Don’t call it a come back, Campagnolo’s new 13-speed groupset is (almost) a knock out

I got my hands on Campagnolo’s new Super Record 13-speed wireless groupset just ahead of the launch last week, and I’ve been riding it every day since. In all weathers too. The rolling but largely flat countryside and quiet roads around where I live are the perfect place to examine whether or not anyone needs an extra ratio out back – cadence is key round here – and whilst 13-speed is the headline at the launch of this groupset, I’m just as keen to see if Campagnolo can get itself back in the race for ‘best road groupset’.

At first glance the spec sheet is promising. With the launch of Super Record 13, the Italian brand appears to have gone back to its knitting.

With a claimed weight of 2445g that would make it the lightest of the big three, and with pricing now competitive at the top tier, the remaining question the new Super Record has to answer, is whether or not it performs, and what is it like to live with. If it can answer those questions emphatically, without the hesitation that came with the last version, Campagnolo could be back in the race. If it can’t, it begs the question, what is Campagnolo for anymore? That for me, would be an operatic tragedy.

The revised BB cups are called Quick Tech and I’m told there is no cross compatibility with earlier UT or Protech BB’s. The retainer clip and wavey washer are essentially the other way around, but functionality is largely the same. I suspect Campagnolo has done this to stop any mixing and matching with incorrect chain and rings, now that the chain is narrower. The bearings are still mounted on the axle. While it’s better than chancing the alignment by mounting them in the frame, it’s still a pain for your mechanic.

This is a big mech. While it’s smaller and better proportioned than the last one, the current Dura Ace mech still looks more compact. However, the next version of DA will need to mount batteries in the rear mech. If the XTR launch is anything to go by, Shimano won’t have the sleeker and smaller option for long, and the new Super Record mech does look very special, albeit less elegant than EPS.

One small gripe is that you can unintentionally shift gears when braking and shifting at the same time, such as when approaching a junction. Your hands are loaded up under braking at this point, slowing the bike, with fingers wrapped on the brake lever. There’s a lot of hand for the set up to accommodate in this moment and you can fudge a shift in the wrong direction. Bear in mind I do have size 12 hands. Once you’re aware it’s there and you’ve made provision for it, the thumb shifter never really feels in the way however.

In terms of the function when pressed, both thumb shifter and paddle have a short throw, giving no sense of latency, and at the same time requiring only a light touch. That’s quite a clever mix, especially given the haptic response of the shift button is clear and communicative, and this helps make shifting feel direct, and deliberate. This was my favourite aspect of the system, and the buttons feel great, too. Hold the button for just a while longer and you can dispatch three gears at a time or as many gears as you need without delay. All the buttons on the ergopower lever are configurable in the app, and there’s also a neat ‘one hand’ mode, so you can control both mechs from one lever if needed.

The paddle shift lever on the back of the brake lever is a wonder of ergonomics on its own. No matter where your hands are positioned on the hoods, the tip of your ring finger can find the inside edge of the relatively large real estate given to the paddle. The inside edge tells you you’re there, in a way that neither SRAM or Shimano can; the former has a larger but smooth-ish paddle, while the Di2 paddles can be fiddly to locate. Like the thumb shift haptics, you also know you’ve pressed the button, not because of an arduous click or long throw though. It all just feels efficient, and you know you’ve done it.

The new brake lever kicks out considerably, clearing the centre line of the bar, leaving what feels like class-leading clearance for your fingers. The previous versions, and Di2 does trap fingers, way before the brake caliper is entirely on at times. With this design and the short throw on the brake lever, this is way less likely. The levers themselves look very classy, feel good, and they’re adjustable for reach.

Fundamentally, the downside of running a 32t cassette is bigger jumps and that problem is better managed here with 13 ratios. In fact, it’s eliminated. For a fast TT style ride over rolling hills, or endurance work on an even smaller cassette where maintaining a consistent power output is essential, there is no downside to having the extra ratio. Especially when the shift feels this fast and addictive.

Once set up, you shouldn’t need the app too much. This is good news, because it’s not great as it is. Having experienced initial set up issues with the front mech, I went into the app to look for adjustment, status, and assess set up. I couldn’t. Clicking on the front mech icon serves up the rear mech menu. This is clearly a bug, but this is not forgivable in what is not a pre-launch version of the app.

The brakes are still brilliant. There wasn’t much needed changing here, but they’ve found some titanium screws to drop a bit of weight (7g) and made some changes to the brake pad, whilst adding a sintered option for better performance in the winter. I rode in wet and dry on the ‘standard’ pads, and Campagnolo’s brake system is still outstanding. Feel is great at the lever, with all the modulation and power that you need.