There’s this little device out there that supposedly allows one to use mismatched shifters/derailleurs/wheels, without the need for custom cassettes (such as those made by Wheels Manufacturing, etc). http://www.sheldonbrown.com/harris/shiftmate.html
Has anyone ever used one? Wrenched one? Seen one? Heard stories?
Bringing this out of the grave -
Any comments?
Jens and rroof both use them. Zinn has an article on his ergos with red as well.
I’ve been using one since last year on my road bike. Last year it was for my Campy 9s shifters & derailler to sync perfectly with my Shimano and SRAM 9s cassettes. Despite having just run that system all together for years, I found the added “perfection” in shifting with the shiftmate was worth the $34 and 20 minutes to install it.
This year I’m using it for Campy 10s shifters on Shimano and SRAM 10s cassettes, and again I’m happy with it. Same model works for various different setups this way. Another added bonus is that my rear derailleur housing (usually the first thing to mung up in a shifting system) is shorter and more friction free because I can use this “pulley” type of setup.
So, I recommend it. I’m a decent mechanic and it was slightly annoying to install, but the instructons are good, and once you realize what you’re trying to do it goes smoother.
I used to use one to run a shimano drivetrain with campy shifters (roadbike) and it worked perfectly. I later sold it to another slowtwitcher who said it worked well for him also.
Very simple mechanism, easy to install, works like a champ, just make sure you get the right model for the component combination you have.
Great Thanks Guys!
Yes, works flawlessly with Record STI shifters (road bike) and Dura Ace rear derailleur. Just a little finicky to set up, but not too bad.
I’m using one with my Campy Ergo shifter/derailleur and Shimano cassette: Shimano spacing is different from Campy, so if you adjust your shifting to perform well around low gears, it will not shift correctly at high gears (and vice-versa of course). The Jtek did help, but unfortunately it did not completely fix the problem.
John
? That makes no sense. Once indexed, it matters not (high or low gears) with or without a jteck as it just changes the ratio with each click. Yes, the spacing is different between Campy and Shimano - hence the jtek as it changes the pull ratio. Are you sure you have it installed correctly (i.e. the Cam inside can be removed/flipped)?
Once indexed, it matters not (high or low gears) with or without a jteck as it just changes the ratio with each click.
Hmmm, let me illustrate with an example: let’s say you adjust your derailleur for a very smooth shift between lowest cog and next up (e.g from 12 to 13). Your Campy shifters move the derailleur a distance X, but the spacing of the two cogs is X+y (because it’s a Shimano cassette and the spacing is different); because y<<X, you don’t feel this disparity when you move just one cog.
But the shift over to the next cog will also introduce another small deviation, so the derailleur moves 2X instead of 2X+2y, and it goes on for all the larger cogs – i.e., the error is cumulative: by the time you reach the top of the cassette the error has become so big (9y in our example for a 9-speed cassette) that the chain either rubs against the cogs, or does not shift correctly.
Indeed, that’s what the jtek is supposed to fix, and the concept is correct: two side-by-side pulleys with different diameters that result in a different pull ratio as you shift through the gears. Unfortunately in my case that ratio does not appear to be exactly right, and I still get a mismatch between the smaller cogs and the bigger ones (i.e., if it shifts fine in the high gears, it does not shift correctly in the low ones). The mismatch is smaller with the jtek than without it, but it does not eliminate it completely. I know that by orienting the crossover point on the pulley differently (jtek recommends starting from the 1 o’clock position) one can change the pull ratio, but I have yet to find the perfect match.
Are you sure you have it installed correctly (i.e. the Cam inside can be removed/flipped)?
By “cam” you mean the pulley? Yes, I am aware that it can be flipped, and I am pretty sure I have it the right direction for my combination.
Hope all that makes sense.
John
interesting… i don’t have that problem with chorus ergos/RD and shimano cassette. maybe yours was just not machined well or something.
did you set it up according to campag’s ergo tunnig instructions? i.e. shift thechain to the middle (4th sprocket) and find the quietest cable tension, then work outwards towards the 11T and 2xT?
How can you possibly not have the problem? Shimano cassettes have a different spacing than Campagnolo ones, and your Campy shifters are adjusted for Campy cassette spacing, so it cannot possibly shift correctly with a Shimano cassette. Maybe you are not aware of it? I know I wasn’t for quite a few years – actually until I read about the jtek gadget and realised that the less-than-perfect shifting I had been experiencing all this time was not normal.
shift thechain to the middle (4th sprocket) and find the quietest cable tension
Yes, I always start from the middle cog and work my way outwards, but what does “quietest cable tension” mean?
John
i should have been more precise. I used a chorus ergo/RD and shiftmate and shimano cassette.
It was the shiftmate that helped me achieve perfect shifting.
“quietest cable tension” means finding the cable tension where when you are spinning the cranks on a stand the RD/chain/cassette makes the least sound i.e. everything’s totally aligned right.
By the way what chain are you using with your set-up? that always makes a small difference depending on what chainline your frame has. I use the KMC x10sl and KMC x10s chain.
I used the cable over the stop instead of under on my Campy stuff to allow use with Shimano cassettes. It seems to shift better than the Shimano to Shimano setup and was very easy to do. There are articles on the web about how to do this so I won’t go into much detail other than to add that it works well on my 10 speed setup where as most articles only referenced the 9 speed.
yes i am aware of this. somehow i could not get it to work as crisply as i owuld have liked so went for the jtek in the end. the weight penalty was virtually zero due to the amount of cable housing i was able to remove.