Campagnolo Doesn't Care About You

That is if you ride a traditional steel frame, Campagnolo doesn't care about you. Why would I say such a thing about the beloved and legendary components manufacturer? They don't make a 27.2mm size front derailleur clamp is why. I assume this is a business decision. Maybe they've concluded there is not enough demand. That's too bad; for us that is. I know there are some out there on the used market, but I don't want used and I don't want an older design. I want a current design that compliments the other current Campy components. So then I am forced to choose the 32mm clamp and make do. Thank you Campagnolo. I mean that with both sincerity and sarcasm. As seen in the above photo I have inserted a shim to adapt the larger clamp to the smaller seat tube.

I made the shim with two layers of rubber strips. One would suffice depending on the thickness of the rubber. In my case I had two sizes of rubber shims from a head lamp clamp. The thicker of the two was too large but by doubling up the thinner option it was just right. I cut the thin shim into two strips and they were the perfect width to match that of the clamp. Only a little finesse was required to position the strips neatly between the clamp and seat tube. Voila, the clamp is in place.

God Is In The Details

The Soma Smoothie build is now getting down to the details. Decisions about these aren't as little as the parts themselves. For example, the dimensions of the steel tubing of this frame are traditional which means sorting through a selection predominantly comprised of parts designed for the over-sized tubing of carbon frames. It's like a treasure hunt in the case of finding a proper front derailleur clamp. Campagnolo unfortunately - foolishly - does not make a 27.2mm size clamp. Therefore I had to find another viable option, and didn't. There are a couple of companies I discovered that make an alloy clamp in the size I need but the design of these is primitive. I found them unacceptable. So I bought the 32mm size Campagnolo clamp and will have to adapt it to fit. No problem. Call me superficial if you will but I also like the fact that there will be a Campy brand clamp to accommodate the Campy brand derailleur.

The other seemingly simple choice I had to make was on a pair of bar end plugs. Some are content with the plastic pair that come with most packs of bar tape. Once again, unacceptable. Adhering with the rest of the detailing scheme on the bike I want alloy. Lucky for me Soma makes just these very sort of bar end plugs. But after some shopping around I learned that the plugs are simply plastic with some kind of alloy looking finish. Fortunately I found this lovely pair of aluminum plugs made by ODI that compliment the bike nicely. It really is all in the details.

Take the C Train: Campagnolo Centaur Drive Train

The "C" could be for Campagnolo or Centaur. It could stand for ciclismo, cappuccino or campione. The C Train is open to interpretation. I didn't buy this trio of components in one fell swoop, but rather in two different purchases from two online retailers. It was quite fortunate timing for me to get a great deal on the 2009 Campagnolo Centaur front derailleur and then the companion rear derailleur and 10-speed chain in a span of a few weeks. Piecing together a gruppo can be an uncertainty, but with patience and a keen eye all will come together well. Not having put these components into action yet the most I can say at this point is I expect them to perform similarly to the previous incarnations of their Chorus and Record counterparts. This is what the "expert" reviews of the cycling media have concluded at least. As I've noted in a previous blog post, or two, it is natural with any technology for the design innovations to trickle down from the top over time. While they await their installation I can at least admire the shiny, polished alloy and imagine how they will look on the completed bike. After all that is half the fun, acquiring the parts and envisioning the full assembly in the mind. The other half, naturally, is the actual building of the bike. That day is not too far off.