Innovations 2019: Campa 12-speed - Campagnolo presents new twelve-speed groupsets

For generations of road cyclists, Campagnolo was and is synonymous with advanced road bike technology. A number of innovations that are taken for granted today were concocted by the Italians, including the quick-release lever and the parallelogram rear derailleur. In recent years, however, the traditional brand, which celebrates its 85th anniversary in 2018, has had to cede its position as technology leader to competitors Shimano and SRAM. The competitors have recently lost ground, particularly when it comes to trends such as electric shifting systems and disc brakes.

But the race in Vicenza is far from over. Campagnolo is not only sending out a strong signal of life with the first twelve-speed shifting system for racing bikes that has just been presented. For the first time in what feels like an eternity, the Italians can once again claim to be one step ahead of the competition. Because, at least in the medium term, the top groupsets from Shimano and SRAM are still "only" based on 2x11 drivetrains. Campa's 2x12 solution, which can be combined with rim and disc brakes, is initially only available for the Super Record and Record mechanical drivetrains. However, this is unlikely to be permanent. Even if nobody at Campagnolo wanted to reveal when the EPS electric shifting system will be converted to 2x12, it is more than likely that this will happen in the near future.

Campagnolo cites the decisive advantage of 2x12 as being that the right gear is always on board for almost every realistic cycling scenario, from flat stages to mountain passes. Many riders prefer a close-ratio transmission with small jumps between gears for flat or undulating terrain. However, corresponding cassettes with eleven or ten sprockets then lack larger sprockets for steep ramps. Conversely, with wider-stepped cassettes with large sprockets, the jumps between the gears are sometimes quite large. In some situations, this can mean that you have to choose between a gear that is too light or too heavy. The current eleven-speed cassettes have already significantly alleviated this dilemma, but with twelve-speed, the problem should finally be a thing of the past for most riders. With 11 to 29 and 11 to 32 teeth respectively, the two twelve-speed cassettes available for Super Record and Record each combine a generous range of ratios with unrivalled narrow gear steps. Both sprocket sets have jumps of only one tooth each on the first seven sprockets. To date, no other shifting system is closer to a continuously variable transmission.

More gears, better ergonomics, greater variability

Without question, the twelve-speed drivetrain is the most sensational innovation of the new groupsets. However, one almost overlooks the fact that with the new Super Record and Record, Campagnolo is breaking with a time-honoured development principle for the first time in more than a quarter of a century. Whilst Shimano renews its groupsets more or less reliably every four years, the Italians have usually taken on the components individually. One year the shifting system was modified, the following year the cranks were improved and so on. However, as every component in the Super Record and Record has been largely or completely redesigned this time, we can speak of two completely new groupsets. The difference between the two groupsets is very small. The Super Record differs from the Record mainly through excessive tuning with small carbon and titanium parts. It is therefore a few grams lighter and much more expensive. Functionally and in terms of durability, the groupsets have nothing in common.

If you take a closer look at the individual components, the first thing you notice is the significantly different rear derailleur. The new look is partly due to the use of a new carbon-reinforced plastic. In addition, the derailleur pulleys have been made larger and the upper pulley has been moved significantly forwards. In future, only one rear derailleur with a medium cage length will be available per groupset, which can be mounted on conventional derailleur hangers as well as on the new direct mount hangers. The previously often confusing variety of rear derailleurs is now a thing of the past. With the front derailleur, which is significantly more compact than before, Campagnolo is also responding to the trend towards wider tyres. Especially on frames with short rear triangles, tyres wider than 28 millimetres often collided with the front derailleur pivot arm. Thanks to the modified mechanism, the new Campa front derailleur now offers enough space for tyres up to 32 millimetres wide.

The Ergopower brake levers for rim brakes underwent their first major revision since 2008, not only adapting the shifting mechanism to the requirements of the twelve-speed drivetrain, but also improving the ergonomics. The brake levers were given a more pronounced S-shape and the pivot point of the lever was moved slightly upwards. The brakes are therefore easier to operate than before, especially from the brake lever position. The reach of the levers can now be adjusted in two stages to suit large and small hands without the need for tools using the pin that was previously used to open the brakes. The shift paddle located behind the brake lever has been given a new shape and, similar to Shimano and SRAM, is angled slightly outwards to accommodate the natural hand movement when shifting. The internal thumb shifter has been enlarged and moved slightly forwards. This makes it easier to reach from the lower handlebar position. The revised mechanics and optimised shift cables have also reduced the operating forces when shifting gears. The shift logic of the ultra-shift mechanism, which allows up to three gears to be shifted up and up to five gears down in one shift, has remained unchanged.

Campagnolo will only offer one type of cassette for Super Record and Record in future. In both the 11-29 cassette and the 11-32 cassette, the upper six sprockets are each milled from two solid steel blocks; the lower six sprockets, which are also made of steel, are inserted individually. As the cassettes are exactly the same width as their eleven-speed predecessors, they also fit older Campa wheels without any problems. However, the individual sprockets, the spacing between the sprockets and the chain are narrower than before. Campagnolo counters sceptics who suspect that this could reduce the durability of the drivetrain by stating that this was also feared when the number of sprockets was increased from nine to ten and from ten to eleven, without this proving to be the case. This statement is in line with findings from various TOUR tests, in which Campagnolo drivetrains usually proved to be particularly durable; the potentially shorter service life of the twelve-speed components should therefore not be a dominant issue.

The cranksets, which are available with 50/34, 52/36 and 53/39 teeth, are also technically and visually new. In addition to the previously available variants with lengths of 175, 172.5 and 170 millimetres, cranks with a length of 165 millimetres will also be available in future. All variants are made of carbon and are based on the familiar design with a four-arm crank spider and different bolt circles for both blades. In the Super Record crank, two arms of the star are connected by bridges at the outer ends. The crank, which is already very torsion-resistant, is therefore said to be even stiffer than before. The spacing of the chainrings has been adapted to the narrower chain and the chain line has been shifted slightly outwards. This should ensure the same shifting performance on disc road bikes with 142 millimetres installation width on the rear wheel as on conventional bikes with 130 millimetres installation width.

The new rim brakes are available with a classic mounting bolt and as a direct mount version. Both calipers have been optimised for the trend towards wider rims and offer space for tyres at least 28 millimetres wide. Thanks to an integrated reinforcement bracket, the direct mount brake is said to be stiffer than before. There are adapted Ergopower levers with a twelve-speed mechanism for the disc brake variants of both groupsets, which in future will bear the respective group designation instead of the neutral H11 logo as in the previous year.

Delivery of the new groupsets will begin in April. Campagnolo remains true to its claim as a premium supplier with its pricing. As the most affordable twelve-speed groupset, the Record with rim brakes will cost around €1,960, the Record with disc brakes around €2,395. The rim brake version of the Super Record will cost around €2,915 and the Super Record with discs around €3,200. We will publish a detailed test of the twelve-speed drivetrain in the next issue.