Campagnolo EPS - removing from one frame to another

[open roader]

I've recently acquired a Campagnolo Record 11 EPS rim brake groupset which is still fitted to a frame. It's a V2 groupset upgraded to V3 with the battery mounted inside the seatpost.

My plan was to move the components over keeping the shifters on the pre-existing bars.

Removing / re-fitting the rear brake cable is straight forward - done this a dozen times before.

As for the electrical groupset I'm completely without experience in how these components are wired / connected inside the frame my question relates mostly as to where do I start removing the components > disconnecting parts?

Once I have it all disconnected re-intallation into the new frame is going to be a lot clearer to me.

I've checked out Campagnolo's YouTube video on installing EPS - that demonstation is for installing loose parts and uses the older V1 external battery set up.

Any assistance would be most appreciated.

[open roader]

I'll answer my own questions from today's 'experience'... and it was a bit of an experience or an ordeal if you like things running smoothly.

Firstly I'll say that my previously held belief that bicycle gears, shifting, braking, componentry, maintenance, need vs want etc really did reach a Zentith around 2012 with the Campagnolo Super Record mechanical groupset. I think Dura Ace was in it's DA9000 iteration and it too was probably as good as bicycle groupsets get on a functional basis.

Added to this I'm now building up a Colnago C60 with internal routed cabling and in this case internally routed EPS cabling this (overly) complicates things considerably more than necessary.

Fitting EPS to a C60 is a bit of a pain in the arse. However, the C60 frameset I'm building up is gorgeous to behold at close quarters so all those hours today spent stuffing about have been a modicum of frustration counterbalance with a bit load of eye candy.

5+ hours later, re-drilling cable exit holes filing down EPS plug connectors to fit said holes, failing miserably with a completely useless Campagnolo magnetic frame cable guiding kit, fighting with tweezers and surgical forceps to entice plugs though these tiny holes at ridiculous angles - one was a 90 degree 'ask' and all this whilst tugging at bits of fishing line, cable, string and wire.......... yikes!

I've built up a dozen mechanical groupset bike frames before, some with same internal cable routing but nothing comes close to being as daft and counter intuitive as this C60 frameset.

It's just as well EPS shifting is the exact opposite to the trauma of fitting the damn stuff to my frame.........

[url=https://flic.kr/p/2pptmwF]

[elantra]

Well done Open Roader - sharing your experience is instructive for people like me and (hopefully) cathartic for you.

I am of the opinion that much of the beauty of the bicycle is its mechanical simplicity.
So much of the new tech seems to create more problems than it solves.

I have heard various opinions about what era is the pinnacle of bike tech.
Some people say that everything after 9-speed is a step in the wrong direction.
Others say that 11-speed is as good as it gets.

I do think that after 11-speed there is been a quantum leap in groupset ugliness.
Some would say that these bulky looking 12-speed derailleurs etc give fantastic range of sprocket size range for getting super low gears etc.

I personally would rather get off and walk than spend a fortune buying a really ugly 12-speed groupset, either electronic or mechanical.

[open roader]

I am of the opinion that much of the beauty of the bicycle is its mechanical simplicity.
So much of the new tech seems to create more problems than it solves.

I guess The Shed is as good as any place to spark a conversation around bike tech and it's relative merit.

The longer I live with bicycles the more I suspect much of the techno stuff is marketeering more than pure improvement. Bicycle companies like any corporation seek to drive sales into the future and my hunch is electronics ie) EPS, E-Tap and Di2 are a large part of that push for future market share.

Bike tech beyond the simple mechanical groupset :- some of it I've experienced, much of it I'm clueless about and shall remain so. I did test ride the EPS groupset before I moved it onto the frame I wanted it on. It offered smoother shifting than any other groupset I've ridden and I'd suggest it will shift with a higher percentage of perfect shifts than me using a mechanical group but perhaps only by a negligable margin.

This version of EPS looks acceptable to me. I've gown up with the classic derailleur; many function over form but nearly all of them looking purposeful and carrying zero excess bulk beyond requirement. An electric shifter is indeed a different creature in that respect. Some may not see the difference, some may choose to ignore it and some like yourself choose to avoid it altogether.

The EPS was a pain in the arse to fit to the frame. The frame's exit holes and cable routings were hardly made to ease the process. This is where bike tech also bugs me. I understand bicycle mechanics need to be kept in work and all power to bike mechanics, however, for a layman like myself with just some home shed bike building experience I think the bicycle indusrty would sell a lot more of these electric gagets to more timid backyard mechanics if only the left hand would co-operate with the right hand a little more.......... and that is one place where the seams are coming undone in this world.

I became curious as to the whole electric thing and Campagnolo is my poison of choice so I ventured forth. The experience made me realise how much of an idiot I was for selling my 2012 Super Record 11 speed mechanical groupset and than my next bike build will most likely be an 11 speed mechanical set up because I makes so much more sence when you do it yourself.

[elantra]

I guess The Shed is as good as any place to spark a conversation around bike tech and it's relative merit.

The longer I live with bicycles the more I suspect much of the techno stuff is marketeering more than pure improvement. Bicycle companies like any corporation seek to drive sales into the future and my hunch is electronics ie) EPS, E-Tap and Di2 are a large part of that push for future market share.

Bike tech beyond the simple mechanical groupset :- some of it I've experienced, much of it I'm clueless about and shall remain so. I did test ride the EPS groupset before I moved it onto the frame I wanted it on. It offered smoother shifting than any other groupset I've ridden and I'd suggest it will shift with a higher percentage of perfect shifts than me using a mechanical group but perhaps only by a negligable margin.

This version of EPS looks acceptable to me. I've gown up with the classic derailleur; many function over form but nearly all of them looking purposeful and carrying zero excess bulk beyond requirement. An electric shifter is indeed a different creature in that respect. Some may not see the difference, some may choose to ignore it and some like yourself choose to avoid it altogether.

The EPS was a pain in the arse to fit to the frame. The frame's exit holes and cable routings were hardly made to ease the process. This is where bike tech also bugs me. I understand bicycle mechanics need to be kept in work and all power to bike mechanics, however, for a layman like myself with just some home shed bike building experience I think the bicycle indusrty would sell a lot more of these electric gagets to more timid backyard mechanics if only the left hand would co-operate with the right hand a little more.......... and that is one place where the seams are coming undone in this world.

I became curious as to the whole electric thing and Campagnolo is my poison of choice so I ventured forth. The experience made me realise how much of an idiot I was for selling my 2012 Super Record 11 speed mechanical groupset and than my next bike build will most likely be an 11 speed mechanical set up because I makes so much more sence when you do it yourself.

I hear you and have heard similar sentiments expressed by many knowledgeable people over the years - including professional bike mechanics !

I’m not fundamentally opposed to electronic shifting - I can see that for some people especially those with medical conditions affecting their hands (eg Rheumatoid Arthritis) it can be a godsend.

But I think it’s a shame that it’s so over-the-top in terms of complexity, incompatibility, and expense.
Probably mostly because it is only “done” at a significant market level by Shimano and SRAM.
(You don’t see many Campag EPS around)

I do admire the relative simplicity of the SRAM wireless system.
I would be more interested if you could get it in 7, 8, or 9 speed - and as a rear mech only !

Fundamentally, the technology can’t be that hard.
After all, we have had remote car locking and remote garage door opening for decades !

There’s obviously no marketing incentive for other companies to innovate with other variations of the concept. They figure presumably that the market is too small, or that their innovations will be bootlegged or undercut etc.

Interesting how things used to be.
There used to be more companies in the components industry.

I have a few bikes, all with front derailleur.
One bike has a circa 1991 Campagnolo Triomphe FD, which shifts between a Shimano 7/8 sp inner chainring and a BBB 9/10 sp outer ring on a Truvative crankset.
The shifting is so so smooth - too smooth, I can’t resist looking down to see that the shift has occurred - it is that seamless.
Smoother than the DA 7900 system on another bike.
But at the end of the day I don’t really care if it’s smooth or klunky.
As long as the ride is good because I am fit and the other road users are reasonably respectful then I think that riding my bike is wonderful- whatever technology is used to shift the gears !