This article was produced in collaboration with Campagnolo and was first published in Rouleur Issue 139
The driving (and braking) force behind any dream build is the groupset. Some might argue that it’s even more important than the frameset it’s attached to. The groupset provides the propulsion and stopping power to any exploit, and leaves you firmly in control.
Traditionally, once you’ve selected your drivetrain and brakes, that has been that – you’re locked into your Italian, American or Japanese philosophy and the discipline it was intended for. While it has been possible to tweak and alter things further down the line, it wasn’t always seamless and could require some off-menu, mixed-range modifications, particularly if you intend to go down the 1x route.
Campagnolo is proposing another way. The Italian manufacturer’s new Super Record platform expands its world-first wireless 2x13 road groupset release from earlier this year into all-road and gravel, with riders able to pick a full suite of components to suit the job at hand. And if the task changes, for example, switching from road to all-road, it’s simply a case of swapping out individual parts of the puzzle to expand your bike’s potential, rather than a root-and-branch overhaul.
This cross-platform compatibility is a pioneering step for Campagnolo, which is combining its prestige, heritage and made-in-Italy credentials with a revolutionary solution that knows no limits.
Origin story
With riders’ needs evolving quickly in recent years, it became clear to Campagnolo that change from the groupset manufacturers was desperately needed – and so it took a bold lead. On the road, the race for aerodynamics was reaching boiling point, which in part led to the rise in 1x drivetrains for certain parcours. Off-road, gravel was becoming more professional and performance-oriented, while the desire for wider tyres was continuing at pace in both gravel and all-road.
Federico Gardin, Campagnolo’s head of global product and marketing, says: “It’s more and more popular for people to have just one bike for different types of riding; maybe they have two pairs of wheels, one with a setup for gravel and one for road. Also, the bike brands are providing several different frames under the road category; there are many different frame options or setups that change the geometry, so there was a need to answer all these possible configurations.”
Rather than try to cater for different configurations in silos with a variety of different ranges, Campagnolo took a holistic approach. “We know there are several segments inside the drop-bar range, and we wanted to create something smarter in order not to have a specific groupset for each segment, but as a platform,” he explains.
The first release from the new Super Record range to break cover was the 2x13 road groupset launched in June 2025. Another world first for the manufacturer, which also beat its American and Japanese rivals to 2x12 in 2018, 2x11 in 2008 and 2x10 in 2000, it was lauded for the cassette’s 13th cog, the return of the iconic thumb shifter, reduced pricing and design flourishes. “At the launch of the 2x13 road, we always mentioned the idea of a platform,” says Gardin. “We were already developing all the different options in parallel, and we wanted to embrace all these different types of customer, who are interpreting their way of riding in a different way.”
Fantastic five
The result is a Super Record range with five different configurations. “We wanted to enlarge and complete the platform, covering everything we consider under the drop bar range – from all-road, to gravel and also TT,” Gardin says.
In addition to the 2x13 road-specific set-up, the new platform features a 1x13 for road, 1x13 for TT, 2x13 for all-road, and 1x13 gravel – the latter denoted by its Super Record X name.
“These five applications are obtained with three different rear derailleurs,” explains Gardin.
The 1x and all-road set-ups use Campagnolo’s new proprietary Nano Clutch rear derailleur, which uses a clutch system to create more chain tension and guarantees flawless operation, while the Super Record X features its own specific rear derailleur.
All use the same Ergopower shifter design, callipers and 160mm/140mm rotors, while the 1x options benefit from aero chainrings and a reduced, competitive price point courtesy of the option to buy a left Ergopower shifter that is essentially a brake lever without any electronics. All can also be bought with or without an integrated SRM power meter.
The platform’s gearing ratio offerings are the widest available on the market and should be able to handle any terrain or conditions, from the road and TT 1x13’s 52x10-29 to the all-road 2x13’s 45/29x11-36, but its true innovation comes in its cross-compatibility. “If you wanted to have a road 1x but you wanted to have a wide gear option, like some pro riders did in the Classics this year, you can have that. But we don’t have the limitation of needing a UDH dropout,” says Gardin.
“It’s a standard link that can be used on any frameset.”
X marks the spot
The standout configuration from the latest Super Record release is arguably the gravel racing-focused Super Record X – Campagnolo’s first wireless gravel groupset, and the first wireless 1x13 setup in the market.
“The market is very focused on gravel, and it’s an interesting moment for this segment,” says Gardin. “Super Record X is a complete groupset that we think is really competitive and can provide a smart solution for the end consumer.”
Gardin explains that the ‘X’ makes it easy to associate for gravel riders, but also denotes range-specific components. “It has its own rear derailleur – the Super Record X rear derailleur – which has the Nano Clutch to maintain proper chain tension on rough terrain, but a longer carbon cage for use with the 9-42 and 10-48 cassettes.” Despite its longer cage the X derailleur’s weight is very similar to that of the purely road version, yet it features class-leading impact resistance and rigidity.
Efficiency is boosted by two pulleys with different diameters and positions: the upper, 12-tooth guide pulley operates eccentrically, on a rotation axis set back from the cage so as to maintain the correct distance even on large teeth, while the lower tension pulley is a 16-tooth oversized version that smoothes chain movement at its entry point. Both pulleys have differentiated tooth profiles, designed to accommodate each individual chain link for perfect glide. The result is smooth, fast, precise, and silent shifting, even in the most extreme conditions, and the removable battery has a range of up to 750 kilometres. It’s easily charged with Campagnolo’s charging cable via the quick-snap magnetic port.
The aesthetics are unmistakably Campagnolo: carbon with a direct-mould finish elegantly paired with laser-engraved and anodised aluminum. It’s not just the look – the X derailleur can also be used with the platform’s 1x13 road crankset, opening up 50 and 52-tooth chainring options for flat, fast racing and creating a single-chainring road bike with the widest range of gear ratios on the market.
Meanwhile, the Super Record X 1x crankset is the result of an engineering study aimed at combining structural rigidity, mechanical efficiency, light weight, and functional aerodynamics. Like the other components, it’s manufactured in Europe and features Campagnolo’s distinctive style with exposed carbon fibre cranks – except it has exclusive branding with the Super Record X logo on the outside and an ‘X’ on the inside.
There are eight chainring sizes from from 38 to 48 teeth, with a new profile developed from Ekar that’s specifically designed for optimal chain engagement, uniform traction even in dead spots, and chain stability on the roughest terrain.
The crankset runs on Campagnolo’s proven Ultra-Torque steel axle, revised to adjust Q-factor to 152mm for compatibility with gravel bike frames that have larger tyre clearance.
The Super Record X offering is completed by the new QCK-Tech bottom bracket: this includes Campagnolo low-friction bearings sealed with an additional patented external seal for ultimate protection against mud and dust, ensuring maximum mechanical efficiency, durability and longevity.
When combined with the Super Record 2x13 all road setup, Campagnolo’s premium offroad offering has never been so extensive. It doesn’t end with the new platform, either.
Reinventing the Bora
“Thinking about fast gravel racing events like Unbound and Traka, we also needed to create a wheelset to combine with our groupset – the Bora X,” says Gardin.
While its Bora range is renowned in road racing, Campagnolo had to start from scratch with its first gravel wheelset. “The approach is completely different,” he explains. “Super reactive wheels don’t provide you with great performance, so we needed to work on our compliance and find the best package.”
The resulting design has an internal width of 27mm that is compatible with a 35mmplus tyre, and a unique, aerodynamically optimised 50mm deep profile. The hooked rims are laced in Campagnolo’s distinctive G3 pattern to aluminium hubs with 21 spokes, while Fulcrum’s USB ceramic bearings keep things smooth and reduce maintenance. Finished in black and black chrome to match the Super Record groupset’s colourway, they look the part, and at 1,430g, they are also incredibly competitive on the scales.
It’s these credentials that Gardin believes give the Bora X appeal beyond the sharp end of gravel races, too. “They can be really good wheels for endurance and all road applications – for example, it’s becoming more and more popular to run a 35mm or 40mm slick tyre, so the Bora X could be combined with the 2x all-road platform.”
A return to form
It’s this forward-thinking, innovative approach to its latest releases that will see Campagnolo leading the premium groupset market just as it always has. The end user – and the various ways they will use the range – has clearly been at the forefront during all stages of its conception and design, and there has never been a more comprehensive offering or wider range of gear ratios for drop bar bikes.
“It has been really challenging, but we have a super competitive product, specifically in the gravel segment,” says Gardin. “People want to have options for their bikes – otherwise, all the high-end gravel setups have just one configuration – and what we are offering is unique.”
