New Campagnolo Super Record Wireless 2023: The Italian manufacturer's leading component group marks a turning point with wireless shifting, new gear ratios and the abandonment of the well-known thumb button. Here is all the information about the new groupset in the luxury class.
When Campagnolo presented the first "Ergopower" brake shifters more than 30 years ago, the fans of the Italian manufacturer were delighted because the system had two major advantages over the Japanese competition: on the one hand, the shift cables were discreetly hidden under the handlebar tape, and on the other hand there was a clear separation of shifting and braking. Unlike Shimano, the brake lever was not used to change gears; Instead, there was a thumb button on the inside of the grip body, which was used to switch to the heavy gears at the back and to the small chain ring at the front. The shift lever behind the brake lever worked against the spring tension of the rear derailleur and front derailleur.
Campagnolo also retained this principle with its electronic groupsets - which is good because the users didn't have to get used to it; not quite as well, because you didn't use the freedom that the new way of working offered. Here and there, the ergonomics of the button was viewed critically, especially when shifting from the lower link. On the last mechanical Campa groupset, the Ekar with 1×13 gears, the button was enlarged in the shape of a hook to be easier to reach.
New operating concept without thumb button
But that is now a thing of the past: With the brand new Super Record Wireless, Campagnolo is presenting a changed operating concept – and saying goodbye to components that are wired together and a central battery for the power supply. Where the first mechanical brake shifters at least hid the shift cables, the latest electronic shifters now do without any cables at all.
Although the new shift-and-brake lever has a button cell and a transmitter, it appears more compact than its predecessor – the “hump” is shorter, while the handle body has become a little wider; the recessed grip on the top is less pronounced. At the base, i.e. where it touches the handlebars, the new grip is significantly narrower.
In the place of the button behind the brake lever, which was used to switch to the lighter gears on the right and to the large chainring on the left, there are now two buttons that together are slightly larger than their predecessor. The assignment of the buttons can be individualized via app. On the inside of the grip body - where the thumb button used to be - there is now an indicator light that indicates low battery power in the lever (the batteries are said to last 1,5-2 years), as well as two small control panels embossed on the grip rubber - one for Activating the system, one with an "M" to operate a paired bike computer and for service functions.
Rear derailleur and front derailleur with new shapes
The rear derailleur and front derailleur have changed significantly in terms of appearance and now each have their own battery. The batteries in the front and rear shifting units are different and cannot be interchanged (unlike SRAM, where there is only one type of battery). The rear derailleur has the battery on the underside; it has a small slider that releases the latch. Overall, the rear derailleur looks bulkier and more closed than its predecessor, in which the servomotor looked out of the shifting parallelogram at the back.
Magnetic connector and indicator lights
With the front derailleur, the battery is pushed into the carbon housing from the front. The launcher's baffles have not changed. Both batteries are equipped with a magnetic connector; Indicator lights should provide information about the battery status at all times. All you really need for charging is the special cable; In addition to the Campagnolo charger, any USB charging connector can also be used.
Campagnolo states a range of 750 km with fully charged batteries; if you don't shift much, you should be able to do 1.000 km. The entire system is waterproof according to the IP69K standard, so it can withstand cleaning with a high-pressure jet and hot water.
New ratios with lower number of teeth
Along with the wireless shifting system, Campagnolo is also introducing new gear ratios. The all-steel 10-speed sprocket sets of the Super Record Wireless each have a 3-speed final sprocket, which also means that they only fit the NXNUMXW freehub body that was introduced with the Ekar gravel groupset. Three levels are offered:
10-25 (10-11-12-13-14-15-16-17-19-21-23-25),
10-27 (10-11-12-13-14-15-16-17-19-21-24-27) und
10-29 (10-11-12-13-14-15-16-18-20-23-26-29).
According to Campagnolo, the brand's current 11-speed sprockets, which start with an 32 sprocket, can also be shifted with the new system, but this should not be quite as smooth due to the optimized tooth shape of the new sprockets. It is also unclear whether the wireless rear derailleur packs 34 and XNUMX sprockets.
No loss of performance with the 10 tooth sprocket
When asked about the higher chain friction due to the lower number of teeth, Campagnolo cites in-house measurements: Compared to the identical 55-11 ratio, the 50-10 should only swallow 0,1 watts more power - a practically immeasurable and definitely not noticeable disadvantage.
The carbon crankset looks unchanged except for the decor, but there are new chainring combinations (and thus a new bolt circle diameter). 50/34 is now the largest gradation; there is also the 48/32, which was already known from the Campagnolo Chorus, and the new, super-compact version 45/29. The latter should be particularly interesting for recreational athletes, because its longest gear (45:10) corresponds almost exactly to the 50:11 ratio of a conventional compact ratio, while 29:29 is - of course - a 1:1 geared mountain gear. The total scope of this variant is 450%, which together with the narrow gradation looks very convincing - with the competition you have to make slight compromises in one of the two properties.
Road bike chain now with connecting link
One of the advantages of wireless groupsets is that they are easier to install, and the chain link, which Campagnolo previously only offered on the 13-speed chain of the Ekar, also goes in this direction. The chain of links no longer has to be riveted in the conventional way, which is always a potential source of error with narrow chains.
In the brake system, which was no longer developed together with the former partner Magura, the slightly different shape of the brake calipers is noticeable. The strong brakes, which are already extremely easy to dose, should now work even better and be more heat-resistant thanks to an additional cooling fin. The brake discs are thicker and should also be able to dissipate braking heat better. Campagnolo wants to defuse the old discussion about the risk of injury from sharp-edged rotors with the "anti-cutting" design.
The weight of the Super Record has remained practically unchanged: the new group weighs 15 grams more and thus 2.520 grams.
Interesting technology, but only in the top price segment
Is the new Campagnolo Super Record wireless a big hit? The switch to wireless transmission of switching impulses is definitely up-to-date, and doing away with the thumb button should be ergonomically advantageous. And the new ratios also offer more leeway to those who ride a lot in the mountains or are not quite as strong on the mountain. At 5.200 euros, the complete groupset is around 300 euros more than the current Super Record EPS, which makes it clear that wireless shifting will be reserved for racing machines in the five-digit range. It remains to be seen whether Campagnolo will follow the example of its competitors and also offer the new shifting system in cheaper versions. There was already an electronic Athena EPS more than ten years ago, which of course, like the electronic Chorus EPS, was long since discontinued. Meanwhile, Shimano and SRAM have passed their electronic technologies down to the Rival and 105. A carbon road bike with an electronic Shimano group is available from around 3.500 euros, one with an electronic SRAM from around 4.000 euros. The launch of the Super Record Wireless would be a good time for Campagnolo to decide whether to continue to focus solely on the luxury segment or whether to target a larger market. The technology of the traditional Italian company is always competitive - with the Super Record Wireless more than ever.
Here's more information about the new Campagnolo Super Record Wireless 2023.