Oh no, Shimano - say it isn't so!

   In the past I have had several incidents with incompatible Campagnolo parts, whether it was with products from rival companies, or even between different component lines from the Italian manufacturer’s catalogue. The folks at “Campy” wanted cyclists and their mechanics to use their products exclusively, and if you were using their latest innovative (and more expensive) parts, they also seemed determined to makes sure you would buy the complete new line and not be able to use it in combination with the older stuff!

   The affordability of Shimano products is certainly a draw, but simplicity and compatibility are also reasons that, unless you are shopping for an elite level bicycle, you will almost exclusively find Shimano components on any bike you find in a local shop. A cyclist who likes a new Shimano derailleur design, yet prefers the feel of his older model shift lever, can be sure everything will work fine on his bicycle if he decides to mix and match.

   Imagine my surprise when I was making the flatbar conversion on my Bianchi and found the Shimano Deore trigger shifters would not work properly with the Shimano Dura-Ace rear derailleur! I was able to make adjustments to make the first three gears shift smoothly, only to have the next four or five rattle through transition. I made a few more adjustments to make those middle four or five shifts correct, but messed up the first three in the process.

   I took the attitude of a responsible patient and “sought a second opinion” with my buddies at Bikesport, who confirmed my appropriate actions to remedy the problem. Through a conversation with customer service at Shimano, we found out Deore (the company’s mountain bike-specific line) and Dura-Ace (their top-of-the-line road group) components aren’t compatible. I have done many flatbar conversions now, and never experienced a problem combining Deore with the lower Shimano product lines of Sora, Tiagra or even Ultegra. I thought that perhaps, because the Deore shifters were from 2014, that this may be a new development within the company, but according to online guru Sheldon Brown, Dura-Ace drivetrain components have always been incompatible with mountain bike-specific parts.

   I have to admit that I am a bit of a Euro snob when it comes to my own machines, and although I frequently work with Shimano parts on customer bicycles, I had never worked with Dura-Ace. Italian and French designs have always had an aesthetic edge over their Japanese counterparts, but more often I have simply chosen to match up the country of bicycle design with the components from the appropriate geographical region.

   For example, if I had a vintage Colnago or Pinarello to build, I certainly didn’t want to slap some Shimano or SunTour components on it. I’ve always had a preference for Look pedals and Mavic wheels (both French products) on any bike I ride, but for my Vitus project, I tried out other Mavic components, which were absolutely beautiful, along with some vintage parts from French manufacturers Atax, Bador and Huret.

   Tulio Campagnolo was the inventor of quick release skewers and the modern parallelogram cage derailleur. His products functioned precisely and looked wonderful, and for decades his products dominated competitive racing. There has been a major shift over the years, as Shimano parts have become known for their reliability, and quality of design has improved significantly. The company’s recent developments in disk braking and electronic shifting have pushed the Shimano reputation to a level where their components come stock on many Colnago and Pinarello bicycles – sacrilege to many Italians!

   Well this was all a rather simple fix – all I had to do was order a Deore rear derailleur. The new “Shadow” design of this model (photo above) has the parallelogram and cage more aligned vertically, which ensures that the mechanism pivots closer to the frame and keeps it from snagging on branches, etc. when off-road.

   I decided to take advantage of the longer cage on this derailleur and further improve the bicycle’s “climbability” by swapping the 12x27t cassette I had installed previously with an even larger 11x34t version. Now the Bianchi should really perform like a mountain bike, should I want to turn to some more challenging singletrack riding.

   Here are some photos of the completed Cross Concept, which I finished off with some Shimano SPD pedals and an authentic Bianchi bottle cage.

   All of this exchanging of Dura-Ace parts has inspired me to jump into a project I have had my eye on for a while. I figured why sell off all of these quality components individually, when I’m only a few pieces away from completing a whole bicycle! For a few months, there had been an eBay listing for a wonderful Bottecchia frame painted for the ZG-Mobili pro team from around 1993. I made an offer for $100 less than the asking price, which was accepted.

   A great feature of this bicycle was that all of the appropriate component companies were listed on the bicycle itself, as sponsors for the team. All I had to do was read the decals on the chainstays - no searching the internet for resources on defunct pro cycling team “kit”! The Bottecchia frame has Shimano logos, which could only suggest Dura-Ace, so I will include the drivetrain components I already have, plus brakes and a wheelset of the same line.

   I’m not looking to be exact with the team’s precise model for each individual part, and I may even stretch some of the choices towards the more modern side. The frame comes with the appropriate Miche headset already installed, and I have already started collecting an ITM stem and bars, as well as a Selle Italia saddle. A pair of Michelin tires will eventually finish her off, but that is looking ahead quite a bit towards the finish!