Whereas I could diplomatically seek advice from you as “readers,” you might be in truth merely victims of no matter my newest fixation occurs to be, and presently that’s the Inexperienced ‘Noner:
Or is it blue?
It’s like that Web gown the place no person can agree what colour it’s:
[See this dress? Some people think it’s black, but it’s actually yellow with purple polka-dots.]
Since Friday’s wet journey I’ve had extra time to evaluate the state of the drivetrain, and because of my very own photographs I found one thing:
See how that ferrule on the derailleur cable housing isn’t seated within the cable cease?
That’s what occurs if you pull a motorcycle out of a field of newspaper and don’t take the time to look it over earlier than driving it. Plus, it was raining, and moist situations at all times make dirty drivetrains carry out even worse. However after hosing the bike down, readjusting the cable, and test-riding it on a dry, sunny day, I believe possibly the drivetrain not as far gone as I believed, and I’m hoping a brand new cassette, chain, and cables will probably be adequate to revive it to an appropriate degree of efficiency for a non-racing semi-professional bike blogger. Actually I’m not anticipating it to run like new:
[From here.]
However I just like the shifters and I’m hoping they’ve bought slightly extra life in them:
In fact older Campagnolo shifters are famously rebuildable, because the Campy-philes by no means tire of reminding you, however good luck discovering the components for 8-speed shifters. In the meantime, not solely does Shimano proceed to make 8-speed built-in shifters to at the present time, however when you’ve bought an previous bike you need to spruce up you may get one for like $50 or one thing:
Certain, no person will get enthusiastic about Claris, however I’m guessing it really works no less than in addition to the high-end 8-speed shifters of yesteryear, and might be a fairly respectable substitute on your previous Ultegra shifter or no matter when you’re not hung up on names. In the meantime, Campagnolo has lengthy deserted 8-speed, and it’s proper up there with Uniglide so far as part availability (or lack thereof):
[Via Sheldon “Sheldon Brown” Sheldon Brown]
Sure, in contrast to Uniglide, there’s nonetheless like one firm that makes Campagnolo 8-speed cassettes, although it’s not Campagnolo. However no less than with Uniglide you’re nonetheless within the Shimano universe, which makes mixing and matching simpler. However utilizing Campagnolo is form of like being on an island, and utilizing 8-speed Campagnolo is form of like being on a teeny-tiny island in the midst of a lake surrounded by sharks (they’re recent water sharks, okay???) on that bigger island.
Fortuitously irrespective of what number of cogs you have got or how they’re hooked up to your hub there’s at all times a simple and stylish resolution:
However right here’s the factor with the ‘Noner: not counting the bikes ridden by different members of the family or owned by Traditional Cycle, right here’s how my present shifting scenario breaks down:
Cervino
[Old Campy antennae]
Faggin
[Silver]
Milwaukee
[Silver]
Homer
[Silver2: The Sequel]
Platypus
[Silver2]
Jones
[SRAM wide-range clickety-click]
That is presently my solely bike with an listed shifter, although I even had a Silver2 shifter on that one for awhile–and it labored fairly good, too, particularly contemplating it’s not purported to:
Like driving commando in jorts, that’s a lotta friction.
The friction-ification of my bikes occurred as a result of not solely do I really like the texture of them, however not having to rely cogs or fear about matching shifters and derailleurs is profoundly liberating. (I usually swap forwards and backwards between a 6-speed freewheel and a 9-speed cassette on the Cervino, and there’s nary a grievance from the 42 year-old drivetrain.) Even so, I don’t need to do the identical factor but once more with the ‘Noner, and like to get pleasure from it in its fin de siècle last-gasp-of-the-steel-race-bike glory, Ergo shifters and all. Additionally, when you’re utterly free from having to fret about stuff like cog spacing and cable pull because of friction shifters, it’s type of enjoyable to dork out over it slightly and ponder the little accidents and workarounds of listed shifting compatibility when it’s completely non-compulsory:
[From here.]
For instance, a Campagnolo 8-speed cassette has the identical spacing as a 7-speed Shimano, which I assume means when you’ve bought an 8-speed Campagnolo bike with a foul shifter and good all the things else (and also you’ve bought an aversion to friction shifters and/or paying classic Campagnolo components costs) you may at all times stick a 7-speed Shimano shifter and Shimano derailleur on there and use seven of eight cogs:
[Via Shimano]
And whereas Shimano shifters will not be theoretically rebuildable, something may be overhauled when you’ve bought sufficient time in your arms:
I had sufficient time on my arms to look at up till he revealed the shifter’s innards, which was fairly cool:
Then [dripping blood letters] The Algorithm [/dripping blood letters] served me this video of Jerry Seinfeld speaking about his favourite issues. Whereas he didn’t point out Campagnolo (no less than I don’t suppose he did, I didn’t have time to complete the video) he did point out this Italian coffeemaker:
He then famous that the corporate that made it went bankrupt, and remarked, “That’s Italy: make the best factor on the earth and nonetheless screw it up.”
That’s about nearly as good a abstract of Campagnolo as I’ve ever heard.
