1958 was the first year Campagnolo offered a crankset,
and introduced the one piece alloy hubs as well. The
Campagnolo gruppo also included pedals, seatpost,
headset and bottom bracket, along with the front and
rear derailleurs. A Campagnolo brakeset would make
its appearance 10 years later.
Nuovo Record: 1967-
Super Record: 1974-1987
and introduced the one piece alloy hubs as well. The
Campagnolo gruppo also included pedals, seatpost,
headset and bottom bracket, along with the front and
rear derailleurs. A Campagnolo brakeset would make
its appearance 10 years later.
Nuovo Record: 1967-
Super Record: 1974-1987
Dating Campagnolo Parts
If you look at the lock nuts of a hub axle, the date code you'll find will likely give you a good idea of the year. The date code will look like CAM 65 or CAM 59, indicating 1965 or 1959. The cones also may have a date code?
Starting in 1973 the crank arms have a code consisting of a diamond (1970's), circle (1980's), square (late Super Record), with a number in the center denoting the last digit of the year of manufacture (some exceptions:11=1985, 22=1986, 33=1987 plus others).
The Nuovo Record rear derailleur has a patent date that corresponds to its manufacturing date starting in 1970 (example "PAT. 70"); marked "PATENT" before 1970.
The word "RECORD" was added to the hub barrels around 1963. The original "Open C" style Campagnolo logotype (imagine a U turned on its side) on the Q.R. levers was changed to a "closed C" in 1958 with the introduction of the one-piece alloy Record hubs and a little later to the shift levers.
- Campy started putting the group name on all the parts in 1997
Starting in 1973 the crank arms have a code consisting of a diamond (1970's), circle (1980's), square (late Super Record), with a number in the center denoting the last digit of the year of manufacture (some exceptions:11=1985, 22=1986, 33=1987 plus others).
The Nuovo Record rear derailleur has a patent date that corresponds to its manufacturing date starting in 1970 (example "PAT. 70"); marked "PATENT" before 1970.
The word "RECORD" was added to the hub barrels around 1963. The original "Open C" style Campagnolo logotype (imagine a U turned on its side) on the Q.R. levers was changed to a "closed C" in 1958 with the introduction of the one-piece alloy Record hubs and a little later to the shift levers.
- Campy started putting the group name on all the parts in 1997
Campy Cranksets
1967: The Record crankset is changed to a 144mm bolt circle (41 tooth
minimum) from the previous 151mm bolt circle (44 tooth minimum).
As noted in the "Dating Campagnolo Parts" section above:
in 1976, Campy added the little lip to the leading edge of the front derailleur, as the CPSC had ruled it (among other parts) potentially too sharp and dangerous in a crash. As I understand it, The lip on the derailleur cage then made contact with the crankarms, so there was a slight change made in the arm profile and slightly wider spindle spec'd for the Nuovo Record bottom bracket. (Some spindles right around this time have the "+1.5" marking). In my experience, even if all three (front derailleur, bb, crank arms) are Nuovo Record, they need to be from the generation (pre or post CPSC) to work best together.
Croce D'Aune crank had a 135mm BCD, like all Campy full-sized doubles from C-Record onwards. Rings were available as small as 39t.
Chainrings for Campy compact cranksets have a 110mm BCD, and the "hidden bolt" behind the crankarm is 2mm out of this circle so no other chainrings are compatible...
Note that 10-speed crankarms may be fitted to a 7/8-speed drivetrain with appropriate spacers inserted/installed to accomodate the wider chain that is generally used with these older drivetrains. Please also note when installing spacers, the most common practice on a double crankarm is to insert them between the large chainring and the crankarm.
minimum) from the previous 151mm bolt circle (44 tooth minimum).
As noted in the "Dating Campagnolo Parts" section above:
- From 1958 - 1972 Record crank arms were not dated on their backs
- From 1973 - 1979 the year of crank manufacture is the last digit in a diamond
- From 1980 - 1984 the year of crank manufacture is the last digit in a circle
- "11" in a rectangle means 1985, "2x" means 1986, and "3x" means 1987. The second digit supposedly represents the quarter of the year during which the arm was made.
in 1976, Campy added the little lip to the leading edge of the front derailleur, as the CPSC had ruled it (among other parts) potentially too sharp and dangerous in a crash. As I understand it, The lip on the derailleur cage then made contact with the crankarms, so there was a slight change made in the arm profile and slightly wider spindle spec'd for the Nuovo Record bottom bracket. (Some spindles right around this time have the "+1.5" marking). In my experience, even if all three (front derailleur, bb, crank arms) are Nuovo Record, they need to be from the generation (pre or post CPSC) to work best together.
Croce D'Aune crank had a 135mm BCD, like all Campy full-sized doubles from C-Record onwards. Rings were available as small as 39t.
Chainrings for Campy compact cranksets have a 110mm BCD, and the "hidden bolt" behind the crankarm is 2mm out of this circle so no other chainrings are compatible...
Note that 10-speed crankarms may be fitted to a 7/8-speed drivetrain with appropriate spacers inserted/installed to accomodate the wider chain that is generally used with these older drivetrains. Please also note when installing spacers, the most common practice on a double crankarm is to insert them between the large chainring and the crankarm.
Bottom Brackets
1977-1987 Campy NR/SR doubles use a 115.5mm asymmetric spindle. 1958-1977 Campy NR/SR doubles use 113mm asymmetric spindle. Note that 1977 cranks can be either type - ook at the raised "bump" around the spindle hole on the back of the drive-side arm of a '77 crank to determine the arm type. Big bump = early spindle, small bump = late spindle.
For C-Record strada/road cranks, you can use the modern centaur 111mm *symmetric* BB and it works perfect. same ISO taper, same spindle length, same symmetry as the orginal C-record cup-and-cone BB. lickton's calls it the "2008 Centaur 111mm" model, part#s: 0205-13 (eng) and 0205-15 (ita). this is the BB i installed on my somec with c-record cranks...works PERFECT!
For C-Record strada/road cranks, you can use the modern centaur 111mm *symmetric* BB and it works perfect. same ISO taper, same spindle length, same symmetry as the orginal C-record cup-and-cone BB. lickton's calls it the "2008 Centaur 111mm" model, part#s: 0205-13 (eng) and 0205-15 (ita). this is the BB i installed on my somec with c-record cranks...works PERFECT!
Hub Bearings
Starting in 1998 Record, and Chorus and Centaur for
1999/2000 thru 2006: 15 5/32 on either side of the front and rear.
Same cages, same bearings and same cones, front and rear. VERY nice
design.
1999/2000 thru 2006: 15 5/32 on either side of the front and rear.
Same cages, same bearings and same cones, front and rear. VERY nice
design.
Syncro Shifters
Original Syncro: 6/7 speed; separate lever on right shifter for switch between friction and index
'89-'91 "Syncro II": 6/7 speed; switch between friction and index done by a rotating outer collar
'91 Update for 8 speeds with larger take up barrel for rear shifter
'92-'95 Small adjuster barrel added to the enlarged rear shift lever, shift lever itself more curved than previous designs
'95+ Outwardly similar to 92-95, but redesigned innards (3 springs instead of 2)
You can also run them in friction by pulling the collar on the R out, turning it a half-turn and letting it go. It will stay stuck out, but run friction just fine.
See also: http://www.tearsforgears.com/2005/11/campagnolo-syncro-ii-shifters.html
When Syncro I was introduced, the inserts were color coded black, red, white, yellow, and blue/green. Each color corresponded to a certain derailleur/freewheel/chain combination.
Syncro II - mine has the A7 insert.
Things got a bit more simplified(yeah, whatever!) with Syncro II. Each insert was stamped with a letter and a number, of which there were 3 types each for 6 and 7 speed combinations. [Edit: they were also color coded]
Six-speed:
Record,Super Record,Victory/Triomphe, and Croce D'Aune all used a 6V(yellow?)insert.
Chorus used either an A6(red) or B6(white) insert. I don't know the differentiation for these two
Seven-speed:
Record,Super Record,Victory/Triomphe, and Croce D'Aune all used a 7V(color?).
Chorus used either an A7(green) or B7(black), differentiation unknown.
The slant parallogram Athena/Chorus worked much better in syncro than the C-Record.
The C-Record (and super record or nuovo record) can be made to shift much better if you add an adjustment barrel to the derailleur at the cable housing stop. Campy actually made one and included it with most of their indexed shifters, but it was just caught between the derailleur body and the cable, and thus was very likely to be lost when the cable was being changed for any reason.
'89-'91 "Syncro II": 6/7 speed; switch between friction and index done by a rotating outer collar
'91 Update for 8 speeds with larger take up barrel for rear shifter
'92-'95 Small adjuster barrel added to the enlarged rear shift lever, shift lever itself more curved than previous designs
'95+ Outwardly similar to 92-95, but redesigned innards (3 springs instead of 2)
You can also run them in friction by pulling the collar on the R out, turning it a half-turn and letting it go. It will stay stuck out, but run friction just fine.
See also: http://www.tearsforgears.com/2005/11/campagnolo-syncro-ii-shifters.html
When Syncro I was introduced, the inserts were color coded black, red, white, yellow, and blue/green. Each color corresponded to a certain derailleur/freewheel/chain combination.
Syncro II - mine has the A7 insert.
Things got a bit more simplified(yeah, whatever!) with Syncro II. Each insert was stamped with a letter and a number, of which there were 3 types each for 6 and 7 speed combinations. [Edit: they were also color coded]
Six-speed:
Record,Super Record,Victory/Triomphe, and Croce D'Aune all used a 6V(yellow?)insert.
Chorus used either an A6(red) or B6(white) insert. I don't know the differentiation for these two
Seven-speed:
Record,Super Record,Victory/Triomphe, and Croce D'Aune all used a 7V(color?).
Chorus used either an A7(green) or B7(black), differentiation unknown.
The slant parallogram Athena/Chorus worked much better in syncro than the C-Record.
The C-Record (and super record or nuovo record) can be made to shift much better if you add an adjustment barrel to the derailleur at the cable housing stop. Campy actually made one and included it with most of their indexed shifters, but it was just caught between the derailleur body and the cable, and thus was very likely to be lost when the cable was being changed for any reason.
Ergo Shifters
The term ultra was applied to some Record shifters, but it's just a friction reducing coating on the index gear. The term Ultrashift describes the entirely new mechanism that came out in 2009, in both 10 and 11 speed models. These new shifters also have an entirely new shape and brake lever - nothing like the older models.
All Campy Record/Chorus/Centaur shifters prior to 2009 have the old mechanism and heavier clicks, except '07-'08 Centaur and lower levels. Those use the escape mechanism, that you want to avoid.
The term ultra was applied to some Record shifters, but it's just a friction reducing coating on the index gear. The term Ultrashift describes the entirely new mechanism that came out in 2009, in both 10 and 11 speed models. These new shifters also have an entirely new shape and brake lever - nothing like the older models.
All Campy Record/Chorus/Centaur shifters prior to 2009 have the old mechanism and heavier clicks, except '07-'08 Centaur and lower levels. Those use the escape mechanism, that you want to avoid.
Nuovo Tipo
Nuovo Tipo hubs are identifiable by their having no oil hole and clip in the middle of the barrel; instead, they have small oil holes in the dustcaps. Most Nuovo Tipo hubs have large flanges with round lightening holes. Unlike other Campagnolo hubs, Nuovo Tipo hubs have stamped bearing cups rather than the cups' having ground bearing surfaces. In many Nuovo Tipo hubs, the bearing surfaces are outright defective, unevenly stamped or with gouges that were present in the sheet metal from which they were stamped. The Nuovo Tip front hub uses the conventional 3/16" bearing balls rather than the 7/32" bearing balls of the Nuovo Record front hub.
Freehubs (the modern stuff)
Campagnolo made lots of different 8-speed freehub bodies, with 3 different spline patterns.
8-Speed
- The first was the pre-Exadrive spline pattern, which came out in 1991. All splines were the same width.
- Next was the ExaDrive spline pattern, which came out in 1994. It was almost the same, but one spline was widened to prevent the cassettes being put in the wrong rotational position on the freehub body. Position was important for Exadrive to allow for smooth gear changes.
- At the very end of 8-speed (1996 from memory), Campag came out with an 8-speed titanium cassette, with a new freehub design.
Notes on 8-speed.
- Exadrive cassettes will work with pre Exadrive hubs.
- Pre Exadrive cassettes will NOT work with ExaDrive hubs, due to the one wider spline.
- 8-speed titanium cassettes are basically composed of thick 9-speed sprockets, and will fit 8-speed titanium freehubs, as well as 9, 10 & 11 speed.
HOT TIP!!!
- My favourite hubs are pre Exadrive hubs. You can use the newer Exadrive cassettes as well as the older 8-speed cassettes, so you know that just about every 8-speed cassette will slide on. The other really clever thing that I don't think anyone has ever realised is that since the spline pattern is reversible, when your cassette wears out, you don't have to chuck it away. you can simply turn the worn out cog(s) around and you effectively have a brand new cassette again. No other cassete allows you to double its working life this way. Sure, you don't get super smooth gear changes, but we're not racing on this stuff anymore, so who cares? There's an awesome money saving tip for you all, but it only works if you have the Pre Exadrive 1991, 1992, 1993 or 1994 hubs.
Exadrive vs Ultradrive
Refers only to the machining on the surface of the cogs, not the spline pattern. Ultradrive is for use with modern chains where the rivet head does not protrude at all.
9-speed
The design was essentially the same as 8-speed titanium. I have never tried but I would expect that 8-speed titanium would be compatible with 9-speed, but with a slightly shorter length to the freehub body, since you only need 8 sprockets.
10-speed
Lighter design with fewer splines, but the same essential spline pattern as 9-speed, meaning that 9 and 10 speed cassettes are interchangeable with 9 and 10 speed freehub bodies.
Some people report that it is possible to get 8-speed cassettes to slide onto the 9/10/11 speed freehub bodies, thereby providing compatibility between 8-speed cassettes and later hubsets. I personally would never try this, even if it is possible to do. 8-speed cassettes had lots of shallow splines, whereas later versions had fewer splines which were much deeper. Mounting an 8-speed cassette on a later freehub body will damage the freehub. Since the freehub bodies are alumium now, and the 8-speed sprockets are steel. With the shallow contact points, the 8-speed cassettes will rip your 9/10/11 speed freehub body to pieces.
11-speed
Pretty much the same as 10-speed. Beyond my field of expertise...
ALSO: http://branfordbike.com/articles/cassettes-and-cogs-pg60.htm
8-Speed
- The first was the pre-Exadrive spline pattern, which came out in 1991. All splines were the same width.
- Next was the ExaDrive spline pattern, which came out in 1994. It was almost the same, but one spline was widened to prevent the cassettes being put in the wrong rotational position on the freehub body. Position was important for Exadrive to allow for smooth gear changes.
- At the very end of 8-speed (1996 from memory), Campag came out with an 8-speed titanium cassette, with a new freehub design.
Notes on 8-speed.
- Exadrive cassettes will work with pre Exadrive hubs.
- Pre Exadrive cassettes will NOT work with ExaDrive hubs, due to the one wider spline.
- 8-speed titanium cassettes are basically composed of thick 9-speed sprockets, and will fit 8-speed titanium freehubs, as well as 9, 10 & 11 speed.
HOT TIP!!!
- My favourite hubs are pre Exadrive hubs. You can use the newer Exadrive cassettes as well as the older 8-speed cassettes, so you know that just about every 8-speed cassette will slide on. The other really clever thing that I don't think anyone has ever realised is that since the spline pattern is reversible, when your cassette wears out, you don't have to chuck it away. you can simply turn the worn out cog(s) around and you effectively have a brand new cassette again. No other cassete allows you to double its working life this way. Sure, you don't get super smooth gear changes, but we're not racing on this stuff anymore, so who cares? There's an awesome money saving tip for you all, but it only works if you have the Pre Exadrive 1991, 1992, 1993 or 1994 hubs.
Exadrive vs Ultradrive
Refers only to the machining on the surface of the cogs, not the spline pattern. Ultradrive is for use with modern chains where the rivet head does not protrude at all.
9-speed
The design was essentially the same as 8-speed titanium. I have never tried but I would expect that 8-speed titanium would be compatible with 9-speed, but with a slightly shorter length to the freehub body, since you only need 8 sprockets.
10-speed
Lighter design with fewer splines, but the same essential spline pattern as 9-speed, meaning that 9 and 10 speed cassettes are interchangeable with 9 and 10 speed freehub bodies.
Some people report that it is possible to get 8-speed cassettes to slide onto the 9/10/11 speed freehub bodies, thereby providing compatibility between 8-speed cassettes and later hubsets. I personally would never try this, even if it is possible to do. 8-speed cassettes had lots of shallow splines, whereas later versions had fewer splines which were much deeper. Mounting an 8-speed cassette on a later freehub body will damage the freehub. Since the freehub bodies are alumium now, and the 8-speed sprockets are steel. With the shallow contact points, the 8-speed cassettes will rip your 9/10/11 speed freehub body to pieces.
11-speed
Pretty much the same as 10-speed. Beyond my field of expertise...
ALSO: http://branfordbike.com/articles/cassettes-and-cogs-pg60.htm
11sp Notes
There is one master link now sold that fits an 11 speed chain, so you can skip the special joining pin, but they are outrageously priced at $20 each. I've used KMC master links that cost $4 and others report success with the SRAM 10 powerloc. KMC should have their version of an 11 speed chain and master link out soon, providing some additional options.
The new shifting mechanism is more simple, but that should be a good thing, in the long run. There are far fewer springs and no g-springs to wear out. Campy expects far less maintenance to be required. The most critical area can be lubed with the shifters on the bike. A couple of drops of oil between the index disc and ball retaining disc will keep things running smooth.