# SRAM cassettes with campy hubs??



## Gordon Brennan (Jan 26, 2011)

I am doing the Etape this summer(alp d'huez) and looking at different set ups for the bike.

my new bus is a Specialized S-works SL3 of which i am very proud. 
Problem I have is that the cassette that came with is a campy record 11-23 with a 39-53 combo up front. Not strong enough to push this but love trying to.

really like the 39-53 so don't want to get into triples and compacts. some really big long descents in the alps so really want to hold onto that top end speed as much as possible. 

Question is this.As climbing isn't my strong suit but descending is, I have been seeing that you can get 11-32 cassettes from SRAM and also 12-29 from Campy, pretty sure this can be changed to 11-29 if wanted but the 12 or the 11 isn't really a big issue for me. Want to know is it possible to get a Sram cassette to fit a campy hub (euros wheels) and also more importantly is a long cage required on the derailleur or just a slightly longer chain?


----------



## kbwh (May 28, 2010)

They are not compatible due to the number of sprockets and the spacing between them. 
Get a Campagnolo Chorus 12-29 block for the etape. The derailleur can handle it. You will probably not need a longer chain, but if you do the new chain will also work when you put the 11-23 back on.


----------



## Gordon Brennan (Jan 26, 2011)

Pretty much figured that would be the response just seemed interesting with the 11-32 you would get a wider range than most triples i think. 
Have already been pricing Chorus and Athena blocks with a good chain. Think I would get new chain just so the wear on cassette and chain is somewhat even.

would mention that i am on a 10 speed record set not the 11 speed, doubt it makes much difference though.


----------



## Keeping up with Junior (Feb 27, 2003)

*Getting down*



Gordon Brennan said:


> ...campy record 11-23 with a 39-53 combo up front...
> 
> ...12-29 from Campy, pretty sure this can be changed to 11-29 if wanted but the 12 or the 11 isn't really a big issue for me....
> 
> ...is a long cage required on the derailleur or just a slightly longer chain?


Well I believe the only 10s now is Veloce and comes in a 13-29. Actually Veloce would be better for you as you could mix and match cogs if you really think that 11t is necessary for the descents. In reality fast decents have more to do with the size of your cojones rather than the size of your cogs.

Keep in mind that when you order an 11-xx cassette it comes with a lock ring that only fits 11t cogs. When you order an 12-xx, 13-xx or 14-xx cassette it does not come with a lock ring because the assumption is your hub came with a lockring to fit a 12t cog.

I have no problem using my short cage derailer with a 29t cog. No need to change my chain although you will want to check that yours is long enough. Be sure to TEST your setup before riding and dont crosschain.


----------



## kbwh (May 28, 2010)

Confirming that 13-29 is the 10 speed Campagnolo block.
But 53x13 is long enough for alpine decents. Not many long straights, I promise.


----------



## Gordon Brennan (Jan 26, 2011)

good to know that i don't need to change the deraileur. was my main concern. think my chain is a touch short anyway so think it will be prudent to change. is it just me or or cross chaining with campy or any brand for that matter a bad idea. I know some deal better than others but finding the campag cage is stretched too far when cross chaining at all . hence why i think a longer chain might a be a good idea anyway.


----------



## kidd546 (Nov 3, 2007)

*Compact needed*

If you are doing the Etape you really need to consider going to a compact crank. The climbs are murder on the Etape and you wont need to pedal on the downhills.


----------



## pigpen (Sep 28, 2005)

Yes you can get a Sram cassette on a Campy wheel.
You will need to buy a cassette body from Fulcrum.

No your Campy rear derailleur will not go above 29 teeth.

I too was looking for a way to help (easier gear) when I was about to head to ride the Blue Ridge Parkway last year.
Best suggestion I got here was man up.
It was before the 29 was offered and I made it, hurt but....


----------



## Gordon Brennan (Jan 26, 2011)

interesting I was about to buy a set of fulcrums. You are not the first person I have heard say man up. Always from people who have been racing for years and have ridiculous fitness!!! I reckon I'll stick with the nasty 39-53 11-23 set up for a while and try to build the legs than a short time before the trip switch the cassette to the 13-29 . might get a 11-25 and combine the pair. i am sure i'll find some one who will lend me a compact for the trip, will have a couple of days riding in the alps before to figure out whether i need to switch that too.


----------



## kidd546 (Nov 3, 2007)

Trust me unless you are the fittest and best climber out there you will need the compact. I have been a guide in France for the last 6 years and have seen some riders come in and think that they don't need sissy gears and after the first day they are looking for those easier gears.


----------



## chas0039 (Jun 26, 2007)

There are some other options here, and here.


----------



## Gordon Brennan (Jan 26, 2011)

cheers , should have thought of BBB to be fair.


----------



## masont (Feb 6, 2010)

Gordon Brennan said:


> I am doing the Etape this summer(alp d'huez) and looking at different set ups for the bike.
> 
> my new bus is a Specialized S-works SL3 of which i am very proud.
> Problem I have is that the cassette that came with is a campy record 11-23 with a 39-53 combo up front. Not strong enough to push this but love trying to.
> ...


The 12 or 11 is a bigger deal than the 53 to the 50. A 50/11 is a harder gear to pedal than a 53/12. I am completely flummoxed as to why you don't want to get into a compact for top end speed and you don't care if you have an 11 or a 12 high cog on the back.  It makes absolutely no sense whatsoever, and you can form a coherent sentence, so I'm assuming you can do math. 

Congrats on the awesome bike and cool trip though


----------



## Gordon Brennan (Jan 26, 2011)

I haven't actually put it in to a gear ratio calculator so I'll take your word for it on that front. Just looking for some feed back on the rear cassette as i will be replacing it either way as pushing the 11-23 is a bit much for me as in it doesn't have enough at the low end ie 23 as opposed to 25, 27 or 29 . the obvious part of the maths equation is more to do with the cost of a cassette as opposed to the cost of the chainset. Chainset being generally more expensive than cassettes , not always but generally and as I will only be doing big things like the Etape when I can afford it or just about afford it I don't really want to do it with a crap chainset. Have had a few bad experiences on that front with cheap gear where not so much with cassettes. and of course the other thing is I just prefer the 39-53 suits me better for whatever reason.

but hey I'll try to form in-coherent sentences if it upsets you that much.


Cheers on the bike front, really is an amazing piece of kit not something i ever thought I'd be riding, but good deal couldn't be missed. And better than i ever imagined. 
Yes


----------



## ChilliConCarnage (Jun 1, 2006)

What is a "chainset"? Is that a group of chains? Who has more than one chain on their bike other than recumbents? It that like calling a color a "colorway"?


----------



## Keeping up with Junior (Feb 27, 2003)

*Longbikes*



ChilliConCarnage said:


> Who has more than one chain on their bike other than recumbents?


Tandems.


----------



## Gordon Brennan (Jan 26, 2011)

some have one for the ankle and one for the wrist


----------



## chas0039 (Jun 26, 2007)

Interesting names can really mess with my head. In GB, they call the derailleurs Front and Rear Gears.


----------



## mimason (Oct 7, 2006)

+1 on the compact. Unless you are 130 lbs you are going to run out of gears on the low end. Why not look around for a deal on a compact? I bought a Sram Red compact for $160 and its sitting in my cabinet waiting for the day.


----------



## slowdave (Nov 29, 2005)

Have done some long mountain rides and i now do like my compact, foir the hills sucks for flat lands. U already have a good crankset so just swap when u do the etape then swap back. i have also a 13-29 which is great as a bail out gear when your 200km into a hilly ride with some long steap stuff to go. No need 4 a new chain just be slow with shifts and dont cross chain (should be a general rule not just 4 long rides) And remember its suppost to be fun!


----------



## Gordon Brennan (Jan 26, 2011)

you are all probably right. Sram red for $160 thats ridiculously cheap. Will have a scan to see if I can get one or as I said maybe someone will give me a loaner. Tapped out my funds buying the machine in the first place. Do sram cranksets work ok with campy everything else? 

reckon I might stick with fixed gear machine I botched together out of my really bikes, give that a bash. Should be a laugh with a 42front -15rear set up all the way for the couple of big mountains on the day. mind you will be pretty light for the ascents as it only has a front brake and its my 20 year alu racing frame.


----------



## mimason (Oct 7, 2006)

Gordon Brennan said:


> you are all probably right. Sram red for $160 thats ridiculously cheap. Will have a scan to see if I can get one or as I said maybe someone will give me a loaner. Tapped out my funds buying the machine in the first place. Do sram cranksets work ok with campy everything else?
> 
> reckon I might stick with fixed gear machine I botched together out of my really bikes, give that a bash. Should be a laugh with a 42front -15rear set up all the way for the couple of big mountains on the day. mind you will be pretty light for the ascents as it only has a front brake and its my 20 year alu racing frame.


You can mix and match cranksets all day long. Again, I was real lucky getting the Red cranks from a riding buddy but you still could get some FSAs on the cheap. I think you will be suprised that you won't spend much more than many of those high priced cassettes.

What ever you do try to get a crank that can use your current BB. You may also need a new chain for the shorter length.


----------



## Gordon Brennan (Jan 26, 2011)

just to let you guys know i have been looking into ways of mixing the gearing up etc and think i have found a relatively inexpensive way of doing so avoiding the switch to a compact, ( for cost reasons not some macho reasoning before anyone gets excited) looked at some of the pro teams and their gearing sets up not that I am a pro but for the big climbs what some of them do is switch out their 39 front chain ring for a 36 tooth version and amazing this fits on a campag record carbon 53-39 crank set. Add a 13-29 or 12-27 on the rear and the maths don't do too badly, crazy climbs up Galibier or alp d'huez should be manageable for someone even of my limited skills. and as it was pointed out to me the descent should be plenty quick without needing an 11 or even the 12 on the rear. good solution I think avoids getting a cheaper heavier crankset which kinda defeats the purpose of the really nice light carbon Record I have. I know its grams but sits better in my slightly demented head. anyway didn't spend all that money on the machine so I could leave one of the nicest bits at home when I go on my big trip. Later


----------



## chas0039 (Jun 26, 2007)

Gordon Brennan said:


> ... i have found a relatively inexpensive way of doing so avoiding the switch to a compact, ...switch out their 39 front chain ring for a 36 tooth version and amazing this fits on a campag record carbon 53-39 crank set.


You say you found a 36 front ring and you say it was inexpensive. What was the cost and source?


----------



## cxwrench (Nov 9, 2004)

chas0039 said:


> You say you found a 36 front ring and you say it was inexpensive. What was the cost and source?


there is no way you can fit a 36t ring on campy standard cranks. you can fit a 38 on shimano/sram standard, they're 130mm bcd. campy is 135mm, only 39 & bigger will fit.


----------



## chas0039 (Jun 26, 2007)

cxwrench said:


> there is no way you can fit a 36t ring on campy standard cranks. you can fit a 38 on shimano/sram standard, they're 130mm bcd. campy is 135mm, only 39 & bigger will fit.


I was aware of that; I wanted to find out what the above poster had done.


----------



## RussellS (Feb 1, 2010)

Gordon Brennan said:


> just to let you guys know i have been looking into ways of mixing the gearing up etc and think i have found a relatively inexpensive way of doing so avoiding the switch to a compact, looked at some of the pro teams and their gearing sets up but for the big climbs what some of them do is switch out their 39 front chain ring for a 36 tooth version and amazing this fits on a campag record carbon 53-39 crank set. Add a 13-29 or 12-27 on the rear


As others stated, you cannot fit anything less than a 39 on a Campagnolo 135mm bcd crankset. The professional teams you mention switched entire cranksets for these mountain climbs. They are mechanics for professional racing teams. Its their job to work on bikes. They have almost unlimited supply of parts, including cranksets in standard and compact. They just switched cranksets and cassettes for that one day of climbing. I suspect 3-4 mechanics could switch the 10 team bikes plus 10 backup bikes in 3-4 hours or so. In theory you could run a compact crankset all the time. 53-39 rings in compact for Campagnolo are available from TA and Stronglight. Then for the mountains switch to 50-34 rings also from TA and Stronglight. Maybe a little easier than changing cranksets, but not much easier. But professional teams would run standard cranks except for the rare day and then switch entire cranksets.


----------



## Gordon Brennan (Jan 26, 2011)

ah well sounded too good to be true. there you go, a learning curve. will have to slag off the mechanic who seemed to think its possible.


----------



## kidd546 (Nov 3, 2007)

*Etape gearing*

Well there is a name for riders at the Etape that do not have the proper gearing ---- "walkers". The few extra grams that a cheap compact would weigh is insignificant.


----------



## Gordon Brennan (Jan 26, 2011)

completely flipping on my not spending money thing now. have an old racing aluminium frame sitting in the shed which i think i might get a lower end campag group set for. need a second bike to commute on, don't want to kill the SL3 doing something really stupid. also really like the newer campag hoods/shifters. Some of the lower models centaur and veloce are 10 speed so can swap out the hoods and get a compact group set. Swap out the crank set and cassette when doing the etape. Gets a me a commuter/trainer for hopefully not too much money depends on discount I can manage in shop. I am sure there might be some other technical bits I will need to check out but really just thinking out loud.


----------

