Cyclist
Campagnolo road and gravel groupsets explained and compared
Out of the three leading groupset manufacturers, Italian brand Campagnolo is the smallest but also certainly the most storied. It accounts for a volume of sales inversely proportional to the number of mechanics with its logo tattooed somewhere about their body and its products inspire unusual levels of devotion.
Campagnolo has always been a high-end manufacturer and while it has dabbled at the budget end of things, it has long since ceded the entry-level and mid-market to its rivals. Its groupsets have a reputation for durability, aesthetics and premium pricing, and the brand largely concentrates on racing products plus its Ekar gravel range.
With such a focussed range, many technologies appear across multiple groupsets in the firm’s lineup. Campagnolo currently produces a small range of electronic groupsets, including the very expensive Super Record Wireless. Below this sit the 12-speed mechanical options of Super Record, Record and Chorus, plus the Centaur 11-speed groupset.
Campagnolo has also made its mark on gravel, albeit belatedly, with the 13-speed single-ring Ekar groupset and now Ekar GT, a lower priced option which in addition offers a wider range option than standard Ekar.
You can find a breakdown of each groupset’s key features and how it compares to its rivals below.
What’s the difference?
Campagnolo’s more expensive groupsets have greater numbers of gears, lower weights and the option of electronic shifting. That said, shared technology means key areas like braking power are often standardised across several tiers.
Campagnolo is known for its use of materials like titanium and carbon fibre, and the look and feel of the groupsets change as you spend more. Always a firm to go its own way, it’s worth noting that while Campagnolo groupsets will work on any bike and with most wheels, you will probably need to swap the freehub on your rear wheel to accommodate the brand’s uniquely shaped cassettes.
Below you’ll find a quick explanation of each of the major Campagnolo groupsets, along with a list of its key features and variants.
Every Campagnolo road groupset compared
Campagnolo Super Record Wireless 12-speed
At a glance: Outrageously light, very expensive, and with its integrated batteries clunkier-looking than Shimano or SRAM. Still the choice for well-heeled Campagnolo fans
RRP: £4,500
Cassette: 12-speed
Largest sprocket: 29t
Shifting: Electronic only
Brakes: Hydraulic disc
Overall weight: 2,520g (claimed)
The first manufacturer to launch a 12-speed groupset in 2018, Campagnolo’s latest Super Record groupset has gone wireless electronic. It’s eye-wateringly expensive with a retail price of £4,500, although we should note that’s not a huge amount more than the latest Shimano Dura-Ace R9200 groupset.
The headline news for the new groupset is that Campagnolo has abandoned its long-used thumb shifter in exchange for two finger-operated shift levers placed above and below each other behind the brake lever. Campagnolo reckons that half its users loved the thumb shifter, half hated it. Now there’s no argument.
Campagnolo has also added a power meter to its Super Record repertoire. The HPPM power meter adds 16 strain gauges to the crankset spider, which is claimed to lead to a +/-1% power reading accuracy. It runs on a rechargeable internal battery with a run-time of over five weeks on a charge. It too is pricey, adding a further £2,000 to the groupset’s cost.
Aimed very much at going fast, Super Record Wireless still offers some concessions to those yet to win themselves a pro contract. The new groupset has a 10-tooth smallest sprocket in the cassette and heads out to 29 teeth. Paired with 50/34t, 48/32t and 45/29t chainrings, that gives the option of gear ratios down to 1:1 if you want to be able to spin up the hills.
While SRAM’s wireless AXS groupsets let you swap batteries if you find that your rear derailleur has given up mid-ride, that’s not an option here, as Super Record Wireless has different shaped batteries front and rear. As well as off-bike charging, there is charging in situ though, with a magnetic coupler to the charger.
The latest iteration of Super Record has gone disc brake-only, further breaking with the traditionalists who see an Italian rim brake groupset as the only option on an Italian bike frame.
- Stay tuned for our full review
Campagnolo Super Record S Wireless 12-speed
At a glance: A lower priced version of the Super Record groupset, the S version adds around 150g to the weight and new gearing options and is priced to compete with Shimano Dura-Ace.
RRP: £3,525
Cassette: 12-speed
Largest sprocket: 32t
Shifting: Electronic only
Brakes: Hydraulic disc
Overall weight: 2,700g (estimated)
Billed as a special edition of Super Record Wireless, adding an S cuts around £1,000 from the price, putting the groupset in the same league as Shimano Dura-Ace and undercutting the list price for SRAM Red AXS. The Super Record S Wireless groupset is distinguished by its matt black finish; it also uses fewer fancy materials than the original, which Campagnolo claims adds around 150g to the groupset’s weight.
Campagnolo offers standard 50/34t, 52/36t, 53/39t and 54/39t chainring combinations and a new 11-32t cassette, in addition to the combinations available with Super Record Wireless, so there are more gearing options with S. There’s also a matt black power meter to complete your groupset.
Campagnolo Super Record 12-speed
At a glance: A stunning mechanical groupset if you can stomach the price
RRP: £2,857
Cassette: 12-speed
Largest sprocket: 34t
Shifting: Mechanical
Brakes: Hydraulic disc or conventional caliper
Overall Weight: 2,050g approx (disc version)
For the moment, you can still buy the Super Record mechanical groupset, Campagnolo’s top-end mechanical option (Campagnolo still lists the previous-generation Super Record EPS wired electronic groupset on its site too). Super Record mechanical is lighter than Super Record Wireless and can accommodate cassettes with sprockets as large as 34t, although starting with 11, not 10 teeth. This means ordinary riders can take on slopes normally reserved for the most sadistic stages of the Giro d’Italia.
Mechanical Super Record also accommodates disc or rim brake options, with the timeless look of the main components nicely complementing either version. While you might have to rely on your digits rather than a pair of servo motors to do the shifting, Super Record offers crisp, satisfying shifting.
In addition, the multi-shift functionality allows you to drop down the cassette three cogs or up five via a single push of the corresponding lever – this is more than on any other mechanical groupset. Equally lovely is the operation of the crankset. It’s made of hollow carbon fibre bonded to a titanium axle and it’s ridiculously light. The crank runs on Cult ceramic bearings and its design epitomises the firm’s approach to small details.
- Read our Campagnolo Super Record review
Campagnolo Record 12-speed
At a glance: A marginally more affordable version of the world’s best 12-speed mechanical groupset
RRP: £2,000
Cassette: 12-speed
Largest sprocket: 34t
Shifting: Mechanical
Brakes: Hydraulic disc or conventional caliper
Overall weight: 2,450g approx (disc version)
The regular (but still very premium) Record groupset shares many components and does an almost remarkably similar job to the posher Super Record group.
However, while features like the chain, cassettes, and brakes are identical, other components have been tweaked to bring their prices a little closer to earth. In doing so, a few bits of titanium become steel, such as the axle on the carbon crankset and the bolts on the derailleur.
Touches like the bottom bracket’s ceramic bearings are also jettisoned. Still, we’re talking about less than 200g added across the entire groupset. The gearing ratios offered are still the same while stopping power is identical.
Record offers the same multi-shift ability as Super Record, while the shape of the hoods is subtly different and the levers themselves lose some weight-saving cutouts. On the plus side, you do get the firm’s Vari-Cushion technology which aims to provide comfort and support even in poor weather.
Campagnolo Chorus 12-speed
At a glance: An attractive and good value mechanical alternative to Shimano with outstanding durability.
RRP: £1,699
Cassette: 12-speed
Largest sprocket: 34t
Shifting: Mechanical
Brakes: Hydraulic disc or conventional caliper
Overall weight: 2,580g approx
Is Chorus the Campagnolo groupset for the rest of us? Previously pitched as a competitor to Shimano’s Ultegra range, the decision to make that groupset electronic-only leaves Chorus without an obvious rival.
However, as Shimano is heading towards offering mechanical shifting as an entry to mid-level only product, we can see a lot more bikes switching to this groupset. For one thing, you get twelve sprockets at the back.
You also get a healthy serving of carbon fibre goodness across the groupset with the crank arms and rear derailleur body making use of it, while other parts are aluminium or steel.
Taken as a whole, Chorus is no heavyweight. With an eye on both the gravel and sportive market, it also offers a wide range of ways to spread out its 2×12-speed gearing.
These include a sub-compact 48/32t crankset, along with the ability to accommodate a 34t largest cassette sprocket that should mean you never have to resort to walking up a climb. Most of the components are explicitly made for the groupset but the brakes and rotors again carry over from Campagnolo’s higher tiers.
- Read our full Campagnolo Chorus review
Campagnolo Centaur 11-speed
At a glance: Lack of disc-brake options make this competent groupset of relatively niche interest these days, but the silver version is a great choice for retro rim brake builds
RRP: £650
Cassette: 11-speed
Largest sprocket: 32t
Shifting: Mechanical
Brakes: Rim brake only only
Overall weight: 2,470g approx
Campagnolo’s last hurrah for 11-speed is denuded of carbon fibre and forced to debase itself by looking for work among more proletarian bicycles. It’s Campagnolo’s entry-level groupset and available only with rim brakes so you won’t see it on many new bikes.
However, as an aftermarket product, it still has much to recommend it. For one, you get a not inconsiderable 11 sprockets on the back and it borrows aesthetically from its much more costly siblings. The silver variant is particularly handsome and it’s a good choice for retro builds.
This is most notable in the construction of the Ultra-Torque axle system crankset and the shape and operation of the shift and brake levers. Despite its much-reduced price, you still get a lot of the distinctive Campagnolo feel. From the ergonomics and function of the shifters to the reassuring way each gear change registers, it’s all pure Campagnolo.
Unfortunately, the lack of disc brakes will make it a non-starter for many riders, while the fact you can only fit a 32t largest sprocket means it’s not the most beginner-friendly option out there either.
Campagnolo Ekar 13-speed
At a glance: A fantastic wide-ratio 13-speed mechanical gravel groupset that suggests the shape of things to come
RRP: £1,449
Cassette: 13-speed
Largest sprocket: 44t
Shifting: Mechanical
Brakes: Hydraulic disc
Overall weight: 2,385g approx
With Campagnolo so tied up with road racing culture, the forward-thinking Ekar gravel groupset took many by surprise. This 13-speed single-chainring mechanical system has a vast range of clever features. Billed as the world’s lightest gravel groupset, perhaps the biggest headline is its thirteen sequential gears which are linked up to a single chainring. However, it’s not just the number of gears on offer but the range that sets Ekar apart.
Its ‘gravel race’ cassette option goes from a tiny nine teeth up to a vast 42t, and there are 9-36t and 10-44t options too. Ekar offers a similar range to a typical twin-chainring setup and small jumps between the first few cogs mean shifts made when pedalling at high-speed won’t unsettle riders.
- Related: Gravel bike gearing: Everything you need to know
- Related: Gravel groupsets reviewed: Shimano vs SRAM vs Campagnolo
To accommodate this colossal range, Campagnolo has created a new N3W freehub standard. Now, while most people won’t rejoice at the introduction of another standard, this one does at least accomplish something worthwhile, plus it’s retrofittable to some existing wheels. Other parts are also pretty special, like the rear derailleur with a clutch function to retain the chain and the incredibly light but tough carbon crankset.
With just one side doing the shifting, Ekar’s Ergopower lever uses the same downshift (for easier gears) paddle ergonomics as Campagnolo’s road levers and can shift through up to three sprockets at a time. However, the unique thumb lever is stepped to allow you to upshift easily from both the hoods and the drops.
Ekar’s disc brake calipers are similar feeling to those on other Campagnolo groups but ever so slightly more powerful. Of course, some brands will tell you electronic is the future for gravel. However, we’re not so sure, and this groupset is part of the reason why.
- Read our Campagnolo Ekar review
Campagnolo Ekar GT 13-speed
At a glance: Ekar tech at a lower price and with more gearing options
RRP: £1,211
Cassette: 13-speed
Largest sprocket: 48t
Shifting: Mechanical
Brakes: Hydraulic disc
Overall weight: 2,700g approx
The latest Campagnolo Ekar GT groupset shaves some cost off the original Ekar by swapping from carbon fibre to aluminium in the crankset and the derailleur. It also increases available gearing options, by including a new 10-48 tooth cassette and a new 36 tooth chainring among its available configurations.
Other changes include larger jockey wheels, designed to be easier to clean and a redesigned hood shape that mirrors that of Super Record Wireless, although the thumb shifter of ‘old’ Ekar is retained. The crankset’s stance width has also been increased.
Ekar GT also has a less flashy cassette assembly, with five single sprockets, while Ekar has all its sprockets clustered.
The net effect is a slight weight gain to a claimed 2,700g from Ekar’s 2,385g and a price drop of around £250.
- Get the full details in our story on the launch of Campagnolo Ekar GT
- Stay tuned for our full review
How does each Campagnolo groupset compare with its immediate neighbour?
Not sure whether to damage your bank balance or go conservative when choosing your next groupset? To help you decide, we’ve listed the main differences between each groupset and its nearest neighbour in the Campagnolo hierarchy. Here’s how they match up.
Campagnolo Super Record Wireless vs Super Record S Wireless
If you want wireless electronic shifting and the flexibility that goes with it, you’ve now got a second choice from Campagnolo with the more affordable S version. With both the original Super Record Wireless and Super Record S Wireless, you’re getting the wider gear spread from smaller cassettes and chainrings that goes with this and a power meter as an option. If you don’t like using your thumbs when riding, this is the one for you.
If you want the tippity-top of groupsets, Super Record Wireless is for you. If you prefer matt black and to save some cash, then the S Wireless option gives you more ratios and more options, at the price of some extra weight.
Campagnolo Super Record S Wireless vs Super Record mechanical
Super Record S Wireless gets you pretty much everything that Campagnolo’s top groupset offers, so if you’re looking for electronic shifting at a similar price to Shimano Dura-Ace and standard chainring ratios, it’s the one for you. You need to be a disc brake convert and willing to add 150g or so to your bike’s weight though.
If, on the other hand, you’re a traditionalist, who thinks that a shifter without a thumb lever is sacrilege, Super Record mechanical is for you. Ditto if you like rim brakes. At least you’re saving some weight and a bit of cash.
Campagnolo Super Record mechanical vs Record
As we shift down from the mechanical Super Record to the similarly mechanical Record groupset, not a lot changes. Visually and mechanically very similar, a few bits of titanium and carbon fibre are replaced. This sees components like the axle on the crankset switched to steel, while some carbon parts in the derailleur become aluminium.
However, the cumulative effect is to add less than 200g to the groupset’s overall weight. Considering that Super Record is about £800 more expensive, that’s a lot of quids per gram.
You also lose out on the Cult ceramic bearings found in the more expensive groupset’s bottom bracket, a change you’ll never notice in actual riding. The shape of the levers changes slightly too, although with Record using Campagnolo’s Vari-Cushion technology, this might not be a downgrade, depending on your tastes.
Campagnolo Record vs Chorus
Price fluctuations seem to have brought Chorus closer to Record in terms of cost. Still, even if the jump up another level is now smaller, there’s a lot to recommend the more recently released Chorus groupset. For one thing, you get the same 12 speeds. It also shares the same excellent disc brakes as the rest of Campagnolo’s higher tiers.
Chorus is certainly more of an everyman groupset than any of the Record ranges, and you also get additional gearing options like the useful sub-compact 48/32t crankset.
The operation of the groupset is still very much the same, and you still get flashy carbon cranks. Of course, there are some trade-offs, but overall weight is less than two hundred grams more than its posher sibling. All this makes Chorus arguably the best value Campagnolo groupset.
Campagnolo Chorus vs Centaur
Many of the prominent Campagnolo designs trickle their way down the brand’s cheapest groupset. This means you’ll get a two-piece Ultra-Torque crankset and the familiar shifter design. However, more flashy features are absent and of course Centaur is 11-speed while Chorus is 12-speed.
Centaur also lacks a disc brake option which will make it a non-viable option for many riders. If rim brakes are what you want, however, it remains an appealing alternative to more mainstream options.
Find out more at campagnolo.com
Looking for more groupset gossip? Don’t miss our buyer’s guide to Shimano road and gravel groupsets.
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