Two days fiddling with my new Cervelo R2.5 with Record Carbon and FSA Compact carbon fiber cranks.
The system I am using has an Shimano Octalink 7700 series Dura-Ace sealed cartirdge bearing bottom bracket.
It is serviceable but not saleable. At this price point I couldn;t turn this equipment over to a paying customer- it doesn’t work smoothly enough. You get the shift every time but you must finesse it slightly and you don;t want to shift from either end of the cogset, i.e., if you have your chian already on the crossover gear (50/23) and you try to shift down to the 34 you are asking for trouble. It is possible you will drop you chain. I adjusted the front derailleur limit screws pretty tight for derailleur cage travel and it works but you aren;t going to be doing any “slam” shifting with this, it would detonate.
The compact combination is valid and works in the hands of a tolerant and experienced rider, but I think a consumer paying over $5000 for a bike like this would expect better shifting at the front derailleur.
I eagerly await Campagnolo’s compact specific front derailleur and crankset.
As for the frame itself, if the frame were any less precisely aligned or any less stiff I doubt this system would work at all. In other words, if you put this stuff on a lesser quality frame, I think you have even more problems.
So Tom, what you are saying that you took a groupset and added a “non-compatible” crankset and then complain about the performance? It is common knowledge that there is a “break in” period for all Campy parts as well…you know that. I am not sure why there is a break in but there just is. As far the “value” that is up the buyer is it not? A Picaso is not worth $20.00 to me, but some people pay $20,000,000.00 for one.
Please, dont complain about the shifting on any system when you are not on the full system. That is not a fair comparison and makes it seem as if there are maybe not enough Campy dollars flowing in. I am certain that there is no way that Cervelo would EVER get a bad review from you - I mean seriously, you said that on a ride around the block you knew it was the best bike you had ever ridden? Please.
I agree with you 100%. As a matter of fact, I would be the first to caution someone against this for exactly the reasons you mentioned.
Also, what is “serviceable” for me may not be up to our standards of what goes out the door for our customers. It is one thing for me to set a bike up for a specific race with some unusual equipment, but it is quite another for me to sell that to a consumer for $5000.
Sure, the stuff works, but it isn’t ready for prime time. It will get 'er done in Nice I think.
And also, as you correctly mentioned, Shimano wears out, Campagnolo wears in. So I expect there may be some improvement in perfromance as it wears in.
As usual, your observations are right in my opinion.
Why did you opt for the Octalink cranks instead of the ISIS cranks? When I was buying these, the Octalink was 9sp, and the ISIS was 9/10. Did that change?
I run the exact setup you describe,but use the ISIS 9/10 and while the shifting is not perfect up front, I think the compact specific derailleur would do the trick.
I have never dropped a chain in this config and have had zero problems going from 50 to 34 on any cog, going the other way takes a little finesse in some positions, but is pretty smooth from 13T to 17T. Also, when in the big ring, I have to adjust the derailleur from time to time to avoid rubbing, usually that starts at around 19T or so.
I am pretty satisfied with my compacts. I can climb really well on them and they are great for all around rides.
Why did you opt for the Octalink cranks instead of the ISIS cranks? When I was buying these, the Octalink was 9sp, and the ISIS was 9/10. Did that change?
EXACTLY! The Octalink is for 9 speed. ISIS has the appropriate spacing for 9 and 10 spedd systems according to the FSA guys. I have the ISIS with the FSA Ti BB on a DA 10 sp and no chains dropped in 1000mi.
Tom,
On my P3 with DA front and rear derailleur and FSA 50/34 and 27/12 rear, I have trouble with the front derailleur. From 34 to 50 takes some finesse and requires some attention to which rear cog I am in. But more annoying is that I cannot set the limit screws so as to eliminate an ever so small touch on the front derailleur when in 34:27.
Part of the problem may be that the bracket mount front derailleur can only be dropped to within about 6-8 mm of the chain ring. So it stands up too high off the chain ring and compounding this, it has too large a radius of curvature.
I have been told I should just wait for the new Campy derailleur. Will that work with my set up? It has also been suggested that the Shimano 3-speed derailleur might work better. What do you think?
Bill