Campagnolo just dropped an new Super Record 13 groupset that extends to 13-speeds – introducing all-new wireless electronic shifters and derailleurs, while keeping the cranks and brakes mostly unchanged. This is a paradigm shift not just because it is the first-ever 2×13 road groupset, or because it is lighter. Or that with it, Campy brings back the thumb shifter. Or even because surprisingly, it is measurably cheaper than the existing and heavier 12-speed Super Record groupset you could have bought yesterday.
The real seismic shift is that Campagnolo Super Record 13 is a road groupset today, BUT it will be much more by the end of this year.
Campy calls this groupset “the first pillar of the new Super Record 13 platform“, and we already have teases of multiple configurations that will cover everything from gravel to time trial racing!
So how well does it work?
We had the unique opportunity to head to Campagnolo’s headquarters in Vicenza to get a glimpse of how the groupset is made in Italy.
And to test it out on the rolling hills north of the factory.
Does a new Campy Super Record 13 gruppo still matter?
To anyone following along at home, it may not be a giant surprise that I look forward to a return of Campagnolo to real road and gravel competition.
I remain pretty agnostic when it comes to drivetrains, although I’d often lean towards mechanical simplicity over more expensive electronics if given the choice. I’m a fan of Shimano’s reliable braking and consistent shifting – mechanical or Di2. And the cross-discipline connectivity & easy setup of SRAM AXS is hard to beat, not to overlook their affordability or their more recent trend towards modular rebuildability.
But I’ve always appreciated the unique ergonomics of Campagnolo.
And their drop bar hydraulic disc brakes just work so well. Ekar seemed like a great first step into gravel, but I’ve been waiting for what comes next. As to the road side, I thought 12-speed mechanical Super Record, Record, Chorus, and even 12sp Super Record EPS were great.
But Super Record Wireless 12-speed never really piqued my interest. Its exorbitant price and switch to a 2-shift button layout that seemed almost to copy Di2 just seemed disinterested. I’ve ridden SR WRL 12, and it is really good. But it wasn’t enough of an improvement that I even considered upgrading my previous Campy mechanical or EPS bikes.
That all changes with Campy Super Record 13, though!
This is groupset simply feels more refined, more ergonomic, and more innovative.
And that’s all before we talk about the elephant in the room that today’s Super Record 13 launch for conventional road bikes is just a stepping stone.
Campagnolo describes the new groupset as a modular platform, and promises several more derailleur configurations this year to cover the gamut from time trialing at the Tour de France to riding adventure gravel with your friends. But while we’re waiting for that to study in detail and test ride, let’s focus on the road…
First Ride Review on the new Campy Super Record 13
So let’s dive right into how it feels riding.
The groupset is light.
We haven’t yet had the opportunity to weigh it in, but we don’t have any reasons to doubt Campy claims. The S-Works Tarmac SL8 that I rode with the new groupset and Bora Ultra WTO 45mm wheels was undeniably light, and zipped up hills faster than my heavy self is used to.
The new rear derailleur is more than 1/3 faster shifting than the previous wireless generation.
And Campagnolo claims it is the fastest shifting electronic road bike groupset on the market. Out on the road, that feels accurate. Pretty much all modern electronic road groupsets feature lightning-quick shifts. But combined with improved shift button ergonomics, this new Campy Super Record 13 simply feels like the fastest I’ve ridden.
And the new lever and Ergopower body ergonomics are great.
With a more shorter horn on the ends, a flattened top of the hoods, and a thinner body, they are more comfortable than previous Campagnolo Super Record generations. At the same time, that flat top makes for a smoother, more flexible transition to the bar, which simply means more places to rest your hands comfortably.
Plus, since the brake lever pivot point moves a bit further from the handlebar (while lever reach does not increase) and there is now only one small shift button at the bottom of the lever blade, there is simply more room to comfortably wrap two or three fingers around the hood. That means much more comfy riding on the hoods, but also improved control.
Old Familiar Electronic Shift Button Ergonomics
The new Campagnolo Super Record 13 groupset returns to classic Campy “One Lever, One Action” shifting. (Let’s see if this WayBack archive page gets brought back to the Campagnolo website?)
The new shifting mechanics are much simpler than the wild mechanisms inside SR WRL 12, with just a single simple carbon shift lever behind your brake lever. The hollowed-out design offers a perfect amount of tactile grip for easy shifts, with very little lever throw needed. And it’s easy to actuate a shift from the hoods or the drops.
Campy snobs rejoice. Hooray, the thumb shifter is back.
The new Campy Super Record 13 thumb shift button is easy to reach from the drops with its slightly extended paddle. And at the same time, it is much lower profile than we’ve seen in pretty much every previous generation of Campagnolo thumb shifters – mechanical or electronic.
It’s also quite easy to reach with your thumb while riding on the tops. Plus, as you can see a few photos above, the extra room afforded by the slimmer Ergopower hoods also means you can likely reach around and shift that thumb button with your middle or ring finger, too.
I am quite familiar with Campy thumb shifters, so my thumb most often took care of shifting duties. But when I was out of the saddle, stair-step climbing through steep turns, I could shift to a harder gear in a flat switchback with my ring finger, without loosening my grip on the hoods. It felt strange at first, but I quickly realized that I preferred it to re-shifting my weight a bit to loosen my thumb from around the top of the hood
All-new Smart Shift Buttons, too!
But the biggest shift in shifting here is the all-new, programmable Smart Button on the inside tops of the hoods. In a similar fashion to both top-tier AXS & Di2, these buttons give you another option to shift when riding on the hoods.
And yet, the Campagnolo Super Record 13 Smart Buttons are the best I’ve used yet. Sticking out from a cutout in the rubber covers of the hoods, the Campy buttons are well-positioned and super smooth. They can be configured for either simple single-press to shift function or multi-shift function with short or long presses producing different shift results. Or you can even pair it directly to control other, separate Bluetooth devices!
I rode with them in the simple mode, using the right Smart Button to shift down the cassette to a harder gear and the left Smart Button to shift up to an easier gear. But it is then also possible to program a long press of either to shift the front derailleur, too.
On top of these, there’s effectively a 4th control button on each Ergopower, too. The Mode button just in front of the thumb shifter not only manages setup & adjustment modes. Paired to a Garmin or Wahoo computer, it will control your GPS device and/or connected accessories, without having to require that extra function from the Smart Buttons. I didn’t even have to customize that to make it work. I just paired the new Campy Super Record 13 groupset with my Wahoo Bolt, and it automatically gave me default page-scrolling control.
Customize Shift Button Functions with the MyCampy Smartphone App
In reality, I think these Smart Buttons are a game changer for anyone who might be on the fence, unsure of whether or not they will like the traditional Campagnolo thumb shifter ergonomics. With Smart Buttons and the MyCampy app, you can make the bike shift however you prefer.
Really, this is one of the greatest features in modern electronic groupsets. Set the buttons to do whatever you want, even making it possible to operate both front & rear derailleurs with one hand from one Ergopower lever.
In the end, it’s this simple app-based shift customization combined with overall improved hand positions on the new Super Record 13 groupset that makes it outperform previous generations. Add that to the improved ergonomics of the levers, the faster shifting, and the mostly unchanged and excellent disc braking performance, and this really is a better riding groupset out on the road than anything Campagnolo had produced before.
A new top-tier, lightweight road bike groupset
This all-new Campy Super Record 13 groupset is a strong statement that Campagnolo can still produce a top-tier groupset to rival the best that Shimano or SRAM have to show.
While I think I would have been fine without adding that extra gear sandwiched in the middle of the 12 that were already there. It’s undeniable that Campagnolo delivered smoother gearing and cadence steps with 13-speeds. The new black chrome finish to the chain and cassette really do quiet the drivetrain as you ride, so I guess I can believe that it also reduces friction at the same time.
And yes, Campy Super Record 13 is said to be 75g lighter, making it now incrementally lighter than the ~2.5kg total weight of a Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 or SRAM Red AXS groupset. We are all weight weenies at heart, so lighter always feels better, right?
Made in Europe, Mostly
Lastly, I really appreciate that the new Campy Super Record 13 groupset is made mostly in the EU.
It is a mix between 1 factory in Italy, and 2 in Romania that make up more than 80% of the individual elements of the new groupset. And then, there are still quite a number of electronic parts like silicon chips, switches, motors & batteries that they do outsource to production across Asia where that manufacturing expertise exists.
I had a chance to get a rare look inside of Campagnolo’s factory at their headquarters in Vicenza, Italy and it was interesting to see steel turned into chains and cassettes, to see aluminum turned into rims, bottom brackets, and crankset inserts, and carbon fiber rolls turned into derailleur cages, levers, and cranksets. We’re still working with Campy on what exactly we’ll be able to show from inside the factory without giving away trade secrets.
But stay tuned, because it will be interesting.
We will reveal quite a bit of what happens behind those iconic dark gray Campagnolo factory doors.
Where does Campagnolo go from here?
This is where the concrete details get thin. We know that Campagnolo has Super Record 13 available now for conventional 2x road bike builds. And you can read about that in detail here. But we also know that this just the beginning for the new Campy Super Record 13 platform. Time trial setups are coming – that should mean 1x builds are wireless remote TT shifters. Gravel racing setups are coming too – that will mean some form of Super Record 13 derailleur with a clutch for 2x and probably 1x, as well.
The remaining questions are just what happens in between, and when?
We haven’t seen any 1x Super Record 13 drivetrains with our own eyes, only 2x. But 1x seems like a logical progression of the functional success of Ekar, whether on gravel for rough road simplicity and chain retention, or on the road or TT racecourse for improved aerodynamics. In any case, Campy promised us a new platform to fill out throughout this year, with the next ‘configurations’ starting in September 2025. We’re pretty excited to see and ride whatever comes next from the drivetrain engineers in Vicenza.
