Campagnolo Record 12: Is It Better Than Di2 and AXS?

A comprehensive review of what it's like to ride the Campagnolo Record 12speed Mechanical Groupset.
I breakdown the features and share my ride impressions in several real world riding conditions.
With the industry push towards all things electronic and hydraulic, this mechanical groupset is the only high end 12 speed mechanical groupset on the market.

#12speed
#Campagnolo
#Shimano
#sramaxs
#di2
#groupset
#bikebuild

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[thegoodwheel]

A special thanks to Harold "Smiley" Davis for the awesome Slow Mo video in the park

[bobstevens]

I'm a Campag man. Forever. Great video dude!

[BacktoHardware]

“Tutto Campagnolo” 😂 forever! Cheers from Italy by a Campagnolo fan!

[lionstigersandbears]

As a baby boomer I naturally love Campy because when I started riding it represented you’ve arrived. This summer I finally bought a bike with a full Campy groupset and I understand the hype. The carbon fiber parts look great and perform how you’d expect a masterpiece of engineering to work. Thanks for your unbiased review. You identified something about the brake lever that I didn’t know. Keep riding.

[Drivertakeabreak]

Absolutely love the feel of the 10 spd Campy levers.

[benjaminwolf]

First and foremost I find Campagnolo is like a best kept secret in cycling. Those who know, KNOW.
Chorus - best bang for your buck
Record - refine Chorus
Super Record - love, simply love

[thesergeant]

Great assessment. Another application I just found about about recently is for gravel and adventure bikes. I came across a user that swapped out the wheel from a Sram X01 rear mountain bike derailleur and replaced it with the wheel from a j-tek shiftmate. This changed the pull ratio and allowed him to use Campy Record levers with a SRAM 10-52 cassette for an off road adventure bike. For brakes he used Paul Klampers. Right now the only other option for 12 speed drop bar mullet gearing is Ratio Tech+Sram levers. These Campy levers look like t hey could be a great option for adventure cyclists too.

[lukewalker]

You articulate it so well because you are smart. The bike industry relies on people buying their bikes not being critical thinking. All for profit. I tried electric shifting and I hated it.
Don't have to pony up for Campagnolo Record 12s. I rode Campy for decades and always preferred it to Shimano DA.
Sram Rival 22 is all you need with rim brakes. Great hood ergonomics unlike Shimano, very large paddle for shifting...and double tap is even better than having a thumb lever which declutters the hoods on Sram.
The bike industry has gone mad. It is the BMW business model based upon profit.
Your thinking is spot on.

[johnflynn]

Nice overall review, Campy has always been an innovator and as a premium product its price point is actually very reasonable not to mention the sheer beauty of the Campy aesthetics, the crank arms are a work of art in themselves.

[ridetotheright]

I love that Campagnolo is a traditional company that produces art! I am not surprised they are hanging on to traditional mechanisms. I am not a fan of e-shifting having tested it.

[wplg]

Wow~! Lighting is everything~!
Now you can see what I meant about useing the sunlight to
your advantage.
What a contrast in your group ride when the sun is
behind you, vs in front of you.
Just show a little patience before you roll tape.
Looks great visually now.
Glad to be of service!

[rrosomasa]

Nice video and totally agree. People don't know what they're missing out with Campy, they think is just a pricey offering, but in reality they are so much better, you do get what you pay for - high quality.
Also, I still run rim brakes and not looking to switch. And finally i'm happy with my clinchers - if it ain't broke, don't fix it!

[DPbike]

I’ve been running record 12 mechanical rim for a couple of years now. Super reliable and a pleasure to use. Being picky, the only issue I have with the groupset is the ultratorque bottom bracket / bearing system. Don’t get me wrong it’s very smooth and in my hands lasted very well but, I assume due to the way the preload on the bearings is regulated, I have never been able to get it to be as free running / frictionless as previous ‘traditional’ Campagnolo systems.

[bengt_axle]

The button on the lever is to open the brake for changing the wheel. The way Campagnolo accommodates large hands is to place a plastic insert (called "large hand insert") in between the shifter body and the handlebar, not far from the clamp. This moves the entire shifter body outwards. Many bike shops don't know what this small plastic shim is for and don't turn it over to the customer when they build a new bike. If you buy new shifters, do no throw this part out! It is very useful and if you don't need it, it can most certainly be resold as it is not an easy part to get!

The brake pull before contacting the rim can also be adjusted by turning a small set screw on the brake caliper itself.

[christophertrapp]

My biggest pet peeve in cycling components is the discontinuation of wear and tear parts. As 12 speed is becoming more prevalent, high end 11 speed wear and tear parts are becoming harder to find. One of my bikes is running mechanical Sram Red 11 speed with rim brakes. While mid-tier 11 speed cassettes probably won't die off, I know 11 speed Red cassettes will soon. Same for Dura Ace. If I'm spending well over $10k for a complete bike, I want to maintain it with the same caliber parts that it came with for over a decade. Campagnolo historically, is MUCH better than Shimano and Sram in this area. New replacement 10 speed shifters and cassettes from across their lineup are still readily available.

I absolutely love the double bend of Campy's brake lever blades. I think it's Campy's most underrated feature. I'm particular about where the thumb paddle is though. I feel like it's located a bit too high and forward for me on some group sets. I love how EPS lowered the thumb lever and made it a bit more flush to the hood. I don't have to reach up with your thumb as much from the drops. The lower end Campy levers have a similar placement, but don't allow multiple upshifts like Record. Not a deal breaker for me, but it is for many riders.

All component manufacturers have their pros and cons. For me, Campy is an experience. It's fun to use and it's well thought out. It's a technological island in many respects though, and needing dedicated Campagnolo tools can be an expensive hassle.

[hondasaurusrex]

Love your last statement-Campagnolo doesn't wear out, it breaks in. I'm kinda Campy snob.... proof.... my '87 Atala with a mix bag of Campy components that have been changed out through the years. And they all seem to work together. Did require some trips to the machine shop but only to cut the spacers on the 8 speed freewheel so my 10 speed shifter works😁.

[jimmybike]

I've got a SRAM AXS bike and a Chorus 10 speed. The feel and ergonomics of the Campy shifters wins hand down. BTW, I love the thumb button.

[slowcyclist]

As much as I think campy shifters are awesome, it simply doesn’t match up to hyperglide + on Shimano’s 12 spd systems.
You literally don’t have to back off the power and can just shift anytime that you want. On any other systems you hear a death cry from your drivetrain as the surfaces mash against each other; on shimano it just shifts, quietly.

Of course, you could try and shift the traditional way by just backing off the power. But it’s already 2022, you shouldn’t have to think of things like that when cycling when you bike can do the work your you through excellent engineering.

[iandickerson-sbui]

Thanks for the great review. I had been debating getting a new bike, but think instead I'll update my '90's steel bike which has '80's Super Record, with '23 Super Record and keep the old frame going.

[dennisdose]

Just dug out my old 8 speed Chorus Litespeed this last summer. The Campy lever system really is nice. Also, the multiple detents in the front lever make the shifting setup far less sensitive and much more tolerant of cable stretch.