While smoke billowed from the stack in Rome last month, an equally religious moment took place in Vicenza today, as smoke rose from the roofline at Campagnolo’s factory, signifying that the curtains had been lifted on the vaunted Italian brand’s much anticipated 13-speed Super Record wireless groupset, marking the world’s first 2×13 drivetrain for the road segment.
“The new Super Record 13 provides accurate, silent and immediate shifting, even at high power levels, and completely renewed ergonomics for the controls,” says Campagnolo. “Today, it is the fastest on the market, capable of offering a greater choice of gear ratios that allow you to find the best pedaling cadence. Technological innovation has been combined with the study of advanced ergonomics for the controls with the aim of becoming a ‘benchmark’ for the industry: a new design ensures superior driving control and more intuitive management of functions in all hand-rest positions on the handlebars,” boasts Campagnolo.
Why 13-speed?
“Thanks to the experience of the 13-speed Ekar gravel groupset, [we have] reduced the distance between the sprockets and decreased their thickness, so as to house an ‘extra gear’ in the same [space] and offer a complete set of ratios with a more homogeneous progression since the gear spacing is now very close,” says Campagnolo. Smooth transitions in the set of ratios and the resulting reduction of jumps between gears allow the athlete to maintain the best cadence in every situation. Being able to manage your effort maximises performance and finding the right cadence makes the difference between an effective and satisfying action and a tiring and disappointing experience. The usual Campagnolo N3W standard has been adopted as the space of the sprocket cassette has remained unchanged without the need for a dedicated body,” explains Campagnolo.
Four cassettes are available, two of them with a 10-tooth smallest sprocket, the other two starting at 11-tooth. Here are the options:
Perhaps, the new groupset’s most obvious feature, is the return to Campagnolo’s inimitable ErgoPower thumb shifters. The hoods have also been redesigned, featuring a flatter and longer top section in a slightly more angled position, while the grip section of the hood is smaller overall. Other noticeable changes include a smaller “horn” at the top of the lever, while the brake levers themselves have been moved further away from the bar to promote more confident braking with less hand force. Also, gone are the hydraulic brake master cylinders that once dominated hoods, while the electronic shift internals are also much smaller, with just a CR 2032 coin cell battery on the outside of each.
“The support itself has been freed from the hydraulic tube which now fits directly into the caliper and no longer into the Ergopower: a new construction standard that facilitates both the assembly of the component and the removal of the handlebars when necessary for bike transportation purposes. Great attention has also been paid to the new design of the brake lever, now entirely carbon-printed: it has been shaped so as not to interfere with the space under the support. Now, it can be operated effectively even from a high grip without your fingers getting in the way. The fulcrum point has been optimized to obtain even more progressive and powerful braking,” says Campagnolo.
Further regarding electronics, Campagnolo has added new Smart Buttons on the inside tips of the hoods, allowing riders to configure desired shifting patterns, as well as a MODE button that not only manages setup and adjustment modes, but also syncs with Garmin or Wahoo computers.
Elsewhere, the new groupset sticks with Campagnolo carbon fiber crankset, with plenty of options that span 165mm, 170mm, 172.5 mm and 175mm lengths, along with 45/29, 48/32, 50/34, 52/36, 53/39, 54/39 and 55/39 chainring configurations, as well as slightly wider 148.5mm Q factor, up from 145.5mm
“A truly wide range that, combined with the four cassettes, represents the most complete and well-structured offer available on the market today. The new front chainrings feature a new surface treatment that preserves their durability over time and a new tooth shape, designed to facilitate faster chain engagement during the derailleur action,” says Campagnolo.
Customers can opt for Campagnolo’s HPPM (High Precision Power Measurement) power meter as well.
“The strength of [our] HPPM power meter is the absolute precision of its continuous detection every 5 milliseconds, thanks to 16 sensors that cross-reference the power in N/m in real time, detected with multiple sequential readings – with the angular velocity of the integrated gyroscope. This process provides unequivocal accuracy of results and stands as a benchmark on the market,” claims Campagnolo.
Additionally, Campagnolo has redesigned the Super Record 13’s the front and rear derailleurs, featuring a slimmer, lighter carbon outer cage up front, while the rear derailleur has also been put on a diet as well, along with a new forward-facing battery position in order to provide more tire clearance. The battery is also removable, which can be recharged via a dedicated charging cable and a normal USB socket, taking just an hour to be fully charged, or 90% charged in 45 minutes.
Campagnolo also saw fit to revamp the pulley wheels on the rear derailleur, increasing them from 12 to 14 teeth, along with a differentiated profile, while the rear derailleur also features a new mount design that can work with either a conventional derailleur hanger, or with Campy’s own UDH-interface-specific hanger.
“The larger diameter reduces friction between the chain links as they pass through the derailleur cage and on the bearings which, in the upper guiding pulley, are made of ceramic to eliminate any drag and enhance the precision of the chain motion,” explains Campagnolo.
Stopping power has also been improved on the new Super Record 13, featuring brakes that are both lighter and more powerful thanks to two new titanium retention screws bring it down by 6g, along with two pad options, organic and a new sintered model that’s designed to increase durability in wet conditions or low temperatures.
Lastly, Campagnolo decided to stick with its proven Ultra-Torque bottom bracket system with two titanium BB “semi-axles”. Also, to accommodate the change in gearing, Super Record 13 also gets a new chain, featuring hollow pins and a new black chrome finish.
The new Super Record 13 groupset sells for $4750. Adding the HPPM power meter ups the price by an extra $1150.
Campagnolo
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