Campagnolo has unveiled the latest evolutions of its Super Record, Record and Chorus mechanical groupsets, with updated derailleurs, shifters and a new four-arm chainset across all three tiers.
The Italian firm is keen to emphasise that it believes mechanical shifting is far from obsolete and in March lifted the lid on the Super Record RS groupset. That was only available in limited numbers but now the model year 2015 Super Record, Record and Chorus groupsets borrow technology – at least as far as the front derailleur is concerned – first developed for the RS setup.
The updated front derailleur across all three groupsets shares the same design as its RS counterpart – with a longer arm to increase leverage and thus reduce the lever throw required to shift – as the RS counterpart but (in the case of Super Record and Record) the outer cage is instead made from carbon fibre, and not aluminium. Campagnolo say the RS front derailleur’s outer cage was made from aluminium as its limited availability and prototype status made a carbon version more difficult to produce in the short term. The one-piece carbon derailleur is said to reduce weight while still maintaining the same rigidity and functionality.
The updated rear derailleur, meanwhile, moves at a different angle to the cassette and that brings the chain closer to the sprockets, making for smoother shifts and, because the chain is allowed to grip more teeth and so disperse energy across a larger surface area, improved chain and cassette life, according to Campagnolo. The new design is also said to improve shifting when moving the chain on to larger sprockets and Campagnolo say riders will enjoy the same shifting performance with an 11-29 cassette as an 11-23.
The new chainset is the most obvious upgrade and Campagnolo will now use a four-arm design, similar to Shimano’s Dura-Ace and Ultegra chainsets, which allows riders to use the same crank arms (available in three lengths: 170mm, 172.5mm and 275mm) across three chainring combinations: 53/39, 52/36 and 50/34. Riders who want to switch from a standard double to a compact chainset, or vice versa, have historically had to purchase a new crank arms, but the new design, which is also said to be significantly stiffer, means that change can be made only by swapping the two chainrings.
Finally, the hoods on Campagnolo’s new ErgoPower shifters are now made from hypoallergenic silicone, but the most significant changes have been made internally. The front shifter now requires two clicks to move from the big chainring to the small chainring, with an extra click to trim the derailleur if required. From there, riders are required to move the lever three clicks to shift on to the big chainring, and Campagnolo say there is no need for an additional click for trim. They say the new design allows for shifting across the entire cassette without chain rub in extreme (bib chainring to big cassette sprocket, or small chainring to small cassette sprocket) gear combinations. The rear lever, meanwhile, retains Campagnolo’s multi-shift function, three gears up the cassette and five gears down.
UK pricing and availability for all three groupsets is to be confirmed.
Website: Campagnolo
