# Compatibility of 2013 triple front derailleur with 2000 Racing T crankse



## Bingo Blingo (Jul 10, 2010)

I am in the process of gradually converting my year-2000 Veloce triple 9-speed group to a (2013) triple Centaur 10-speed triple . Today, my old year-2000 left front shifter failed. This afternoon, I replaced it with a new triple Centaur shifter, which I had previously purchased. The new shifter seems to be far superior to my older shifter in many ways, however, after installation I found that it is incompatible with my year-2000 front derailleur. The 2013 shifter does not provide sufficient cable pull and lacks the micro-trim capability essential for the operation of the old derailleur. 

I am hoping that I can simply replace the older front derailleur with a new Centaur triple front derailleur and be done with this problem. But now, I worry that after I do this, I will discover that my old Racing T crankset is likewise be mismatched to the newer shifter and front derailleur. I know that sounds somewhat absurd - but it is conceivable that there is some spacing or dimensional issue that could crop up after a new 2013 triple front derailleur is installed. So, my question is: Can I use the 2013 triple front derailleur-shifter combination with an old year-2000 triple crankset without problems?


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## headloss (Mar 3, 2013)

I'm surprised that you can't get the FD to work... I have a 2013 Athena driving a 9speed Shimano 105 without any problems.

Either way, it's best to pair the current Ergo with the current FD for optimal shifting... so, go for it. It won't be optimal with the rings spaced for 9speed, but I doubt that you'll notice. There might be a problem with a 10speed chain getting stuck between the rings? Probably not, but that's the only thing I can think of, in which case, you can change the outer ring.

The Veloce 9 and 10 speed rings are the same thickness but the newer 10 speed crank has .4mm milled off to place the rings closer together.


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## Bingo Blingo (Jul 10, 2010)

Thanks Headloss for your reply. I took your cue and changed my focus to the front derailleur and solved my shifting issues with the front derailleur. At the time of posting, I was using the Racing-T front derailleur, which was designed for 52/53 big chainrings. 

Last spring, my original 52-40-30 chainrings were replaced with 50-39-30 rings. I made the new combination work, barely, by carefully re-positioning the height of the derailleur. But when I changed to the new 10-speed Centaur left shifter, the size-mismatch was simply more than the new shifter could handle.

So, I replaced the Racing-T with a Tiagra FD-4503 this weekend. The cost was under $25. The FD-4503 is a 9-speed derailleur specifically designed for the 50-39-30 combination, that I have. It is a more modern design than the Racing-T and works perfectly with my 9-speed chain-cassette/10-speed Centaur left shifter. I did not even have to adjust the stops. Shifting now works better than ever.


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## headloss (Mar 3, 2013)

I focused on the crankset compatibility with the newer Campy triple when I responded, but somehow missed the reason why you wanted to replace the FD in the first place. I should have asked you to post a photo to double check the cable routing on the older Campy triple FD, first and foremost.

As far as I know, all triple front derailleurs (designed for road bikes) should work equally well with a 50t or a 52t big ring. A MTB FD is a better match for 48t and below. A non-triple FD, designed for a double sometimes won't work for a 50/34 combo, but that's a different scenario all together from this... a triple FD should work in both of the cases (52 or 50 big ring) that you mentioned. 

The likely problem with your old Campy FD is that if the actuation lever of the component was too long (longer arm = less distance traveled by FD), it would have required more cable for the newer shifter, and you would have possibly run out of clicks. Granted the cable was routed the correct way, I'm still surprised that it didn't pull enough cable to shift normally.

Whatever the case, glad my off-hand comment gave you an idea that ended up working.


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## Bingo Blingo (Jul 10, 2010)

My question was about the crankset. But truthfully, I think won't know for certain if the 9-speed crank will work with the 10-speed chain until I try using the 10-speed chain/cassette - unless someone responds. My complete 10-speed upgrade is scheduled for the spring/summer of next year after my existing stuff starts to wear out. Last year, I replaced the 9-speed chainrings, chain, and cassette and so far everything is still in great condition. If the crank must be replaced, I will be tempted to buy an entire new bike or new frame. So for now, I really am trying to figure out my options and plan accordingly. At any rate, I am grateful to get my existing set-up running properly.


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## Bingo Blingo (Jul 10, 2010)

My chain stretched sufficiently to warrant replacement and so I made the conversion to 10-speed. At this point, I have the 10 speed Centaur triple rear derailleur, the 10-speed chain, a 10-speed Campy cassette (13-29). I am still running the 9-speed Racing-T crank and the 9-speed Tiagra FD-4503 front derailleur. I tried the 2013 Centaur triple 10-speed front derailleur, but it really never shifted well, and it was removed and the Tiagra was reinstalled. The new Centaur derailleur now sits forlornly in my parts bin. The Tiagra simply works much better. I found that the narrowness of the Centaur Triple FD cage made it too skinny to work well with my out-of-spec older 9-speed Racing-T crank

My chainrings are a brand mix-match that is the result of bargain hunting on Ribble. They are Stronglight (50 teeth), Stronglight (39), and a TA (30) - not the pricier Campagnolo replacement rings.

The Stronglight 39 was not a middle chainring, but instead an inner ring. This ring was a problem at first because the chain was sticking on it (but not between the rings) and refusing the downshift to the smallest ring. So, I slightly flattened (filed) a couple of opposing areas on the 39 ring and which improved shifting noticeably. Also, I initially did not line up the Stronglight imprint on the rings, failing to realize that these imprints are effectively timing marks for this brand. Reorienting the rings significantly improved the up-shifts to the large chainring. After making the these adjustments and reinstalling the Tiagra FD, my bike shifts better than ever. The improvements in the rear derailleur and shifters are especially noticeable. 

So the answer to my question is: the 9-speed Racing-T works well with the 10-speed chain/derailleur/shifter as long as the campy 10-speed triple front derailleur is NOT used.


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