It's our understanding the idea of cable travel represented the most significant problem in developing index shifters that touted such broad/backwards compatibility characteristics. Cable travel is nothing more then the cable movement needed to shift a derailleur from one gear/sprocket to an adjacent gear/sprocket. In the case of vintage Campagnolo derailleurs, very short cable travel was all that was needed to shift between sprockets. This characteristic worked fine in the friction-shifting environment where fine shifter adjustment (a.k.a trimming) was possible. However, with the advent of index shifting, the trimming function became extremely limited (and non-existent in many cases).

This presented a problem for Campagnolo, because they developed their Syncro technology to accommodate this short cable travel, which generally places more tension on the cable (relative to longer cable travel), increases cable friction and the likelihood for cable stretch. These shifting environment characteristics, coupled with little or no trimming functionality, meant that drivetrain precision had to be extremely high to achieve consistent and functional index shifting. Not surprisingly, this high hurdle of having all drivetrain components installed and adjusted to work within such fine tolerances proved to not be very practical at the time. As a result, index shifting was less than ideal on many drivetrains with Campy's Syncro shifters, which forced Campy to discontinue it's Syncro products in the early 90's (in favor of newer index shifting technology introduced shortly thereafter...with longer cable travel...that has performed much better).

Having said all of this, we still wanted to bring these Syncro shifters to market. We probably overpaid for the offerings on the wholesale market, but because of the rarity of such shifter products, we still thought there may be some limited applications (where select mechanically inclined individuals have found ways to work around the Syncro design limitations to build functional index shifting 7-speed Campy drivetrains). We also understand some fairly simple right-side shifter adjustments will disengage the indexing function in favor of friction shifting (and more drivetrain flexibility).

As for condition, the shifters are retail boxed (although the boxes are shopworn) and still show fairly well. The levers are painted in a silver enamel and the engraved labeling/logo near the top of each lever is a nice cosmetic detail. I'd also ask that each potential customers scan some of the last pictures in the sequence to the left. These pictures show the right-side chromoly steel mounting bolt with a hard resin/plastic (black) cover. More specifically, the resin cover has begun to crack. As most folks understand, resins/plastics never really stop curing...and if enough time passes...plastics will harden to the point where they will become brittle. This appears to be the case here and the reason for the age cracks. I don't believe this presents a functional problem, since the guts of the mounting bolt are chromoly steel, but I suppose if enough time passes, these black resin/plastic covers could begin to break away from the chromoly steel they are covering. I don't see where the covers are to this point yet, but it's still worth noting for those that are considering these levers.

Listing Update...At the request of some individuals interested in these levers, we have disassembled the right-side shifter and taken some close-up pictures of the internal working parts of the lever. The colored insert (or collar) seems to be the primary point of interest for most individuals. We've scanned some pictures of other Campy Syncro collars and it appears most folks are referring to the color of the collar we have pictured as red. Although, looking at the color in person, it looks more like a light brown with an orange tint.

We've also scanned other websites that indicate the only known version of the Campy red collar was believed to be a Chorus 6-speed (A-6) index shifting model. Although, as noted above, we count seven (7) "dents" on each side of the collar...presumably for 7-speed index shifting. So we are fairly certain we have a different model shifter set. We also acknowledge the retail packaging indicates these are Athena 7-speed model shifter sets, but we've had another individual (that appears knowledgeable on the subject matter) communicate these boxed sets are probably not Athena shifters and more likely Xenon shifters. The reasoning primarily concerns the finishing work, as Athena components were generally polished silver, while Xenon components were generally finished in a silver enamel that some referred to as a "frosted" silver finish. I can confirm the finish on these shifter sets is clearly the latter...a frosted silver finish...which lends more support to the Xenon branding (even though the retail packaging says otherwise). In the end, we've decided to identify them as Campagnolo Syncro 2 shifter sets and we'll limit the model designation to the above discussion...so each potential customer is privy to the same information made available to us.

Lastly (and with the help of some colleagues), we have identified two black springs attached to the inside of the lever body that interact with the collar in the index shifting environment. It's our understanding that removal of these springs will result in friction shifting with enough cable pull (with the oversized right-side drum) to accommodate 8-speed and possibly 9-speed friction shifting.

Note to international customers regarding customs...
We also apologize to those that feel their country import taxes, duties and brokerage fees are excessive. As a small US business, we are required by customs' laws to declare each order as a retail sale. Additionally, the declared order value must be equal to total store purchases and/or winning auction bids (less any shipping costs, as these are not considered in the declared value). As a result, each customer will be responsible for paying his/her own country taxes, duties and brokerage fees, which will be collected upon delivery. Again, we apologize for these additional costs, but we cannot afford the penalties and fines that come with breaking customs' laws...so we have to strictly abide by them.