First spotted at the Giro d’Italia, Campagnolo’s EPS time trial/triathlon shifting system was officially launched Thursday in Los Angeles, CA.
The electric 11-speed group features return-to-center style bar-end shifters, integrated brake/shift levers, and two new aero cranks, which are supplemented by the electric EPS transmission components launched earlier this year.
Campagnolo launched their mechanical TT/tri group last June, and the company’s engineers sought to maintain that group’s ergonomics and tactile feedback with the new electric group.
The TT/tri EPS group also shares the DTI (Digital Tech Intelligence) battery pack with the road system. To integrate the button shifters at the brake lever and bar end, Campagnolo have designed an 'interface unit,' which acts as a splitter.
Riders can shift through all 11 cogs with a single long push of a button (at the brake lever) or a single depression of the bar-end mounted lever. The brake lever buttons give a prominent click when depressed, but there is no tactile feedback for how many gears are being shifted — a rider must experiment to learn the relationship between time held and gear shifted.
The return-to-center EPS shifters can shift one gear or 11, depending on how long the lever is held down
The front derailleur auto-trim feature gives appropriate chain clearance as the rear derailleur is shifted. However, there is a slight delay between the rear derailleur action and the front derailleur’s compensation.
The entire system is completely waterproof, Campagnolo says, and a battery charge is estimated to last about 2,000km.
The time-trial system is controlled by the DTI power pack, which is the same as the company's road EPS group
The two new aero cranks are called the Bullet Ultra and Bora Ultra. Both feature a ramp-and-pin style shifting system, which Campagnolo calls "XPSS". The chainrings have eight upshift and two downshift zones. Both crank models are made in Italy and feature an aerodynamic cover and ceramic bottom bracket bearings.
The cranks differ by way of axle design, the Bullet utilizes a single axle, while the Bora has Campy's Ultra-Torque semi-axle design, which mate in the center by way of a Hirth joint. The Bullet offers three chainring combinations: 34/50, 36/52 and 39/53. Bora comes with three larger gear combinations: 39/53, 42/54 or 42/55.
Check back soon for a complete report and a full photo gallery.
