We’ve been sneaking peeks at it for the past month, but now the all-new Campagnolo Super Record 13 is finally here. And it is both better than we imagined, and just the tip of the iceberg of what to expect from Campy this summer.
First off, the basics: Yes, it is an all-new wireless electronic 2x 13-speed road bike groupset. It brings back the thumb shifter, together now with more new customizable shift buttons, too. It’s also once again lighter than the other top-tier road bike groupsets from either Shimano or SRAM. And, it is actually even noticeably cheaper than the previous generation of Super Record Wireless 12sp that launched just two years ago. Plus, while it is only available right now in conventional road 2x configurations, Campagnolo is calling Super Record 13 a completely new ‘platform’. And peeks have been sneaked of it already racing Unbound last weekend with a separate clutched Super Record 13 rear derailleur.
OK, let’s dive into the details…
Campagnolo Super Record 13 wireless 2x13sp road groupset
Campagnolo’s ‘perfect number‘ of a few years ago is out the window again, in favor of one more cog for smoother gear steps OR wider range, depending on what you are looking for. Campy seems to be continuing a sneaky trend. Just when people count them out, they’ve still managed to be the first to introduce 2×10, 2×11, 2×12, and 1×13-speeds with production road and gravel groupsets.
And now Campagnolo takes 13-speed to the next level with an all-new wireless 2×13-sp Super Record 13 road group that they describe as the “first pillar” of a new SR13 platform.
How did it come to be?
What we know here is that after Campy’s concept of going ‘sports luxury’ came with a lot of justifiable backlash from actual cyclists who wanted technology & performance within reach, the storied Italian drivetrain maker went back to the drawing board. They wanted to create a road groupset that outperformed the competition from Shimano & SRAM. But Campagnolo also decided to do that at a price level that at least some real cyclists could actually afford. That’s where we are here with this.
So, how did Campagnolo make all that work?
Lighter, Simpler, and More Affordable
Let’s start with 17% more affordable, because frankly, that feels the most important to me. When Super Record Wireless 12sp launched, I was surprised at how complex some of it was, especially the shifters. Without even explaining why, the SR WRL group had these really complex titanium linages to drive two shift buttons at the bottom of the lever in a more natural arc, mimicking how your fingers move. It looked and seemed impressive, but Campagnolo never even really highlighted the solution.
Instead of that beautiful complexity, the new Super Record 13 goes all in on simplicity. To solve the same problem, the new groupset simply puts the button back up inside the Ergopower shifter body, and a much simpler carbon lever actuates it. Plus, Campagnolo returned to their traditional thumb shift lever. The result is just a simpler setup that didn’t require that extra complexity. And ultimately, it is more practical design & development decisions like this that were able to help cut costs without cutting performance. It even seems to have helped trim weight too, shedding more than 3% off the previous 12-speed wireless groupset.
1 More Gear & Faster Shifting, Too!
Interestingly, adding a 13th speed didn’t really seem to conflict with simplicity or pricing either. It is still essentially 13 gears in the same width as before – just like Ekar. So, I guess, at a certain point, adding an extra gear only added a marginal amount of more machining.
But Campagnolo was at first concerned that shifting across 13 cogs vs. 12 would be slower, so they worked hard to counter that. In the end, they made the new derailleur shift even quicker across the entire cassette. Just 2.4 seconds to shift all the way up the block, and only 1.9 seconds to shift all the way back down. (A full 36% faster up, and 47% faster down than Super Record WRL 12-speed!) And since the cogs are actually even closer than before, it made each individual shift even that extra bit faster than before.
So what all is actually new?
New Campy Super Record 13 Wireless Ergopower Shifters
The real heart of the new Campagnolo Super Record 13 groupset, and ultimately the entire new platform, is the new set of wireless Ergopower shifters. While they have a familiar Campy feel, these are all new Egropowers.
Still asymmetric to fit your hands, but now already a bit slightly turned in (and designed to max out the UCI allowable roll-in position.)
The hoods are a bit flatter and longer on top, while the grip section of the hood is smaller overall. Plus, the ‘horn’ on the top of the lever is smaller, while still keeping enough real estate to hold onto if you like a hunched-over-the-levers aero position. And importantly, the pivot of the brake levers moves further away from the bar for more confident braking with less hand force, also freeing up more space under the body for your hands without actually increasing overall reach. It feels a bit like Campagnolo has managed to bring back the smaller hoods from before hydraulic brake master cylinders dominated hood shapes, now that electronic shift internals are much smaller, with just a CR 2032 coin cell battery on the outside of each.
Of course, the move back to ‘one lever, one action’ with just one hollowed-out shift paddle behind the carbon brake lever means even more space for your fingers, no matter where you hold onto the bars. Plus, it gives users more flexibility to position the adjustable lever reach for the perfect brake lever fit and feel.
Returning Thumb Shifters and All-New Smart Buttons, too!
Then, the returning inside thumb shifters let you either shift with your thumbs like you always did in the past. Or thanks to the extra room under the smaller Ergopower bodies, you can often even reach around while riding on the hoods to shift that extended inner button with the tip of a middle finger. Campagnolo even considered a two-way shift of the thumb button, much like a SRAM AXS Rocker shift paddle. But ultimately added the lower plastic fin to prevent the accidental shifts that could happen while sprinting in the drops.
Maybe the most important addition to quiet the naysayers and draw new riders in at the same time, Campagnolo has added new Smart Buttons at the inside tips of the hoods, in a similar fashion to both top Shimano & SRAM wireless groups. But these exposed Super Record 13 Smart Buttons are the smoothest and easiest I’ve ever used. Plus, the smart name signals not only that you can configure either button to control any shift direction you want (up or down, front or rear). But also they can each do more than one function – for example, short press to shift the rear up, long press to shift the front derailleur to the other position.
On top of that, there’s effectively a 4th control button on each lever. The Mode button not only manages setup & adjustment modes. If you pair a Garmin or Wahoo computer, it will default to controlling your GPS device and/or connected accessories, without having to require that extra function from the Smart Buttons.
New Super Record 13 Wireless Front & Rear Derailleurs
Of course, with new 13-speed shifters comes new matching, fully wireless derailleurs.
Everything is all new here. But the biggest difference is probably the lighter and lower-profile design, said to “reduce right side overhang” by 25% compared to Super Record Wireless 12. That means a more forward derailleur position for improved chain wrap across a wider range of cog sizes, and less derailleur exposed to either wind or impacts. But also reduced weight, too. Again saving weight with a full carbon cage.
The new rear derailleur also features a new mount design, much like Shimano’s direct mount design. This lets Campagnolo include either a standard link to mount to any conventional derailleur hanger. Or they can replace it with Campy’s own UDH-interface-specific hanger that is stiffer for more precise shifts and compatible with all the latest bikes.
Campy repeatedly refers to the new Super Record 13 as “not just a new groupset – a new platform, built to adapt seamlessly to both road and gravel“. That means there won’t just be this one rear derailleur, but likely another version optimized for 1x road setups, a version with a clutch like we raced 2x gravel at Unbound, and likely a longer cage version with a clutch for more adventure gravel riding.
The front derailleur is more compact, as well, lowering weight while also improving rear tire clearance.
New Campy Batteries, too
This is another example of simplicity. The new Super Record 13 derailleurs get new batteries, as well, now opting for a single simple LED per battery to indicate charge status.
Of course, SRAM patents keep them from being interchangeable front to rear. But at least Campagnolo was able to make these new batteries backward compatible with the previous SR WRL 12 & SR WRL S 12 groupsets.
Plus, Campy still manages to make batteries that can be either charged on the bike (with a proprietary magnetic cable) or removed and charged away from your bike.
The new Campagnolo Super Record 13 derailleurs will ship with the same old-school USB-A charging cables for now. But battery charging cables will shift to USB-C this summer, and those cables will also be available separately for anyone who wants to upgrade new or previous generation wireless Campy groupsets.
New Super Record 13 cassettes
Simply put, the new SR13 cassettes use the same 13-speed spacing and N3W freehub compatibility as Ekar, and are again designed to handle higher torque loads but with higher performance. That essentially comes from the monoblock machined steel construction, new tooth & shift ramp profiles, and new surface treatment. Like Ekar, the first three cogs form a tiny machined monoblock, as do the final 4 or 5 cogs machined from a single block of forged steel. Then, the remaining middle cogs are formed loose, with conventional cassette spacers.
Then, an all-new surface treatment that Campy calls ‘black chrome’ protects the cassette for durability, while at the same time significantly reducing drivetrain running noise.
Ultimately, the new tighter 13-speed cog spacing and smaller gearing jumps mean quicker, more precise shifting. And paired with the faster shifter and derailleur motor actuation, much faster shifting overall.
A new 13-speed chain, too
The chain itself is also new, although the difference vs. the Ekar 13-speed chains seems pretty minor. Both share the same new thinner 13-speed specific dimensions, only the new chain of Super Record 13 now features hollow pins to save a bit of weight. But, the new Super Record 13 chain also sports the new black chrome finish as the cassettes to deliver that same long-lasting, low-friction, and quieter running performance.
Confusingly, the test bike we rode (all other bikes I saw) with the new groupset had black chrome R13-branded chains, but Campy PR shows a new chain labeled C13 (the same as Ekar.) In any case, there is no SR13 chain, which according to previous Campy naming conventions, would be even lighter with hollowed-out side plates, too. Maybe Campagnolo is saving that for an even lighter edition of Super Record 13 down the road?
Updated carbon cranks & brakes
For the most part, cranks and brakes have remained unchanged from Super Record Wireless 12, or really even the Super Record 12 Mechanical groupset from seven years ago. Although the High Precision Power Meter is a newer option. That’s not bad, though. Those previous carbon cranks with their stiffening ring are stiff, light, and look great. And I still think those Campy disc brakes have yet to be topped for balanced power, modulation & quiet running.
What’s new for the cranks is a new bottom bracket layout, moving the bearing retention spring clip to the non-driveside (where it always should have been) for easier access. And then, a new Qck-Tech ti axle shifts the 10mm internal hirth-joint spindle pinch bolt to conventional right-hand threads to reduce the number of confused mechanics trying to remove a crankset. (Although, honestly, now seasoned Campy mechanics are gonna mix this new one up with the previous years of them.)
Plus, they also get new 2×13-speed specific chainrings, in a lot more gearing combinations.
For brakes, the new pivot location of the levers further from the bar will require a bit reduced input force from your hands to come to a stop. But the brakes themselves didn’t change, although they did get new titanium bolts to shed a gram or two along the way. Campy also added a new sintered brake pad option for improved brake performance in wet weather. Campagnolo Super Record 13 groupsets will still come standard with the same organic pads, though. You just won’t have to go to the aftermarket for braking power optimized for riding in adverse conditions.
Tech Details – “Not just a group set, a new platform“
“The Super Record 13 represents the top configuration of the new development platform for future solutions by Campagnolo, the first groupset starting a general redefinition of the brand’s identity, a new strategy in line with Campagnolo’s legacy of innovation, which in the near future will witness the Vicenza-based company launch a complete line of products designed to cover the various market segments, a wide-ranging structured development. A platform that is the result of a completely revisited production process aimed at containing costs due to significant investments in component automation and optimization: a deliberate corporate choice to reposition the company’s product range in the groupset world, naturally Made in Europe.”
- all-new Ergopower shift and brake lever ergonomics with longer tops & increased brake leverage
- new single-function lever shift button, single-function thumb shift button & programmable Smart Button shifter
- all shift buttons are fully customizable with the updated MyCampy app
- multi-function Mode button will control connected GPS computers
- BLE & ANT+ connectivity with Shifting Profile 2.0 functions
- fastest on the market shifting, even across all 13 speeds
- 25% thinner rear derailleur compared to SR WRL 12sp
- new lower fiction 14T pulleys with narrow-wide teeth for enhanced chain retention
- ceramic upper pulley bearing and lower pulley bushing for reduced drag and optimized alignment
- lighter front derailleur body with enhanced tire clearance
- simpler batteries with single LED charge indicators
- 750km range of full charge
- fast USB charging: 45min to 90% charge, 60mm to full recharge
- easier brake line & crankset installation
- 4 cassette options available now: 10-29T, 10-33T, 11-32T & 11-36T
10-29 (10/11/12 – 13-14-15-16-17-18 – 20/23/26/29)
10-33 (10/11/12 – 13-14-15-16-18-20 – 23/26/29/33)
11-32 (11/12/13 – 14-15-16-17-18 – 20/23/26/29/32)
11-36 (11/12/13 – 14-15-16-18-20 – 23/26/29/32/36)
- 7 chainring options available now: 55/39, 54/39, 53/39, 52/36, 50/34 & 45/29, 48/32
- 4 carbon crank arm length options, all with 148.5mm Q-factor: 165, 170, 172.5 & 175mm
- low-key straight out of the carbon mold graphics
- 2445g complete groupset weight (down from 2520g for SR WRL 12)
- claimed lightest complete 2x disc brake road groupset on the market
- >80% made in Europe* between Campagnolo’s factories in Italy & Romania
We got a unique look inside the Vicenza factory last week, with an exclusive Factory Tour story coming soon!
(*excludes batteries, silicon chips & servos/motors made in Asia)
Campagnolo did tease us with the thought that they have something in the works that would save more than sixty grams off this already light groupset around the end of this summer.
Campagnolo Super Record 13 – Pricing, options & availability
Officially, the new Campagnolo Super Record 13 groupset goes on sale today for $4750 / 4300€ as a complete 2x13sp road setup. Adding the HPPM power meter adds an extra $1150 / 1100€.
You pick your idea gearing setup, whether you are looking for race-ready speed or all-day endurance gearing. A reminder, that’s 900€ cheaper than Super Record Wireless 12 by the way, or just 300€ more than the ‘budget’ Super Record S WRL 12. Both of those groupsets carry on for 12-speed fans, and maybe you’ll find some closeout deals on them soon, but we suspect most people buying new premium Italian groupsets will only be interested in 13-speed now.
If you are looking to get a new bike already kitted out with the latest Campagnolo gruppo, you’ll likely get a first shot with classic big Italian bike brands like Colnago, De Rosa, or Pinarello, for example. Campagnolo says they’ll be some of the first to offer the new groupset, but many more that already sell Campy specs will quickly follow suit. And Campagnolo are working hard to expand their OEM partnerships, especially with Super Record 13 continuing to grow across several dropbar markets this summer and coming autumn.
Custom bike builders are also expected to be a popular option for Campy Super Record 13 builds. Campagnolo has already prepared a new dream build gallery as a place to share the most unique custom builds with their new groupset.
Keep your eyes peeled for our first ride impressions later today, from the hills above the Vicenza factory and headquarters. And Campy says to expect more versions of the new Super ZRecord 13 platform starting in Spetember 2025!
