Campagnolo

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Campagnolo is an Italian manufacturer of bicycle components with headquarters in Vicenza, Italy. The components are organised as groupsets (gruppi) and are a near-complete collection of a bicycle's mechanical parts. Campagnolo's flagship components are the Super Record, Record, and Chorus groupsets that represent their recent shift to 11-speed drivetrains. Record and the vintage Super Record (circa 1985) were the former top groupsets, followed by Chorus.^[1]

History

Campagnolo Ergopower lever

Founded by Tullio Campagnolo, the company began in 1933 in a Vicenza workshop. The founder was a racing cyclist in Italy in the 1920s and he conceived several ideas while racing, such as the quick release mechanism for bicycle wheels, derailleurs, and the rod gear for gear changing. Campagnolo have been awarded more than 135 patents for innovations in cycling technology.^[2]

At the end of the 1950s Campagnolo started to manufacture magnesium parts such as wheels for sports cars like Alfa Romeo, Ferrari and Maserati, and built chassis for NASA satellites in 1969.^[3]

Campagnolo worked with the racer Eddy Merckx, and produced lightweight parts for his bike used to beat the world hour record in 1972.

A racing bicycle, built with Campagnolo Chorus parts.

Following Campagnolo's success during the 1970s and 80s, innovation lagged as rival Shimano developed indexed gears and combined brake-gear levers. A foray into mountain biking, the Record-OR (off-road) groupset, contributed to the company's decline during those years. Despite its struggles, Campagnolo introduced its Ergopower shifter/brake levers and renewed its focus on the high-end road cycling components.

The late 1990s and early 2000s saw Campagnolo's increased use of carbon fiber and titanium parts in groupsets, and the development of wheelsets. In 2004 Campagnolo introduced a complete Compact drivetrain with smaller chainrings, to give lower gears than traditional drivetrains. Other innovations included a Hirth-joint engineered Ultra-Torque external-bearing crankset and G3 spoke lacing for racing wheels. In 2008, Campagnolo introduced 11-speed drivetrains with Super Record, Record and Chorus groupsets. Campagnolo is rumored to be developing an electronic version of its drivetrain.^[4]

Campagnolo have focused on road cycling and track cycling. Campagnolo sponsor teams in the UCI ProTour such as Caisse d'Epargne, Cofidis, Quick Step-Innergetic (Tom Boonen, Paolo Bettini), and Lampre. Campagnolo are associated with the victories of Eddy Merckx, who used Campagnolo almost exclusively and was friendly with Tullio Campagnolo.

Campagnolo Record brake caliper from the 1970s.

Trademarks

Campagnolo have used various trademarks, the best known the Campagnolo signature; another is a hub quick-release lever (Tullio's most famous innovation). The logo of the company is the winged wheel.

Race service

For many years Campagnolo provided professional race mechanics with spare parts, and technical help at races. Campagnolo rely on riders and mechanics to improve products.

Road bicycle groupsets

For 2009, road bicycle groupsets include:

• Super Record (11 speed)
• Record (11 speed)
• Chorus (11 speed)
• Athena (11 speed)
• Centaur (10 speed)
• Veloce (10 speed)
• Mirage (10 speed)
• Record Pista (Track)

Campagnolo history and timeline

1901 Tullio Campagnolo is born on 26 August in the eastern suburbs of Vicenza, Italy

1922 Tullio Campagnolo begins his racing career

1930 Campagnolo patents the quick-release hub

1933 After fabricating parts in the backroom of his father's hardware store, Tullio starts Campagnolo SPA with production of the quick-release hub

1940 Tullio hires his first fulltime employee. The derailleur enters production, enabling gears to change without removing the wheel. The pieces are handmade

1949 Campagnolo introduce a parallelogram rear derailleur, the Gran Sport

1956 Campagnolo introducea a parallelogram front derailleur

1963 The Record rear derailleur (chromed bronze) is introduced

1966 The Nuovo Record rear derailleur is introduced. Eddy Merckx used it for his first four Tour de France victories

1973 The Super Record Road and Track groups are introduced.

1983 Tullio Campagnolo dies on 3 February

1985 Campagnolo creates Delta brakes, with a parallelogram linkage to actuate the calipers.

Campagnolo Delta brake calipers from the 1980s.

1986 Introduction of re-designed Record road and track groupsets (also known as C-Record), replacing Super Record as the top of range

1987 The last year of Super Record until 2008

1989 Campagnolo introduce a mountain bike groupset, heavier and less advanced than those by Shimano and SunTour.

1992 Introduction of Ergo Power levers, combining brake lever and a shift lever to answer Shimano's STI levers

1993 Delta brakes discontinued

1994 Campagnolo leave the mountain bike components business

1995 Introduction of group names on components

1997 9-speed shifting

1998 Next generation Ergo Levers and last year of Athena

1999 Introduction of the Record Carbon Ergo levers

2000 10-speed shifting introduced

2001 Carbon-fiber shifting levers for Record group

2004 Carbon-fiber cranks for Record and Chorus groups

2005 10-speed Centaur and Chorus shift and brake levers introduced for flat bar road bikes

2006 Hollow external bearing crankset announced

2007 Introduction of 10-speed Mirage and Xenon component groups, new Ultra-Torque components

2008 Introduction of 11-speed Record, Super-Record and Chorus groups

2009 Introduction of 11-speed Athena component group below Chorus in product line

Campagnolo Super Record chainset from 1981.

Fulcrum Wheels, a company owned by Campagnolo, produces wheelsets compatible with Campagnolo and Shimano cassettes.

The ErgoBrain cyclocomputer compatible with the Ergo shifters displays cadence, gear, and the normal functions of a cyclocomputer.

Tour de France winners with Campagnolo

See also

• List of bicycle parts
• Ergo Shifting

References

External links

• Official Campagnolo site
• Campagnolo Catalogs
• Campagnolo @ velospace - bike photos with Campagnolo components
• Movie showing 1940's two-lever sliding hub Cambio Corsa shifter in operation
• Movie showing late-1940's/early-1950's single-lever sliding hub Paris-Roubiax shifter in operation
• Close-up movie of Paris-Roubaix shifter in operation
• Listing of Campagnolo -and other component- winners of the Tour De France
• Campagnolo wheels manufactured for Alfa Romeo cars