Campagnolo Super Record: This is the most expensive road bike gear system in the world

With SRAM and Shimano making the leap to wireless wireless shifting, the Italian component manufacturer found itself under pressure. A year ago, Campagnolo presented its version of a wireless drivetrain; the market launch was slow and we waited a long time in vain for a test group. Now the first complete bikes with the groupset are coming onto the market and we finally had the opportunity to ride the components intensively. We covered a good 600 kilometres with them in the mountainous hinterland of the Côte d'Azur to put the drivetrain, gears and brakes through their paces.

Campagnolo Super Record: Too expensive for great success?

Whether the Italians will succeed in setting new trends with this innovation is one of the exciting questions of this test. After all, Campagnolo is in desperate need of success. The fact that the Italians will no longer be represented in professional sport in 2024 for the first time in the company's history - the last remaining team, Decathlon AG2R, switched to Shimano gears for the current season with a new bike sponsor - is just the latest sign of a development that has been going on for some time.

The market share of the former industry leader has been dwindling for years. Campagnolo bikes are now a rarity and the name can hardly be found on complete bikes. Although the Italians have been able to Ekar gravel bike gearswhich is an unrivalled alternative for off-road bikes with 13 sprockets and no electronics. However, due to its high price, it also remained a niche product.

Whether the only less favourable offshoot Ekar GT It remains to be seen whether this can change. Unfortunately, the price of the Super Record Wireless is also likely to prevent it from becoming more widespread. It is by far the most expensive road bike drivetrain you can currently buy. Campa charges 5200 euros for the system, while the usual "street prices" in online shops are currently around 4300 euros. For comparison: Shimano's Dura-Ace or a SRAM Red with comparable technology currently cost around 2500 euros.

Short and sweet

Campagnolo's top-of-the-range groupset is brought up to date with wireless technology. The shifting works flawlessly and the new gear ratios are a step forward. However, the ensemble reveals weaknesses in the details. The new operating concept takes some getting used to, and the Italians are falling behind the competition when it comes to the increasingly important software connection.

Enough good arguments?

Even if the price is likely to fall somewhat over time, it takes good arguments to convince customers to buy a Super Record Wireless. Our test on the following pages will clarify whether there are any. After all, the rare offers for complete bikes are much closer to the competition. Our test bike from Canyon costs € 8999 and is probably by far the cheapest option for riding Campa's Super Record. Other offers are between 10,000 and 15,000 euros - similar to other top models with Shimano or SRAM.

Campagnolo Super Record: Drivetrain

The transmission comes with twelve sprockets and offers comparable options to the competition in terms of bandwidth. Smaller chainrings and sprockets are new, and the cassettes now start at ten teeth instead of eleven, similar to the competitor SRAM. This requires Campagnolo's N3W freewheel, which was already introduced with the Ekar gravel groupset. The groupset is no longer compatible with older wheels. This means that the chainrings can also be smaller, which saves some weight. The jump between the rings is slightly larger for 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 light mountain gears with the small blade.

We tested the most mountain-ready chainring combination 45/29 with a cassette of 10-29 teeth. We already liked this gradation very much, despite the easy uphill gear with 1:1 ratio, the jumps are noticeably smaller than with comparable combinations from competitors, especially on the medium and large sprockets. The 10-27 and 10-25 options offer even 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

Campagnolo Super Record: Gearshift

The front derailleur works as flawlessly as you'd expect from a top groupset: absolutely reliable leaf changes even under load, no grinding, no jamming during the entire test period. The rear derailleur, on the other hand, caused problems. Despite several attempts at fine adjustment, it could not be optimally adjusted at first. Sometimes the chain was reluctant to climb onto the large sprockets, sometimes it rattled on the small ones. In the operating instructions, Campagnolo recommends adjusting the rear derailleur under each sprocket individually for such cases. Only this complicated and time-consuming process provided a remedy.

The gearsticks of the competition are either more tolerant or more precisely manufactured, in any case they work perfectly with a precise initial setting. Especially as the procedure is relatively complicated. The button combinations that have to be pressed on the control levers are not self-explanatory; the app, as is now the case with Shimano's Di2, does not work at all. The batteries can be charged on or off the bike; they cannot be swapped with each other, as is the case with SRAM. Their capacity is comfortable. We used about 25 percent of the battery on 500 kilometres of intensive shifting; we consider 2000 kilometres to be realistic. This is roughly on a par with the competition.

Advantages and disadvantages

• Plus: Reliable front derailleur
• Minus: fiddly rear derailleur adjustment, far protruding rear derailleur

Campagnolo Super Record: Operation and ergonomics

We experience light and shade with the levers. One highlight is the newly shaped brake lever, which moulds to your hands like no other. It 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 grip width is easy to adjust, but when the levers are positioned very close to the handlebars there is a gap at the upper end of the lever. The shape of the grip body is somewhat closer to Shimano, the grip hump pointing towards the centre is history. This is not a disadvantage, but you do wonder why the Italians have given up this feature.

We are even more puzzled by the omission of the distinctive thumb lever - or thumb button in the electronic age - on the inside. It worked perfectly as an electronic switch and was easy to reach from all positions. The shift buttons are now 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, a texture is more cosmetic. Even after a long period of familiarisation, it is easy to hit the wrong button on an uneven road. Power is supplied by button cells. The charge level display is apparently inaccurate; our app showed 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

Campagnolo Super Record: Brakes

Campagnolo was late to switch to disc brakes, but the hydraulic discs once developed together with Magura are among the best in the competition. Hardly anything has changed in terms of design and performance, and the discs have also been retained. 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 the wet. 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: -

Campagnolo Super Record: App and additional functions

Campagnolo was once a pioneer in smartphone integration with the MyCampy app for wired EPS shifting. It allowed routes and riding data to be recorded and archived, gear statistics to be analysed and even maintenance intervals to be reminded based on mileage. In contrast, the new app for the wireless group still appears rudimentary at the time of testing. It only shows the charge status of the components and counts the gear changes. A semi-automatic system 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 also be changed, although it makes little sense to change the default assignment. Additional buttons that can be attached to the handlebars are not yet available, nor are there any time trial components. A power measurement option has been available since spring 2024, but the exclusive measuring device, which costs over €2,000, has yet to be tested. Campagnolo promises to integrate the useful additional functions back into the app with updates. As things stand, however, the competition offers much more.

Advantages and disadvantages

• Plus: Simple coupling of components, simple operation
• Minus: Limited functionality of the app, no additional buttons, no power meter

Conclusion on the Campagnolo Super Record

With the wireless Super Record, Campagnolo has achieved a good result, at least in terms of hardware. The groupset is lightweight and - after initial adjustment problems - impresses with perfect shifting and braking performance. However, it is not able to set itself apart from its competitors Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 and SRAM Red AXS, which have been on the market for three and five years respectively. The three competitors are more or less on a par when it comes to the core functions of a groupset. This means that the electronics of the shifting systems could influence purchasing decisions all the more in the future: Can riding data be analysed with a smartphone app, can the shifting be adjusted via touchscreen, can power measurement or bike computers be easily integrated?

In these matters, the competition from Japan and the USA is at least one step ahead. The fact that Campagnolo charges an extremely confident price, but cannot offer additional shifters or the app cannot adjust the rear derailleur, are not just technical details, but an almost serious weakness for a demanding clientele. If Campagnolo doesn't tackle these issues promptly, it will be difficult to maintain a firm place in the short list of technically leading component manufacturers. The myth that still clings to Campagnolo as a traditional brand will not be enough in the long term; it is becoming increasingly difficult to communicate to young people in particular. Especially when it costs a hefty premium.

Comparison of the weights of the three groups

* Weighed including brake callipers

Due to slightly different specifications, especially in the gear ratio, not all individual weights of the groupsets are directly comparable. However, the list shows that the manufacturers hardly differ in terms of overall weight, and the new Campagnolo groupset is well positioned among the competition. Shimano saves some weight compared to its competitors with its centralised battery.