New Campagnolo Record 13 is a true rival to Shimano Ultegra – and it couldn't have come sooner

Campagnolo has announced the release of new Record 13 – a groupset we’ve been clamouring for and a serious rival to Shimano’s Ultegra Di2/GRX Di2 and all iterations of SRAM’s Force AXS for 1x.

With no fewer than five configurations of the new Record 13, it covers road, all-road and gravel bikes.

The new groupset looks good, too, sharing much of the same design as Super Record, with common lever ergonomics, derailleur architecture and crankset.

Like Super Record, it’s all European-made. The only differences are the materials Campagnolo has used, with Record employing more cost-effective alloys and steel bearings, where Super Record gets carbon, titanium and ceramic.

• Read more: Campagnolo launches 1x13-speed gravel groupset and hints something "more affordable" is on the way

Weights, prices and options

Record is between 208g and 342g heavier than Super Record, dependent on specification. Of course, that’s to be expected.

The exciting news is that Record is significantly cheaper than Super Record, to the tune of more than £1,400 / €1,600, and in the same price range as Ultegra Di2, GRX Di2 and SRAM's Force AXS iterations.

It's priced at £2,300 / €2,399 for the 2x13 version and £1,800 / €2,129 for 1x. Adding a power meter adds another £560 to the price.

Ultegra’s RRP is £2,683, with GRX Di2 £1,702.

SRAM’s offerings come in at a similar level, with Force AXS 2x12-speed at £2,168 / $2,432 / €2,423 – or £2,528 / $2,842 / €2,823 with a power meter. Force XPLR AXS 13-speed is £2,102 / $2,358 / €2,345 with a power meter – or £1,917 / $2,153 / €2,135 without.

However, the SRAM and Shimano groupsets have been on the market for longer, so you can find all their configurations significantly cheaper than the official RRPs.

Claimed weights

The 2x13 groupset comes in at 2,783g versus 2,480g, a weight penalty of only 375g for the 2x setup, and 208g more for the 1x13 option at 2,777g.

Shimano Ultegra Di2 in 2x12 weighs 2,716.5g (66.5g lighter) and SRAM Force AXS 2x12 is 2,689g (94g lighter).

For gravel, Force XPLR AXS comes in at 2,648g (129g lighter), with Shimano’s GRX Di2 1x12 weighing in at 2,987.5g (210.5g heavier).

That sees Campagnolo’s Record 13 slipping in between Shimano and SRAM, both on price and weight.

When it comes to options, however, the Vincenzo component master has its Chicago and Sakai rivals beat.

3 disciplines, 5 configurations, lots of options

Record 13 now comes in versions aimed at road, gravel and all-road/adventure.

That means 2 different Record rear derailleurs – the standard road model and a Nano-Clutch equipped Record X model that's designed to maintain chain tension on rougher surfaces.

Campagnolo has the competition beat for chainrings, too, with 55/39, 54/39, 53/39, 52/36, 50/34, 48/32 and 45/29 options for 2x road and all-road, and 38, 40, 42, 44, 46, 48, 50 and 52 single-ring cranksets with a 45.8mm chainline.

For gravel, there are single-chainring options of 38, 40, 42, 44, 46, 48, 50 and 52, with a 47.5mm chainline. The Record X cranksets are available in 165, 170 and 172.5mm arm lengths.

When it comes to cassettes, Record has two road options, 10-33 and 11-36, although Record is fully compatible with Super Record, so you can also add a choice of 10-29 and 11-32.

For gravel, a single cassette option of 10-48 is available, although Super Record adds a close-ratio 9-42.

Record 13 configurations and weights

Subtle differences, same functionality

All the Record components look very similar to Super Record. The construction and materials have been the subject of subtle, cost-effective changes.

For instance, the crankset has the same marble-like UD carbon finish as Super Record, but the carbon construction is different, with a little more material than the lightweight hollow method and forgoing the similarly lightweight titanium spindle in favour of an alloy one. 

The power meter crankset is based on the same HPPM meter on the Super Record crankset. However, here it comes with a claimed +/- 2% accuracy, compared to the Super Record meter's +/- 0.5%.

The difference in the rear derailleur is more subtle, with the Record derailleur's body the same two-piece, fully carbon design.

The Record unit uses stainless steel bearings throughout, though, compared to the ceramic of Super Record. The cage plates are steel and alloy, compared to Super Record's carbon/alloy design, and the rear derailleur can be specified with a standard hanger fitment or a UDH.

Both front and rear derailleurs use the same onboard batteries as Super Record. There's the same 750km range and the same mag-lock to USB-C charge-cable compatibility. This means you can charge the batteries via any power source, including your phone, so you should never get caught short without power.

The shifters follow the same design as Super Record too, with the same internal thumb shifter, shift lever, mode button, smart button and status LED.

The hydraulic disc calipers are the same bodies as Super Record, but here the finish is monotone gloss/matt black. Like the Super Record calipers, they are compatible with both 140 and 160mm rotors. The brakes come with organic pads, with sintered pads offered as an option.

Campagnolo has also made Record fully compatible with both Super Record and the suite of Ultra upgrades, including the aero-carbon chainrings, should you want to add a touch of bling to your group down the line.

My Campy app control

Record uses the same tech as Super Record and it's compatible with the highly regarded MyCampy app.

With a featureset to rival SRAM’s AXS, the My Campy app offers a digital garage where you can add multiple bikes with individual profiles and settings. It will monitor each bike for updates and battery condition.

Like SRAM and Shimano, you can also fully customise the Ergopower controls and assign functions to buttons, with lots of factory presets and accessibility presets for one-handed riding.

It also promises seamless integration with bike computers, with full compatibility with Garmin and Wahoo – along with other major brands. With ANT+ connectivity, you can assign Ergopower buttons to control screen switching or control lights, too.

It’s coming on bikes too

In recent years, it’s been apparent that Campagnolo has struggled to get any real traction as original equipment on bikes.

Aside from a few premium/exotic brands, we haven’t seen Campagnolo on major bikes in a long time.

That’s all set to change. With Trek one of the launch partners for Record 13, we’ll see a 2x13-speed Madone in stores very soon.

Orbea has also announced the Orca M22 LTD Power, at £6,999 / $8,299 / €7,999 with Campagnolo Record 2x13 and power meter. There's also the new M22 Team, with the same groupset and power meter for £5,299 / $6,299 / €5,999.

For gravel, there's the Terra Race M22 LTD 1x at £5,543 / $6,299 / €6,299 with 1x Record 13, and the Terra M22 Team 1x at £5,299 / $5,999 / €5,999.

Orbea has also announced a Super-Record equipped gravel option with power meter and Fulcrum Sharq 47 wheels at £8,799 / $10,499 / €9,999.