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Wed 4 Jun, 6:03 pm UTC

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Campagnolo moves to 11 speed

By James Huang, Technical editor

Campagnolo's official launch of its 2009 product line is still a few weeks away but a rash of leaked information already has our mouths watering for what's to come.

First, the big news: Campagnolo will apparently make the jump to an 11-speed cassette for its top three groups which will now include a modern revival of the Super Record nameplate. According to unconfirmed rumours, that extra cog will be squeezed into the same space as the current 10-speed setups.

While this means likely backwards compatibility with existing hubs and wheelsets, it does signal narrower cog spacing and chain widths, and probably a subtle adjustment in chainring spacing, as well as yet another shifter and derailleur 'standard' that will surely create some headaches on the retail level. The new chain is also supposedly just 5.5mm wide which raises the obvious concerns regarding drivetrain wear, although we all said the same thing when 10-speed was debuted, too.  

We're curious what tullio would think of an 11-speed cassette.: we're curious what tullio would think of an 11-speed cassette.

What would Tullio think?

We'll reserve judgment here until we're able to try it ourselves and, for now, will just hope that Campagnolo engineers have done their homework.

There is also speculation on the new lever shape and we can only imagine that it might resemble the curvaceous prototypes we spotted at the Tour of Flanders back in April. The current shape admittedly works well for most but is getting long in the tooth so we won't be surprised to see something new here.

The shape of (campy) things to come in 2009?: the shape of (campy) things to come in 2009?

Much as Campagnolo did back in the day with the original Super Record group, the new version is said to feature some performance-enhancing material upgrades. The current Record group is already rife with titanium hardware but Super Record will likely be fitted with ceramic bearings across the board, including the bottom bracket bearings (which still use the current Ultra-Torque system as far as we know), hubs and derailleur pulleys. With Record pricing already at stratospheric levels, one can only imagine how far into the ionosphere Super Record will go.

Those ceramic bearings are also rumoured to find their way into updated Bora and Hyperon wheelsets and it sounds as if Campagnolo will jump on the road tubeless bandwagon with two options for 2009. Other groups from Centaur down are also said to be wholly redesigned.

Check back soon for exclusive photos on BikeRadar.

User Comments

There are 23 comments on this post

Showing 1 - 23 of 23 comments

  • The world is going crazy !

  • Surely a lighter 10 speed would be better. I havn't progressed off 8 yet and don't really see why I'd need the extra 3. I'd rather have more reliable light strong kit than overly complicated.

  • So long as this doesn't encourage Shimano to release 10speed mountain bike parts I don't care.

    It's getting a bit excessive though, I'd also rather maybe just have 8 or 9 speed to be honest.

  • I have 9 speed on my mountain bike but because of the angles some of the extreme gears don't work without the chain hitting the dérailleur. So instead of having 27 gears you only really have about 24.

  • 11.

    11?

    ELEVEN??

    How the f---??

  • I remember 5 speed, I never broke a chain and never had to clean my bike! Then 9 came along some time later and over the years I've developed a 'lighter touch' and I now ooze elbow grease after each ride just so I don't have to do overtime for a new chainset. I don't really notice downsides of 9 anymore but I sure as hell did when they first came along. Still, it's not as if people using this kit will ever have to worry about repairs or cleaning. That's what the butler in the Saab with the other three bikes is for.

    I'm firmly in the '8 speed ruled' seat. (Is it just me, or is 9 more rust resistant than 8?)

  • Clearly, the Campy folk should speak to my boss regarding a salary increase. It is getting a bit out of control.

  • "I dont know what to do with all these gears"..................Stephen Roach, when moving from 6 to 7 speed.

  • Super Fatty - that's likely to be the way it's setup. You should be able to access all 27 gears, but it's not recommended for prolonged use.

    Having more cogs on the cassette is more about having a narrower selection of gears than actual number of gears you can use anyway.

  • It's all going a bit spinal tap, isn't it?

  • GOOOOOOOOOO CAMPAG!!

    Whats crazy` about pushing the development of components. I`ll have one if it comes to the market when my kit needs an upgrade, no question. Ceramic, titanium, more carbon, bring it on.

    Don`t we all need things to save up for??

  • i hope those levers are only prototypes and not the finished product. i prefer the traditional look and feel of the current campy levers. the prototypes look too much like shimano.

  • I'm sure I've been spotting more broken chains than punctures on the cyclosportive circuit for the past couple of years?

  • I fail to see what was wrong with 10 speed. Although I struggle to see why more than one gear is necessary.... I agree that its all gone spinal tap. And I'll bet this groupset will hit the 2k mark. If its my money, I'd go Dura Ace all the way.

  • The levers look too much like Shimano for my liking, no problem with 11 speed as long

    as chain tooth ware is not an issue.

    Having just returned to cycling after a ten year break I have been surprised at the number of chain breakages that have occured on club runs, something that was unheared of before also the fact that people carry multi-tools with rivet extracors must tell a story!

  • Hey who hasn't wished they had an 11 on a 12-25 cassette or an 18 on a 11-23? I've never had problems with campy chains and Im confident they can pull it off. If I had the money right now, I'd call up my distributor right now and put in an order for a group or two.

  • So ugly!

  • Has anyone counted the cassette they have in the picture? I counted 10 gears...

  • egads! i'm glad i'm not the only one who thinks those shifters are awful looking.... i hope Campy comes to their senses... One of the reasons I ride Campy is their classic, wonderful, functional shifter shape.

    11 speeds?..... why not lets get rid of the "chain" and "cogs" altogether and just have an infinite friction cassette, made of carbon of course...

    Really the attempt to make ceramic bearings standard is sort of exciting, since hopefully it will eventually trickle down to a groupset I might one day be able to afford...

  • 8 works fine for me too - eleven is just a marketing gimmick

  • Will the new shifter have the red logo on it too?

    maander

  • Lol, of course they're going 11-speed; I finally gave in and bought a 2008 10-speed Centaur group. I read (on cyclingnews, I think) that only the top three groups will be 11 (Super Record, Record, and Chorus), but my plan was to gradually upgrade to Chorus--now, obviously, I can't.

    Bicycle components are getting out of hand. This constant expansion of cassettes is reminiscent of the arms race that men's razors recently went through, where every few months a razor would come out that had an extra blade on it. What's it up to now, four or five? Ridiculous.

    I think I'll hold out for a 15-speed before I upgrade (shouldn't be too long now).

  • At the risk of being put at the front of the Luddite queue - I'm building a new road bike up (slowly) with 9 speed parts NOS of E-bay and the like as they will be compatible with the other 9 speed cycles I have if I need to swop any components over. On a purely aesthetic note though I don't like the latest campag levers you picture - they resemble Shimano's 'child's toy ray guns' too much for my liking. Yes I know the finish on them is like jewellery but nevertheless..............

  • 1

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