Campagnolo: Inventions That Changed Cycling Forever

Campagnolo is one of the most famous names in cycling. Synonymous with class, style and innovation, the brand has been at the forefront of bike technology since it was founded in the 1930s. Alex takes a look through the history of this iconic and pioneering brand, from its humble beginnings to its game changing designs that have transformed cycling forever!

00:00 Intro
00:58 Birth of Campagnolo
02:15 Quick Release
03:15 Rod Gear
04:00 Derailleurs
05:06 Groupsets
06:19 Motorsport & Aerospace
07:03 Campagnolo Corkscrew
07:58 50 Year Anniversary
09:16 Wheels
10:12 Internal Cabling
10:57 Electronic Shifting
12:07 Continued Innovation

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What is your favourite Campagnolo innovation? 🧐 Let us know in the comments below! 💬

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📸 Photos - © Velo Collection (TDW) / Getty Images & © Sprint Cycling Agency

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[gcn]

What is your favourite Campagnolo innovation? 🧐 Let us know in the comments below! 👇

[westydoodle]

I can honestly say that Campagnolo made me love cycling. I have always loved their dedication to quality and innovation.

[MichelBertrand]

My favorite Campy moment was when I bought my first steel custom bike with Campy Record C back in 1985.
It already had hidden brake cables by the way, so a lot earlier than 1992.
I put every last cent I had ever put in the bank on it at the time, and rode on it for 18 years.
I still have it in my basement. It's so beautiful, I will never part with it.
I still ride another custom bike now, from 2007, this time a titanium bike with mechanical Super Record.
This one sleeps besides my bed right here as I'm typing this.

[andrewmcalister]

3:19 That rod gear looks ground breaking and truly terrifying all at the same time. I'm glad Tullio Campagnolo followed it up with a cable actuated derailleur a few years later. Thanks for the trip through cycling's heritage, Alex.

[mplsmark]

Years ago I was in a secondhand sporting goods store and I bought a 1970’s road bike. It had Campagnolo GS components. It really was a step up from my Schwinn LeTour. While servicing the hubs I noticed they actually engraved the thread pitch on the axle cones, such care and detail. I was hooked,
I love the Ergopower shifters, small parts are available, they are rebuildable and even when worn or scratched they don’t look terrible like STI levers do.
The early 2000’s hubs are beautifully designed, aluminum axles, loose ball and adjustable with just a little Allen wrench.
I’m no longer upgrading, 10 speed works and the stuff is made so well, it just keeps going.

[jamesM]

Still using Campag Record and Super Record components after 40 years and still working perfectly. The Delta brakes are simply the best looking brakes ever produced. Regular maintenance is key.

[michaeljohl]

Another thing that was ignored by even a lot Campagnolo riders is the way the first Record Ergopower breaklever break-opening feature worked. As with all Campagnolo rim breaks since Ergopwer, they were opened with a little bolt at the breaklever that was pushed inwards. To close the breaks the bolt has to be pushed outwards again. All of that could be done while riding without risking you fingers get into the spokes. But at the first generation Record Ergopower it was just a pull of the breaklever to push the bolt back in place and close the break again. I am sure most people do not know that.

[tommyfreckmann]

I love Campy! I have used 7 different Campy groupsets, 2 being EPS and the others being Mech. Currently, One of my Pinarello has Record EPS 11, and I just got another F10 with Campy 11 Mech... My God, when the mechanical is properly setup, it is amazing! I was planning to put EPS onto the F10 too, but I think it will stay mechanical.

[gordonmorrow]

I bought the Tern GSD and love it. It is my favorite purchase of all time. he new Tern panniers are nice, however I mounted a large plastic produce crate on the back rack and I like it much better than panniers which I rarely use. Why? Convenience. I just plop my grocery bags, packages, gloves, Sun glasses etc into the box and start riding. There are no panniers to unlatch or roll up. Another tip: I made a giant “shower cap” for my box. It keeps rain out and stuff from blowing out. I made it from rubber tubing and clear vinyl sheet goods and vinyl glue. Ace Hardware had everything I needed. I had a black rubberized cover, which I ordered on the internet but I really like the clear cover much better. I can instantly see whatever is in side the crate. If you like bike riding you will absolutely love riding a cargo bike. It is so practical for a city environment. We even got rid of one car. It was never needed once i got the cargo bike.

[bearthompson]

I have always loved the older chainring design. A work of art with its arcs and symmetry. And the components used to be serviceable and not just replaced.

[JayRob]

Superb video, Alex. You're a natural. One of the very best from GCN.

[marcabbey]

Great and informative video made all the better with some great cinematography. Climbing Cheddar Gorge is a fantastic experience and having it this video was a welcome bonus

[pierrehofmeyr]

Bought my black Art deco Tecnos Colnago fitted with 9 speed Chorus Campagnolo in 1995. Upgraded to V1 Record EPS 11 speed and still prefers All Italian components!

[jalvarez]

Thank you for showing pictures of the electronic group sets when you were talking about them it was so satisfying to see pictures when you were talking about the electronic group sets that we never heard about wow thank you for showing the pictures. Wait, you didn’t show pictures

[PaulStregevsky]

Not sure what it means to say that components in a groupo (group set) were meant to "work together." They werd designed to sell together. In 1974, I built a bike whose brake set used components from seven different manufacturers. Worked great.

[maxsievers]

I prefer the derailleur to be operated desmodromically. This makes shifts consistent and easy. Rene Herse is offering such a derailleur.

[paullinnitt]

I would love to see someone riding a bike with a dual rod gear. It would be amazing to see how easy/ difficult it was to use. Does anyone have a frame? I have never seen one on a bike, even in museums.

[jonathanfroggatt]

Not sure if campagnolo is a force today as it was back then but back in the 80s and 90s they had some me beautiful group sets which I could only dream of buying and still do today. ❤

[MyMyian]

It was not just racing equipment where they led the way, touring equipment was innovative with the Campag Rally rear derailleur, circa 1975, which could handle wide ratio gears e.g. 50-36 front and 14-28 rear unheard of elsewhere at the time.

[eegaugh]

Pro mechanics favoured Campag because the company rep attended races and operated a generous on-the-spot-replacement policy for defective parts.
Internal cabling dates from the 1940s if not earlier.