To achieve this, Campagnolo has copied one of Ultegra's recipes for success. One of the reasons why Shimano's mid-range groupset is so popular is that it offers all the functional features of the expensive Dura-Ace combo at a much more attractive price. All the functional features of the expensive Campa Super Record, Record and Chorus groupsets have been transferred to the Potenza in the same way. The most important difference between the Potenza and the top groupsets: The complete absence of carbon fibre.
The most striking component of the Potenza is the new four-arm crankset with a continuous shaft. As with the newer versions of Campagnolo's top groupsets and now almost all Shimano groupsets, there is now only one crank variant, which is available with three chainring combinations of 53/39, 52/36 and 50/34 teeth. The large and small chainrings have separate bolt circles, which contributes to the extremely rigid construction of the drive unit and thus to the excellent shifting behaviour. The cranks themselves are made of aluminium and, like their Ultegra counterparts, are hollow on the inside. The shape of the Ergopower levers has been carefully modified. The thumb lever for downshifting has been moved further down and is also easy to reach from the lower handlebars. The grip bodies are slightly rounder at the top than before, the grip rubbers are made of anti-allergenic silicone and are comfortable to hold. The front derailleur has been completely redesigned and its modified lever ratios enable lightning-fast gear changes with very low operating forces. The rear derailleur is available in two versions with a short and medium-length cage. The medium-length version shifts sprockets with up to 32 teeth. Five 11-speed cassettes with 11-25, 11-27, 11-29, 11-32 and 12-27 teeth are available for the Potenza. The brakes have only been slightly revised. The skeleton design with perforated brake arms and two joints has been retained. However, a new brake pad compound gives the Potenza callipers subjectively more braking power than before with excellent modulation.
The Potenza is available in glossy black and polished silver. Campagnolo did not provide exact details on the costs, but the groupset is expected to be priced at Ultegra level. Deliveries to original equipment manufacturers began in March and the first groupsets are expected to hit the shelves shortly. At the same time, the Athena groupset will be discontinued, meaning that the last Campagnolo triple groupset will disappear from the market.
Potenza* and Ultegra groupset weights
Brake shift lever
370
417
Brakes
321
335
v. Front derailleur
94
87
Rear derailleur
211
195
Crankset
754
689
Bearing shells
69
74
Chains
235
260
Cassette
249
249
2303
2306
*Manufacturer information in grams
