by Campagnolo appears to be going fully wireless with its new 12-speed electronic groupset called the Super Record WRL while also dropping the brand’s iconic thumb shifter, according to an FCC license filed by Campag and product leaks on retailer websites.
It’s no secret that the Campagnolo road groupset is overdue for an update, as the brand hasn’t updated any of its product lines since 2019.
Now Campagnolo seems to be following suit by going fully wireless, and that seems, at least according to this leak, to mean an all-new shifter design.
The new groupset also appears to use a 10-tooth starter sprocket on the cassette, new chainring sizes, Campagnolo’s ProTech bottom bracket and new disc brake rotors.
While all of this points to a revised electronic groupset, the future of Campagnolo’s mechanical groupsets is unclear and it remains to be seen if Campagnolo will produce a rim brake variant of the new groupset.
Here’s what we know so far.
A new switching arrangement
The current generation of Campagnolo Super Record EPS, introduced in 2019, is the only electronic groupset from the “big three” (Shimano, SRAM and Campagnolo) that routes cables from the shifters to the derailleurs.
SRAM’s eTap AXS ecosystem is fully wireless, and Shimano’s 12-speed Di2 road groupsets are semi-wireless (the shifters communicate wirelessly, but the derailleurs are wired to a central battery).
The FCC (Federal Communications Commission) is an American corporation that regulates communications via cable, radio, cable, satellite and television. Campagnolo’s filings, first reported by road.cc, are not only wireless, but show a different shifting layout than we’re used to, with the trademark thumb shifter seemingly belonging to history.
Instead, the shift paddle has two separate buttons—one for upshifting and the other for downshifting. The brake lever is still only used for braking.
This switch arrangement is similar to FSA’s K-Force WE, although it’s important to note that the buttons don’t appear to be shared on a seesaw paddle.
The shifters are powered by a CR2032 button battery, which is stored on the side of the shifter.
This can be replaced by pulling off the rubber hood cover.
The switch body is given the product code “EP23-SRD12XXX”. Break this up:
- EP stands for Ergopower (Campagnolo’s term for its controls)
- 23 for the year of publication
- SR for Super Record
- D for disk
- 12 for 12 speed
We’re not sure what the “XXX” in the product code stands for at this time.
This seems to confirm that the system is 12-speed.
It has been suggested that Campagnolo could switch to 13-speed for its road groupsets after its 1x-specific Ekar gravel groupset.
Revised hood shape
Elsewhere, the hood shape appears to be slightly shorter than the existing shifters.
The current Super Record EPS shifter for disc brakes is 8 mm higher than the shifter for rim brakes.
However, the distance between the top of the brake lever and the top of the hood looks shorter on these new shifters.
The hood cover itself appears to have been redesigned as well, with some added texture and contouring.
The shifter shown in the images accompanying the FCC application appears to be quite crude, so we expect this to be a pre-production sample.
No derailleur or rear derailleur details are included in the FCC application.
Away from the shifters…
More details of the group have been leaked to multiple retailer websites.
It looks like the new groupset will be called Campagnolo Super Record WRL.
The listings further confirm that the system is 12-speed, with all components at some point having a 12 in their name.
10t cassette sprocket
Three cassette sizes are listed – 10-25T, 10-27T and 10-29T.
Like SRAM, Campagnolo appears to be switching to a 10-tooth starting sprocket for Super Record WRL.
When Campagnolo announced their Ekar groupset, they introduced a new freehub standard called N3W (Next Three Ways), which allows the use of a 9t starter cog.
Campagnolo may choose to start this new groupset with a 10-tooth cog rather than a 9-tooth to reduce the impact on drivetrain efficiency – smaller cogs are less efficient and, as we anticipate, this a 2x setup, the wide range offered by a 9 tooth sprocket is not required (Ekar is a 1x drivetrain).
New chainring sizes
Since the smaller starting sprocket gives a harder low gear than an 11T sprocket, Campagnolo also appears to have revised the chainring options available for the groupset.
The listings suggest three options – 50/34t, 48/32t and 45/29t.
This may seem small compared to traditional crankset sizes, but the extended range offered by the 10t sprocket means most riders should be able to find adequate range with the chainring options outlined so far.
However, it is known that pro riders prefer larger chainrings. SRAM, for example, had to bring a range of pro-only chainrings (52/39 tooth, 54/41 tooth and 56/43 tooth) to meet the needs of stronger riders.
We wouldn’t be surprised if the brand offered larger chainring options for their pro teams, especially as Super Record WRL will be the groupset of choice for most Campagnolo sponsored teams.
Shimano, meanwhile, has steadfastly stuck with the 11-tooth starter sprocket and retained more traditional 54/40-tooth, 52/36-tooth and 50/34-tooth chainring options for the Dura-Ace R9200.
SRAM, on the other hand, rewrote the chainring rule book when it introduced a 10-tooth cassette sprocket, going red for 50/37-tooth, 48/35-tooth, and 46/33-tooth consumer chainring options ( SRAM also offers 1x chainring options).
Campagnolo seems to position itself somewhere between its competitors. The brand previously only offered a 48/32t crankset for their Chorus 12 groupset, with the 45/29t crankset as a new option.
ProTech bottom bracket
The listings indicate that the cranksets use Campagnolo ProTech bottom brackets.
Campagnolo has introduced its ProTech bottom bracket system for its Ekar gravel groupset.
These feature an additional seal and collar connecting the cups to provide additional protection from dirt.
When Ekar was launched, Campagnolo said it planned to adopt this standard for all new products, so it’s not surprising to see it here.
Will the EPS name remain?
While EPS (Electronic Power Shift, the name of Campagnolo’s existing electronic powertrain) doesn’t appear in the product name, it doesn’t seem to be the end of the road for the moniker.
The front derailleur confirms the component as “EPS cable pull” and the rear derailleur as “EPS spring type”.
The FCC documents strongly suggest that the front and rear derailleurs are wireless as they refer to the derailleurs as having a battery.
New brake discs
It also looks like there will be new disc brake rotors as the “Campagnolo Super Record WRL 140mm center lock” and “Campagnolo Super Record WRL 160mm center lock” rotors are listed in the dealer specs we’ve seen.
Campagnolo currently has a disc brake rotor for its road bike groupsets called the “AFS Disc Rotor” shared by the Centaur, Chorus, Record and Super-Record.
Ekar features its own special stainless steel rotor for improved durability.
When will Campagnolo Super Record WRL be released?
Brands submit products for FCC review when they are near or nearing the production stage.
This filing shows that Campagnolo is almost ready to launch Super Record WRL, although there’s no indication of when we’ll actually see the groupset spec’d on bikes.
For example, we spotted an FCC filing for what appeared to be a new SRAM Apex AXS groupset back in December 2022, but we haven’t seen anything official from the brand yet.
Given how long it’s been since Campagnolo last released a new road groupset, we’re assuming the brand is planning to make a splash with the launch of Super Record WRL.
With this in mind, Campagnolo could align the groupset’s launch with either the Giro de Italia or the Tour de France, most likely teased on the bikes owned by AG2R-Citroen – the only remaining WorldTour team still using Campagnolo groupsets.
Ultimately, however, Campagnolo is silent on a new road group, so keep an eye out for that area. When we know more, you will know more.
