Tested: Campagnolo Super Record
Apologies to the other component makers, but nobody loves them. Yes, they're respected; their parts make our bikes better, and we praise their technological derring-do. But Campagnolo is loved. Even beloved.
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Why? Is it Italy, or legendary founder Tullio, or Merckx being Merckx on Campy? Perhaps the narrative: A company that changed the way we interact with the bicycle lost their way, then found it again—this time as the rebellious underdog. A company with enough soul that they seem to be a "they" and not an "it."
No parts look more elegant on a bicycle, especially one with metal tubes. The packaging is heavy and glossy, meant to be savored as part of the experience. If you like easy, these are not your parts. Campagnolo components can be confounding. A feature seems overly complicated for no reason, or some expensive tool is required for what seems like a routine task. Yet a Campy drivetrain gets better with time; your passion blooms as you grow acquainted with it.
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The redesigned Super Record is the company's top-of-the-line mechanical group, weighing 2,004 grams and selling for $3,680 in our test configuration. It works better on more frames than its predecessors. The derailleurs are new, and shifting is lighter, more precise, and quieter. It even better prevents dropped chains; the crank is stiffer, employing a four-arm spider in one bolt-circle diameter that accepts all ring sizes. The hoods are, in Campy's words,"more pleasurable to hold." It compares well to the "competition"—though, in love's eye, there is none.
Attraction makes us irrational. The brakes have not changed in years, and they do not offer the same precision and power of their newer competitors. But they still allow us to fly. Because it is love, there is forgiveness.
Electronic drivetrains are becoming lighter and more efficient, and can perform in ways no mechanical system can. Yet somehow they don't seem quite as right as this one. This one looks, sounds, and feels right. It matches our heartbeat and radiates warmth. We can't help but love it.
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