Video Below
Campagnolo Valentino Derailleur Repair
What seems to work on a bike stand may not always work when on the road, and this was exactly the case on my Claud Butler. I thought I had trimmed the lo screw accurately enough so the chain could be on the lowest cog without hitting the spokes, but it turned out that in actual riding conditions, the musical sound of spokes hitting metal occurred. There was no other recourse in my mind for this Campagnolo Valentino derailleur except to add a spacer to move the freewheel closer to the derailleur, and it solved the problem.
Tools
- Freewheel remover for Atom freewheel
- Spacer from a Shimano Cassette ( 3 Prongs Ground Down )
- Large Adjustable Wrench
Another on a different bike
Campagnolo Valentino Derailleurs
From Disraeli Gears: “The Campagnolo Nuovo Valentino Extra was a solidly engineered and rather well finished, basic, steel derailleur that was over-weight and delivered a below average gear change – all for a price that was considerably higher than that required to buy a simply excellent SunTour or Shimano model.”
The Least Favoured Derailleur?
I actually tried selling a late 1970’s Campagnolo Valentino rear derailleur last year when I was living in France. I was surprised how little interest the derailleur made on Ebay; it was listed for months and in the end I took the advert down. It seems that it is one Campagnolo derailleur that doesn’t carry the same prestige in the brotherhood of components made by the Italian brand.
- Weight: 229g
- Maximum cog: 28 teeth
- Total capacity: 28 teeth
- Pulley centre to centre: 46mm
- Index compatibility: friction only
- Chain width: 3/32
- Logic: top normal
- B pivot: unsprung
- P pivot: sprung
- Material: steel
Conclusions
The Valentino is neither lightweight nor as smooth as its competitors of the era. It was not cheap, either, and aesthetically is no match compared to the French derailleurs. It was never really a success for Campagnolo, but they stuck with it and didn’t seem to mind. Being made of steel, it is a derailleur that may not have been smooth or beautiful, but was durable and age-resistant.
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