March 20, 2019 (Girona, Spain) – Campagnolo’s Movement 12 continues its forward momentum with the evolution of Super Record EPS 12-speed. For 85 years, Campy has been first to the line with many cycling component innovations and EPS 12-speed is their most recent victory.

For many years, Campagnolo has invited media from all over the globe to Gran Canaria to launch their latest innovations. For 2019, they chose the iconic cycling destination of Girona, Spain to proudly display their wares.

Campagnolo has one of the best research and development programs found anywhere in the cycling industry. With a careful eye on detail, utilizing the best materials and controlling every aspect of each product’s development journey, ensures the best, longest lasting cycling components on the market. All of Campy’s products are designed at their headquarters in Italy, and every part is manufactured and assembled in the EU.

Real-world testing in the pro peloton was the final step in the development of Super Super Record EPS 12-speed before offering it to the retail market. Campy’s partnership with Movistar World Tour Team was instrumental in refining the finishing touches to the groupset. The team has been racing on the SR EPS 12-speed over the past few months, including Alejandro Valverde shifting his way to his first victory of 2019 at UAE Tour.

The brains of the new EPS 12-speed system lies in the Interface V4 control system. The Mode button is positioned behind both thumb shifters allowing the rider to check battery levels, adjust, perform diagnostics and connect to the MyCampy App. The aero-designed system can be positioned in downtube-compatible frames, or neatly secured in the handlebar. The control command contains a duel-control antenna which is both ANT+ and Blue Tooth Low Energy compatible.

The newly designed Power Unit V4 battery is longer than it’s 11-speed predecessor and is firmly secured in the seat post or seat tube with the use of a special adaptor. The battery’s lifespan of up to 2,000 km, means the only worry you’ll have been is perhaps forgetting to charge it months down the road.

According to Campy their derailleur motors are the strongest on the market and provide power and precision shifting under all riding conditions. Even under heavy load, the shifting remains smooth and precise. Communication between front and rear derailleur facilitates auto-chain centering, eliminating chain rub even during cross chaining.

Super Record 12-speed EPS shares many of the features of its cable-shifting predecessor like the Ergopower rim brake shifters which are packed with performance, adjustability, comfort and beauty.

The larger up-swing levers, with an indented cut-out, make shift activation a breeze, while the larger down-shift button provides easier access when in the drops, or riding on the hoods. The new EPS Ultra Shift mechanism allows 11-upshifts and 11-downshits with one press of the levers along with the option to customize speed and gear number movements.

To give EPS shifting an even more intuitive “feel”, Campy designed Multi Dome Technology by inserting small mini discs in the down shifter so the rider can feel and hear the shifts.

 

The brake lever’s slight outswing, with subtle pressed edge, allows for a natural placement of your fingers to modulate braking. The up-shift lever tucks nicely behind this brake lever for a clean, aero-aesthetic look and feel. The brake levers allow 3-position reach adjustability with the simple push of a button, a feature my short fingers appreciated as I negotiated the tight switch-back descents on our test rides.

The Ergopower disc brake shifters have their own new internals to reflect their specific performance needs and work with the new 12-speed derailleur. These shifters are 8mm taller than the rim brake model to allow room for the vertical master cylinder and bleed port, which also allows for optimal bleeding and reduces the chance of air bubbles.

The Ergopower disc brake shifters are also fully customizable. Reach can be easily adjusted with the use of an allen key, while that same tool works the AMS system to dial in braking force.

The EPS front derailleur utilizes carbon, aluminum and titanium to create a lightweight, yet strong and precise shifting unit. It features a narrower cage and auto-position adjustment for each ring to keep chain rub at bay.

The Super Record aero profile cranksets have been lovingly prepared with Campy’s in-house, unidirectional carbon lay-up, infused with a special UV protection resin to prevent any fade to the rich, black finish. The narrower chainring profile has been chemically treated for durability. The improved 4-arm / 8-bolt spider design maximizes stiffness and component integrity and reliability. The crank has a built-in brace for an even stiffer product, with Cult Ceramic Bearing allowing faster spinning than traditional steel bearings – nine-times faster. There are three chainring options, 53/39, 52/36 and 50/34 and four sizes, allowing gearing choices and custom lengths for specific cycling needs.

The EPS rear derailleur uses 3-D Embrace Technology which provides vertical and horizontal positioning, bringing the new larger, 12-tooth pulley wheels closer to the cassette, and more forward with each up-shift increasing chain contact. This also prevents the need to alter chain length when moving between the 2-cassettes. The cage walls have been machined thinner, then chemically treated to accommodate the narrower spacing, while providing additional strength to the derailleur. At 234 grams, don’t let the lightweight fool you as the strategic use of carbon, techno polymer, and aluminum ensure strength, precise shifting and long lasting performance.

The upper body return spring absorbs road vibrations maintaining smooth, precise shifting even as your hammering on classic cobble roadways. The rear derailleur can work with the current hanger mounting system, or the newer direct mount option.

The 12-speed cassette is available in a 11-29 and 11-32 combination. The first seven independent cogs step in single gears, while the remaining six are in two units containing 3-gear clusters made of monolithic steel providing maximum stiffness to the larger cogs.

With the need to narrow the teeth while improving shifting performance, the cassette teeth are chemically treated, with new aluminum spacers supporting the cogs. Campy’s engineers designed the Movement 12 cassette to be compatible with their 11-speed wheels, allowing current owners of Bora wheelsets to easily upgrade to 12-speed.

Like all of the re-designed parts, the narrower chain maintains performance and strength while accommodating the 12 gears. Bringing the plates closer makes the chain stronger, and refinements to the pins and rollers, along with a chemical treatment, will see the chain performing for many quality kilometres.

 

All of the EPS components are secured by 100% waterproof wires while the remaining rim brake cables and disc brake fluid housing ensures 100% Campagnolo integration between the moving parts.

With the aerodynamic rim brake design comes the choice of traditional or direct mount systems. The skeleton design traditional mount brakes are smooth with the modulation coming from bearing-assisted lever movements The direct mount system has the addition of a brace to increase rigidity and frame integrity. Both brake versions use Campagnolo’s own brake pads.

The disc brake version comes with a 160mm front rotor along with the choice of 140 or 160 mm for the rear. The calipers are compatible with all flat mount frame using bolts kits coming in six sizes, thus eliminating the need for adaptors. With attention to heat displacement being placed on the calipers, the organic resign brake pads, and the rotors, Campy’s engineers focused on keeping things cool, when the braking gets hot.

Like a great wine with a gourmet meal, Campagnolo paired the global media camp release of their Super Record EPS 12-speed with Girona, Spain to perfection. Once the classroom sessions were done, the media was taken on a magical tour of the countryside in one of the greatest cycling destinations in the world.

For the test ride, the Super Record EPS 12-speed groupset was built on a Canyon Ultimate CF SLX Movistar Team bike with Campagnolo Bora 35 disc wheels. The bikes came equipped with a 50 x 34 compact crank set-up with an 11 to 32 rear cassette. This was one of the most intuitive, performance handling bike set-ups I have every ridden.

The ride took us on the famous 70 km Els Angels Circuit. The ride promised a variety of terrain, including rolling hills, 1,100 metre of climbing and some epic gravel, thanks to Sergi, our Thomson Tour Guide.

Before the ride I easily adjusted the brake levers to fit my small hands with the simple use of an allen key. From there the ride was left up to the integration between rider, frame, Bora 35 wheels and Super Record EPS 12-speed.

I found the shifting to be very intuitive, and I instantly adjusted to Campy’s one lever one action set-up. The hollow indentation of the up-shift lever was very easy to find, while operating the down shift bottom was accessible from either the drop or the tops. Their Vari Cushion hood design helped absorb road vibrations and made riding on the hoods more comfortable.

The quality of the shifting exceeded expectations. It was amazing to have the ability to instantly fast-forward up to 11-gears on a climb, especially when caught-out in the wrong gear, and then be able to do the reverse once you have topped the climb by dumping a bunch of gears to catch back on with the group This kept things rolling along nicely in the right direction.

The communication between the front and rear derailleurs, along with the symmetrical tuning of the inner chain rings virtually eliminated any cross chaining chatter, no matter how hard I tried. Even with the EPS system’s ability to improve the ride, there is still much room left for a rider’s skill to maximize the system’s intelligence even more.

Canadian Pricing
Super Record EPS 12-speed Disc- $6,412
Super Record EPS 12-speed – $5,932

Super Record EPS 12-speed is available now. For more information visit here.