and can take a bit wider Q-factor by a few millimeters you could try to install an mtb crank and get really sweet climbing gearing. 44/28 or 42/26 (need a clamp-on fd, not braze-on). Or maybe best yet, get a triple road crank which I think campy actually makes and swap the left shifter and possibly fd for triple versions.

[Catagory6]

I think I may have answered my own question with a bit of basic math, and general assumptions.
regardless of sprocket clearance issues with the hanger and the upper pulley.
Official numbers state that a small-cage campy RD has a capacity of 27.
However, I easily run a 13-29 cassette, with a 34-50 crankset, which figures to be a 34 chain wrap. 7 more than official documents claim.

should I make the assumption that a medium cage will have the same leeway? if so, this opens up a lot more possibilities.

[alcatraz]

I think you could.

Before buying double check compatibility with your shifter.

Also what kind of cassette will you be using? Campy only makes up to 32 don't they? 29 to 32 is not a jump great enough to be switching such costly parts in my opinion. The difference is just 10% in gear ratio.

For this upgrade I'd try to score the parts at a good price (2nd hand?) so that there won't be much to complain about.

[Catagory6]

I think you could.

Before buying double check compatibility with your shifter.

Also what kind of cassette will you be using? Campy only makes up to 32 don't they? 29 to 32 is not a jump great enough to be switching such costly parts in my opinion. The difference is just 10% in gear ratio.

For this upgrade I'd try to score the parts at a good price (2nd hand?) so that there won't be much to complain about.

I already have a medium cage rd. was thinking of Shimano/sram 12-36 cassette with a Jtek shiftmate on the RD

[RussellS]

Or maybe best yet, get a triple road crank which I think campy actually makes and swap the left shifter and possibly fd for triple versions.

??? Campagnolo does not make a separate/different left/front derailleur shifter for double and triple. The same Campagnolo shifter works for both front derailleur formats. For some reason you are thinking of Shimano. Shimano does require a different shifter for double and triple front derailleurs. Also no need to get a Campagnolo crankset for a triple. A triple made by any company will work fine.

[RussellS]

Official numbers state that a small-cage campy RD has a capacity of 27.
However, I easily run a 13-29 cassette, with a 34-50 crankset, which figures to be a 34 chain wrap. 7 more than official documents claim.

??? The mathematics I learned several decades ago went like this. 29-13=16 50-34=16 16+16=32 32 does not equal 34. 32-27 is 5 more than official documents claim.

As stated previously, the length of the derailleur hanger matters a great deal. I would guess all standard derailleur hangers will clear the official document cassettes. 27-28-29, no problem. Some will allow you to clear a larger cassette. 30-32 maybe. Some will not. Some fit the official size, and that is it. No extra clearance. I have a touring bike that allows the rear derailleur to get underneath a 32 cassette. The derailleur hanger will not allow the rear derailleur to get underneath a 34 cassette. It just barely fits under the 32. Not the 34.

[alcatraz]

Campy 10s cassettes have different spacing than sram/shimano so you will not get smooth shifting. Some people are ok with the chain rubbing on some cogs (shimano cassette) but that doesn't mean you are.

Your best choice is probably to stick with the campy 12-32t cassette if you are going to keep this shifter and rd. Afterwards, if your rd has spare chain capacity then going triple crank would further increase your gear range.

If you are interested in playing around with adapters (i dont recommend) and tolerate chain rubbing in some cogs then you can try to get a shimano cassette and try to max your derailleur.

As a previous poster wrote you need to observe two measurements. One is the max cog size, and second is the total chain capacity. 13-29 50-34 would give you 32t capacity requirement. (This number can be enlarged a bit by switching pulley wheels.)

Check the specs for your derailleur. There is a small margin that you can explore but make sure you are aware you are on the margin before buying parts. Fitting a shimano 11-34t is not a sure thing. On my friends wilier izoard's medium cage 10s rd (veloce) he can't even fit a 32t cassette. He maxes out at 11-30t. That doesn't mean you can't but you might have to walk the margin of the rd's ability. You need to observe the clearance between largest cog and upper pulley. Measure it and tell us how big it is. If you want to increase 2t on the cassette you need at least 10mm. For 4t you need around 12-14mm. Don't go under 6mm or the shift from 2nd to 1st gear will be very noisy and you can break your derailleur hanger.

If your rear wheel freehub body is campagnolo standard you can't install a shimano standard cassette unless you change your freehub body.

/a

[Catagory6]

Official numbers state that a small-cage campy RD has a capacity of 27.
However, I easily run a 13-29 cassette, with a 34-50 crankset, which figures to be a 34 chain wrap. 7 more than official documents claim.

??? The mathematics I learned several decades ago went like this. 29-13=16 50-34=16 16+16=32 32 does not equal 34. 32-27 is 5 more than official documents claim.

As stated previously, the length of the derailleur hanger matters a great deal. I would guess all standard derailleur hangers will clear the official document cassettes. 27-28-29, no problem. Some will allow you to clear a larger cassette. 30-32 maybe. Some will not. Some fit the official size, and that is it. No extra clearance. I have a touring bike that allows the rear derailleur to get underneath a 32 cassette. The derailleur hanger will not allow the rear derailleur to get underneath a 34 cassette. It just barely fits under the 32. Not the 34.

yes, my math was off

hence the employment of the Wolf's Tooth hanger extender, which i may have mentioned earlier

Campy 10s cassettes have different spacing than sram/shimano so you will not get smooth shifting. Some people are ok with the chain rubbing on some cogs (shimano cassette) but that doesn't mean you are.

Your best choice is probably to stick with the campy 12-32t cassette if you are going to keep this shifter and rd. Afterwards, if your rd has spare chain capacity then going triple crank would further increase your gear range.

If you are interested in playing around with adapters (i dont recommend) and tolerate chain rubbing in some cogs then you can try to get a shimano cassette and try to max your derailleur.

As a previous poster wrote you need to observe two measurements. One is the max cog size, and second is the total chain capacity. 13-29 50-34 would give you 32t capacity requirement. (This number can be enlarged a bit by switching pulley wheels.)

Check the specs for your derailleur. There is a small margin that you can explore but make sure you are aware you are on the margin before buying parts. Fitting a shimano 11-34t is not a sure thing. On my friends wilier izoard's medium cage 10s rd (veloce) he can't even fit a 32t cassette. He maxes out at 11-30t. That doesn't mean you can't but you might have to walk the margin of the rd's ability. You need to observe the clearance between largest cog and upper pulley. Measure it and tell us how big it is. If you want to increase 2t on the cassette you need at least 10mm. For 4t you need around 12-14mm. Don't go under 6mm or the shift from 2nd to 1st gear will be very noisy and you can break your derailleur hanger.

If your rear wheel freehub body is campagnolo standard you can't install a shimano standard cassette unless you change your freehub body.

/a

from everything i've read, the Jtek fixes this issue quite well.

i also read somewhere that the spacing difference can be accommodated by moving the shift cable away from the binder bolt by a millimeter or so.
can anybody confirm this?

[alcatraz]

Campagnolo is famous for it's smooth and precise drivetrain. It's a bit of a shame to play with that property I think. It's worth a try if it doesn't cost much.

I don't run campy myself. This forum has some loyal and experienced followers that will give you a proper answer. Just warning you that you risk pissing them off with this adapter stuff.

/a