Sort Those Gear Problems!
Mike Di Feo has written with some very useful suggestions and tips on sorting out those tricky gear shifting problems. We probably get asked about gear change difficulties nearly as many times as “which bike should I buy?” We never tire of them as we know we will always be receiving them
Question: This is a suggestion on Chuck’s indexing issue. I had the same problem going from an older freewheel to a cassette unit. I changed my chain and it resolved my issue. After researching the problem, I found that the best thing is to stay whit same brand cassette and chain, Shimano cassette=Shimano chain. And make sure that the right chain is used (narrow, super narrow, etc..)
Maybe that will help his problem.
Mike Di Feo.
Hi Mike,
You are correct with what you say; you should always stay with the same manufacturer when it comes to cassettes. We have mixed 10 speed chains and cassettes with some success, but they are not perfect. With 8 and 9 there is no point in trying as the spacing between the sprockets is very different between 8 and 9 and between Shimano and Campagnolo.
As to chains, you are also right that you must stay with the correct chain, narrow etc. but you can mix Shimano and Campagnolo. The best Shimano chain seems to work very well on both Campagnolo and the new SRAM equipment, people who are having problems with the SRAM not running smoothly have had great success with the Shimano CN-7801 chain and I know others who also use it with the Campagnolo 10 speed, it seems to run smoother. In saying this I am using a Cmpagnolo chain on my 10 speed Record group set and I have no complaints and I have tried it on a Shimano 10 speed cassette, it worked well on 8 out of the 10 sprockets, which isn’t too bad, but not perfect.
 Shimano Chain |
So, what Mike says is a good rule to follow, don’t try to mix and match your equipment. A good quality chain should work on a matching quality cassette, as long as you stick to the same size, 9, 10 narrow or super narrow etc. what I wouldn’t try is a Shimano cassette with Campagnolo shifters or Shimano shifter with a Campagnolo cassette, it will work, but not well and never try mixing 8, 9 and 10 speed equipment, that will never work.
