Charles:
It is unclear from your post where your clamp is bottoming out. It may be that the front of the clamp band (where it is riveted to the stud) is contacting the back of the lever body. This could happen because the clamp has elongated from years of (possibly excessive) tension. If this is the case I don't know what to suggest, though a new clamp may be the best fix.
The other possibility is that the nut is running out of threads on the stud, and there is at least one common reason for this. As far as I can tell, the older levers did not include a serrated washer under the nut. The threads on the stud extended closer to the clamp, so there would not be a problem with the nut bottoming out, if the parts are all original. The problem arises when you use a newer clamp that was manufactured to go with the later levers that did include a serrated washer under the nut. The nut can run out of threads before the lever is tight on the bar. Adding a serrated washer (or two, or more) will bring the nut out as that it engages the stud further from the bar, allowing the whole assemly to be drawn tight.
The whole old vs. new style clamp assembly is just another example that undermines the legend (myth?) of Campy interchangability.
Tom Dalton Bethlehem, PA
Charles wrote:
Also, has anyone noticed that the 3ttt SL bars seem to be too narrow to allow the use of Campagnolo levers? The clamps go all the way to the end of travel before they tighten down on these bars..the last time I found this out, I used some tape as a shim and it worked ok, but what a kluge..
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