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The traditional manufacturer from Vicenza was once the undisputed industry leader for racing bike components. But that was a long time ago, and Campagnolo has been increasingly losing ground for decades. Back in the 1990s, the company had to cede market leadership to Japanese rival Shimano, and in recent years the Italians have come under additional pressure from SRAM's innovations. This is not so much due to a lack of product quality. The current top groupset also has its strengths; it is light and elegantly finished. In manufacturer circles, poor marketing and high prices are cited as reasons for no longer ordering Campa, while the industry also complains about long delivery times. The consequences: Bikes with Campagnolo drivetrains have become extremely rare, the brand is hardly known among younger road cyclists and is therefore in low demand.
- Campagnolo Super Record WRL groupset >> available here
- Campagnolo Super Record WRL crank
- Campagnolo Super Record WRL cassette >> available here
- Campagnolo Super Record WRL rear derailleur >> available here
- Campagnolo Super Record WRL disc brake >> available here
The drivetrain of the Campagnolo Super Record WRL
Smaller chainrings and sprockets are new, and the cassettes on the Super Record start with ten instead of eleven teeth, similar to the competitor SRAM. This requires Campagnolo's N3W freewheel, which is not available for all wheel brands. The gap between the front blades is slightly larger in all three combinations offered (45/29, 48/32 and 50/34) than with SRAM or Shimano, which means there is less overlap. Campa uses this to keep the gaps between the sprockets small and still offer easy climbing gears with the small cog. The jumps are noticeably smaller on the medium and large sprockets than with comparable combinations from competitors. A maximum 1:1 ratio is possible with the mountain cassette; the 10-27 and 10-25 options offer finer gradations. The drivetrain runs smoothly and quietly even on the smallest sprocket, and a lot of chain skew does not disturb the transmission. It can be assumed that the components are comparatively wear-resistant: The chain is unchanged and performed well in past tests, and the blades and sprockets from Vicenza are also considered to be very durable.
Advantages and disadvantages
- Plus: Durable components, sensible gradations with small gear steps
- Minus: Impellers with special N3W freewheel required
The brakes of the Italian brand
Even though Shimano and SRAM have improved their braking performance with the latest generations: The Campa hydraulic discs, which were developed jointly with Magura and remain unchanged from the previous groupset, are still among the best in the competition. The brakes are powerful and the pressure point is even more defined with the new levers. Squeaking or scratching noises are unknown to the stoppers, even in wet conditions. Heat problems are also not to be expected: at 120 grams, the solid steel disc is not particularly light, but according to TOUR tests it is extremely stable.
Advantages and disadvantages
- Plus: powerful braking performance, easy to modulate, stable
- Minus: -
The gearstick of the Super Record WRL
The front derailleur works flawlessly: absolutely reliable shifting even under load, no grinding, no jamming. The rear derailleur also works precisely and smoothly when set up correctly. But there's the catch: the adjustment is not self-explanatory; it can't be done via the smartphone app, as is now the case with the competition. Fine adjustment to individual sprockets, which may be necessary if problems persist, is relatively complicated. The competition is more tolerant or more precisely manufactured and usually works perfectly straight away. The batteries can be charged by cable on the bike or removed in a charging station; they cannot be swapped with each other as with SRAM. Their capacity is comfortable. We used about 25 percent of the battery on 500 kilometres of intensive shifting; we consider 2,000 kilometres to be realistic. This is roughly on a par with the competition.
Advantages and disadvantages
- Plus: Reliable front derailleur
- Minus: fiddly adjustment, far protruding rear derailleur
Operation and ergonomics
One plus point is the perfectly shaped brake levers, which are great to grip. They can also be reached perfectly from the top handlebar and, together with the powerful disc brakes, braking on hairpin bends is child's play. The shift buttons are positioned one above the other on the outside of the brake lever. Although they are easy to reach with the index and middle fingers, they are not easy to distinguish. The boundary between the buttons is difficult to feel and the applied texture is rather cosmetic. Even after a long period of familiarisation, it is easy to hit the wrong button on an uneven road. As with the competition, button cells provide the power supply. In our test, the charge level display was inaccurate, with our app showing a good 50 per cent at the beginning and almost 90 per cent at the end. However, the batteries should last up to two years as stated.
Advantages and disadvantages
- Plus: Comfortably shaped brake lever, easy grip width adjustment
- Minus: Switch buttons difficult to distinguish
App & additional functions
The Campagnolo groupset app seems rudimentary compared to the competition. It only shows the charge status of the components and counts the gear changes. A semi-automatic mode can be selected, in which the rear derailleur shifts one to three gears when changing chainrings, but it reacts very slowly. The assignment of the shift buttons can be changed, but it makes little sense to change the default assignment. There are no additional buttons in the levers or that can be attached to the handlebars, nor are there any time trial components. A power measurement option has been available since spring 2024, but the upgrade is very expensive at around €1,500.
Advantages and disadvantages
- Plus: Simple pairing of components, clear menu
- Minus: Limited functionality of the app, no additional buttons, expensive power meter upgrade
Jens Klötzer
Editor
