On Tuesday, Campagnolo announced its newest groupset, the Super Record 12-speed wireless road groupset. The Italian brand has redesigned and upgraded each of the components, as well as going wireless. The new components have been tested by the AG2R Citroën Team, and are now available for the public.
Redesigned Ergopower levers
The first thing you’ll notice with the new gruppo is that the Ergopower levers have been completely redesigned.
Gone is the inside shift lever from the mechanical version that shifts to a bigger gear. Instead, both up and downshifting is done on two integrated paddles that follow the brake lever.
Campagnolo says that this new system will provide better shifting performance, and along with the new body shape, create better grip and cushioning for your hands. There’s also a LED light on the lever that gives you your battery status.
Battery life
There are two batteries in the new Campy Super Record wireless, one on the front derailleur, one on the back. The charging protocol is in between that of Shimano and SRAM. That is to say, it can be done on or off the bike, by connecting the cable to a magnetic charging port on both mechs.
Once fully charged, you’ll get 750 km of riding in. That’s a little less than what Shimano di2 and SRAM offer, but the upside is the recharging is pretty fast. For a 90 per cent charge, it will take 45 minutes and a full charge comes in at 60 minutes.
There’s also a very easy to see LED battery status indicator on both the front and rear derailleurs.
Brake modulation
Campagnolo prides itself on the brake modulation on its Super Record EPS groupset, and the company says the wireless system will be just as reliable. When you press the brake, the stopping power feels continuous and stable.
Campy’s disc brakes have a temperature controlling system to prevent overheating. Basically, there is a slight amount of movement between the spider and the rotor. So when the brakes are heating up, the rotor expands slightly and therefore dissipates the heat and will not affect the caliper.
Campagnolo has an expression with its staff, that “they like evolution, not revolution.” For example, the spider is the same as the mechanical Super Record but the rotors have been slightly refined. The brake caliper is of course quite different in order to reduce the weight, but much of the rest of the gruppo has been slightly upgraded, as opposed to a radical redesign.
“The components are always an upgrade…
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