# campagnolo escape shifting mechanism



## orestis (Dec 11, 2004)

For 2007 range campagnolo uses "escape" shifting mechanism in groups from xenon to centaur,which said to be lighter.
As I saw from the spare-parts catalogue this mechanism is indentical to the shifting mechanism of 2004-2005-2006 xenon shifters.campagnolo (the codes of the internal parts are indentical to the 2004-2005-2006 xenon parts)
why campagnolo downgraded their groups?
I use 2004 xenon and this mechanism do not allow multiple downshifts and upshift is harder and more spongy thnan the classic campagnolo mechanism,moreover afte 11000km the mechanism do nto work very good and downshifts 2-3or more cogs instead of one.


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## flakey (Feb 8, 2003)

*And it gets worse*

Xenon was/is basically unrepairable and nobody currently stocks the small parts for them. It was my industry experience that Campagnolo or their authorized service centers would just authorize complete replacement for broken Xenon shifters. And the cheap, little, completely plastic thumb button would break all the time. I am really dissapointed and confused at the direction they have taken with their new lower end shifters. 

A good question to ask Campy at Interbike will be: "are these new shifters rebuildable and if so, how difficult?"

I think it will be a hassle for retailers and Campy will start to lose that rebuildable, servicable quality that was one of its strongest selling points.


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## Mark McM (Jun 18, 2005)

*Escape mechanism vs. detent disk*



orestis said:


> why campagnolo downgraded their groups?


Campagnolo has always sold well to the upper end of the market, but that portion of the market has always been small. With the Escape mechanism they are trying to go after Shimano's dominance of the middle and lower ends of the market, by "dumbing down" their shifters. The original Ergo shifters, by using a detent disk instead of an escapement, require more lever force and more lever travel than Shimano. Another downside of the detent disk mechanism is that need for periodic re-building as the springs detent springs wear. But on the plus side, in the hands of an experienced user, the detent disk mechanism can produce well controlled multiple upshifts. The ability for more shifting control (multiple upshifts or downshifts) is probably why Campagnolo has kept the detent disk mechanism on their higher end groups (Record, Chorus). In some situations, the extra lever force to shift the detent disk can be seen as an advantage: When one is sprinting hard, gripping the bars hard and pulling with one's arms, a higher shifting force can prevent one from accidentally pushing the lever too far and over-shifting.

But, although the Escape mechanism is more Shimano-like, unlike actual Shimano shifters the Escape shifters are completely rebuildable.


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## Argentius (Aug 26, 2004)

Good reply -- thanks for the info. 

I'd wondered what the deal was with that thing.

So, what I'm thinking is, since Record shifters were much cheaper than D-A ones anyway, it seems odd that they'd make the lower-end shifters yet cheaper. Do you think we'll see a big price jump from Centaur to Chorus and Record this year?


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## orestis (Dec 11, 2004)

any reviews from 2007 shifters(centaur-veloce)??


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## Nolamatt (Feb 4, 2005)

I have the 2007 centaur. They shift great but can't dump multiple gears. Coming from shimaNO I don't notice it. But I will say I have order some 2007 Chorus shifter and am putting the centaur on a project for me wife.


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## kisner (Feb 22, 2005)

*My experience*

I have just replaced my 2005 Record shifters with the 2007 Mirage Escape Mechanism/Quick Shift shifters. All 2007 shifters below Chorus have exactly the same guts, just different lever finishes. Please note I do not race, but do ride aggressively. For reference, the rest of my components are 2005 Record, and I use the new Ultra Narrow chain.

I love them! They shift much more smoothly and the new system has a very light touch. Shifting becomes more second nature, just a light tap here and there, making the experience much more zen like. I come from the days of friction down tube shifters, and I really missed their quite smooth operation, but now the new Escape Mechs bring a lot of that feeling back. You need to give it a day for two to acclimate to the new system, as the up-shifts (thumb lever) works by pushing down (nothing happens) then letting go (now the shift happens), so at first the shift feels as if it takes longer. You do adjust for this quickly, but the old system is perhaps a bit better in this respect, but requires more force. The down-shift (large lever) is very smooth and the click muted. This does not cause you to lose the ability to shift quickly or wonder whether you made the shift, as you, again, acclimate to the new shift action and feel. The new system is more precise about how it positions the chain on the cogs. The “older” system was more difficult to align perfectly, whether you aligned from the up or down shift. This is something I noticed on other other bikes as well. 

Regarding not having multiple up-shifts (thumb shifter), this is compensated for by the quick and light action of the single shifts. You can fire off a rapid succession of shifts easily and quickly. Of course you can stick with either the Record or Chorus shifters for your multiple up-shift needs. 

I have only just now installed the front shifter using the old front derailleur and have been doing some stationary shifting. Again, smooth. Shifting back into the small gear now only requires one fast click of the thumb shifter, which shifts on the down push, unlike the rear shifter (push, then let go). The shift back to the small gear is much faster than the old system.

In a way the new system feels much like the Shimano system, smooth and refined, which might put some off, but you still have the superior Ergo ergonomics and thumb shifter. For me, the new system is much more pleasant to use, and I can see why they are using it for the lower systems, as it will be more appealing to new buyers, rather than the rather brutish nature of the original system. I suspect many pros will want to use it too, as they are less fatiguing to use. 

Whether you like the new system or not requires your own hands on experience, but I hope my thoughts are helpful.


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## Richard (Feb 17, 2006)

Good info. I just may have to move my '06 Centaur Ergo's and rear derailleur to my Mirage/Athena/Centaur mix 8 speed bike (I have an extra set of 10 speed compatible wheels) and go for the new Centaur carbon Ergo's and rear derailleur on my primary ride.

By the way, we just received a new distributor's catalog and the '07 Centaur and Veloce derailleurs are cheaper than the '06's. Go figure.


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