Campagnolo RECORD Mechanical 12 speed longterm review

[@petepure3387]

I've always used Campagnolo... For more than 40 years now. Shimano/Dura Ace functions well and all that but it just doesn't do it for me personally.

[@pantani9886]

I don't do bland, boring Shima(NO!). I have 11-speed Super Record EPS on my dream Colnago C60 bike. 12 speed came out after, but not mad on the look's, but hopefully the next upgrade will be a stunner?

[@simonsmith2794]

What a great review, have been using 10 speed record and experienced the same issues with initial bedding in period smooth as silk once bedded in , same experience on the shifting with having to hold slightly etc , but love it , thanks for the great content keep it coming , all the best from the uk

[@richardacerra2975]

Very interesting. I recently upgraded to Super Record EPS 12 (On a Look 765 Optimum)and I find Wayno's description of the shifting characteristics is virtually the same as I experience. I am running the Campy bottom bracket and it is quiet and spins very freely. Granted Campy is expensive, but I think a small manufacturer up against a "machine", i.e. Shimano should be supported as long as their stuff is equal or better.

[@markweston3812]

Been running 11speed super record since 2014 and throughout that time it’s operated flawlessly, additionally I have used the same titanium cassette since that time and covered many thousands of kilometres with zero wear, mind you I always change my record chain every 6 months

[@9psi]

Campag are the only manufacturer now with a high end mechanical group

[@waynosfotos]

Why it is the best 🤣

[@Photo3838]

Yeah. I've had a chorus setup on my Seven Axiom for going on 20 years, now. My mechanic said that it's time to change group sets. With that kind of reliability and support that I've gotten from campy over the years, I've decided to stick with them even though just about all of the so called serious riders have switched to dura ace and Ultegra. Putting an electronic group set on my Seven didn't sound like a good idea. Like the video says, there is something about that notichiness that campy is known for that is just too sweet to give up even if electronic shifting is faster. It's kind of like the old stick shift. You just feel more connected to the bike and the road. Campy understands this market well and I'm sure that a lot of old school titanium bikes will continue to be built with campy. Shimano just thumbed their noses at us all when they discontinued their high end mechanical group sets.

[@waynosfotos]

The reality is electric is not faster. It gives a better front Derailleur shift and obviously less finger wrist moments.

[@JustinCrediblename]

I bought a used campy bike back in 2005. Still have it. Changed the chain twice. that's all... I suppose it could use an adjustment, but it shifts fine enough. never a mis-shift.

[@warrenchu6319]

7:11 Dropped chain on front derailleur: For 4 years I had always dropped the chain going from small to big chain ring when cresting a hill on my Super Record EPS 12. I finally got a chain catcher and now it never gets dropped.

[@stevec6232]

Been running record 10 for years. Its super reliable and you can refurb the shifters which i like

[@channul4887]

I think you've manged to invent 6 to 9 different ways to pronounce Campagnolo - surely a world record of sorts!

[@davidmacvicar334]

I have had Chorus 12 speed (functionally almost identical to Record) for a few weeks....So my 1st impressions are: - Very happy with the gear changes but there is a little bit of noise when I start to cross chain when on large front bracket (not fully crosschain, never do that, but I do go to 4th and 3rd largest cassette cogs). Its also then hard to check if front derailleur is touching the chain or not while riding as the view is a bit obscured. - The Calliper brakes are great (baking power) compared to old my SRAM rival (carbon rim on front / zonda on back). I had to adjust to feather more on the back wheel so the difference is significant. - Hoods are comfortable and thumb shift doesn't really get in the road when trying various positions on the bars during a rid. I dont ride a lot on the drops, using the thumb shift is ok but not ideal. Hoods are a bit more peaked on the top so slight less comfortable to put hands right on the top but when holding behind them when racing along on rough roads its very secure (hands dont slip) - I got used to the shifting on the cassette quite easily but not the front, I still have to think.... thumbshifts shift to small harder cassette at back but towards smaller easier chainring on front. Might be consistent but is taking me a while to get used to it. - Gear changes are very solid as stated for 'record' in the video and shifting multiple gears is pretty easy also. - There is a noticable effect when you suddenly stop pedalling while on the power which I have not had with SRAM or Shimano. So the chain will slacken for a second but doesn't seem to cause any issues. Is this common to Campag? - Weight wise Chorus is about 140g heaver than my full sram rival (with a 105 11-28 cassette though) to my Corus which has 11/34 cassette. Main difference is the crank weight which I think is maybe over engineered on campag considering its partly carbon. But I love the 34/34 I now have for some steep climbs that I can now sit and spin instead of grind. I know similar ratios are available for SRAM etc but would have been a deal breaker for me as my 11/28 was too limited + I want to do some bikepacking. - Biggest attraction was availability to be honest. Currently (in France) to get a whole group was 11 months delay for SRAM Red (my preferred choice at 1st) and over 1 year for Shimano ultegra/D.Ace + couldn't get in mechanical.

[@unairamos74]

Totally agreed! I'm installing a 1x system based on Chorus 12s next month and I can't wait! Availability was nearly no problem for me, buying from Spain. The only issue I had was with the chain, as I had to wait for a few weeks to get the 12s Chorus chain. Otherwise, all perfect. By the way, did you close your chain with the pin supplied, or did you use a 12s quick link from KMC / Sram??

[@wasupwitdat1mofiki94]

As a long long time user of Campy Chorus all those points you mentioned as improvements seem to have always been the case with my drivetrain. Only one dislike was the trimming of the front derailleur, you really have to pay attention to it. That is why I like my Dura-Ace Di2 better it automatically trims the derailleur cage. As for the ruff feel of the chain meshing with the teeth of the rings and cogs I always felt that even long term after bedding in and I kind of wondered why it did that but could never figure it out. I still have Campy Centaur 10 on my cyclocross bike but it doesn't shift as nice as the Chorus and it's an offroad bike so I don't really care. It works good enough. I like the Dura-Ace Di2 so much I will never go back to Campy which is saddening in a way because I was proud to be a Fanboy.

[@1000750]

My 105 was noisy and kinda rough too when it was new I was annoyed with it but now 1500 miles later its pretty quiet and butter smooth, I guess it wears in. 🤙

[@n22pdf]

Great overview subscribed 😊🤩🚴

[@waynosfotos]

Cheers, thanks for your support.

[@paulhyland4653]

campag wear in and others wear out is the old saying .

[@Wildschwein_Jaeger]

The freehub dimension is the same for 10, 11, 12. The difference is the spacers and, as you mentioned, the dishing of the largest cassette cogs.

[@ThePaulKat]

Interesting that you need to momentarily hold the lever for a reliable shift, my 12 speed Chorus has no such issue. As long as you hear/feel the click it’s changed gear. I wonder if it could be your cable routing or requires a micro adjustment?

[@alissandrobautista5874]

Maybe a new cable + cable housing will do the trick. I have my mountain bike serviced and replaced those and now my shifting works with one click

[@waynosfotos]

That is it, you need to hear the click.

[@wasupwitdat1mofiki94]

Yeah, I never had to hold the lever for the upshift to complete with Chorus but with my Centaur group I do have to hold it. I will check my cable and housing on that group.

[@JustinCrediblename]

My dream daily bike: stainless or titanium frame/fork/bars. Campy groupset. I'm using Daytona. I want to experience the top of the range stuff.

[@einundsiebenziger5488]

Campagnolo, say "Come-pun-yolo". "GN" in Italian works like "NY" in English, and there is absolutely no "I" in that word. So, no need to say "Cum-puk-nolio"! There is also no "H" in Sram, so it's simply "sram" not "shram".

[@unairamos74]

Unless you're italian or spanish, that "ng" sound is hard to pronounce. They're better off saying just "Campag" or enven "Campy".

[@Wildschwein_Jaeger]

As for shifting the sound is typical of Campagnolo if you are applying force during shifting. Best is to back off the power. Then shifting is almost silent.

[@rosomak8244]

When you know how to ride this is what you should do on every group-set.

[@gordonsheehan4170]

Love the review and those sound effects. I too run the 12 speed and love it. I had to use an Ultegra Di2 bike for a week in the Alps this year after a crash and I really missed campag. Missed gear changes and single cassette changes in a world or marginal gains. Shimano might be a quieter but id rather my cassette and chain lasts for years. False economy and hype from Japanese

[@einundsiebenziger5488]

... I really missed Campy* (never trust your auto-complete!) ...

[@marinusholland]

O I ride 60.000 with Campagnolo 10 speed it is still okay

[@goodoleme747]

I just bought Campy 12 speed this afternoon... combo of chorus and record

[@waynosfotos]

Fantastic, very good groupset 👍

[@goodoleme747]

@@waynosfotos thanks! I’m excited about it!

[@cosinus_square]

I remember when Shimano used the side thumb shifter on their Sora 9 speed, what a pain that was. First bike I ever upgraded, went with Ultegra. After a few more Shimano 'upgrades' decided that their brake lever swing was kind of annoying, unexpectedly shifting while braking. While test riding a brand new bike with Sram Force 10 speed, I was sold. Been using Sram ever since, that's what 12-13 years now I think. People talk about Campag 'crispness' like it's inherently Campag, well it isn't. I may try Shimano again when, unavoidably, going Di2 as the swipe shift is gone now, until then DoubleTap all day.

[@einundsiebenziger5488]

9-speed Sora was ugly and its internals almost completely made from plastic and their ergonomics (if that word can even apply in this context) were comparable to a Rubik's cube taped to the handlebar. Since Campagnolo never built any components as cheap as Sora, that thumbshifter was the only apparent commonality any Campa group and old Sora ever might have had.

[@cosinus_square]

@@einundsiebenziger5488 This is just my personal opinion about campagnolo. I ride with people who stubbornly ride campagnolo because they paid a lot of money and they need to justify the big spend or that they think that most expensive means better. Everything pretty from campagnolo was aluminium and polished. When they switched to carbon, it went to shit look wise. The 4 arm cranks are fugly and the rear derailleurs look like lego's, at least shimano realised right away that the thumb shifter placement is stupid. The craziest thing of all is that the ergo bullshit continues even if with EPS where you can put the buttons anywhere you want, infinitely more accessible, they still use the thumb location, they're stupid but consistent, keep it up lol.

[@paulhawkins6771]

Long term review? Need another few thousand kilometres more yet to truly say it's a Campagnolo long term review! Only joking, a bit, I've run Super Record 12 speed mechanical for about the same distance and it's taken a while to loosen up a bit but it's now super quick, snappy and very positive. I'm still running a long term test on 2006 Chorus 10 speed. Two chains and one set of cables later and it's still working wonderfully after tens of thousands of km. Apart from the two extra sprockets on the cassette I can't honestly say I notice a difference between new and old at the rear but the front shifting is so much better, particularly moving up from the small ring to the big.

[@simonwoodford8728]

I'm still waiting for my eight speed Mirage to wear in on my 1998 steel Bianchi and haven't been able to bring myself to upgrade it to the 8 speed Chorus groupset I bought many years ago. It really is amazing how Campagnolo just seems to get better with age. I still love the Ultra-Torque Carbon ten speed groupsets and the first gen UT eleven speed carbon groupsets but at as I get older and fatter the 11-34 12 Speed Record sounds like a worthy step up.

[@byrondixon4648]

See a few comments regarding life of chain and cassette being better than Shimano. After 3 to 4 thousands ks are you still on the same chain Wayno?

[@waynosfotos]

Yep, but probably near end of life.

[@Chimpy_Mc_Gibbon]

Finally addressed their awful front shifting. I had record 11 speed. Terrible functionally but enjoyed the ergonomics and feel. Now I can go back!

[@robaindesbois6501]

I love campagnolo! My potenza has been going strong for 2,5 years and my dad's 10sp centaur hasn't missed a beat in 10 years. Personally I do prefer the potenza shifters though, the thumb shifter is slanted like on the eps shifters which makes it easier to reach in the drops but you do miss out on those sweet multiple downshifts.

[@gourkernow5694]

Which bike manufacturers offer Campag groupsets on new bikes compared to SRAM and Shimano? Almost none, pity i suppose.

[@davidlenneberg4303]

I don’t understand why more people don’t use Campanolo I love it used to ride Shimano no longer love my Chorus 12 speed 👍

[@waynosfotos]

I do think shimano was ahead for a while, especially with the front derailleur, but this has now changed. Shimano now has some parts with potential faults and I do feel they have lost this advantage, + they have jacked the price ridiculously for their new Di2

[@domestique3954]

You don’t understand?! Campa groupsets are incredibly expensive! 💰

[@davidlenneberg4303]

@@domestique3954 no they’re not that’s a furphy Shimano has got Far Moore expensive of late especially now they are getting rid of mechanical

[@edmundscycles1]

@@domestique3954 the campag groupsets especially start at 105/ultegra level . Chorus is ultegra /dura ace level . Record and super record are way above dura ace for hardly any more . Especially when you see the amount of carbon and its quality compared to shimano . Just the bb axle interface is is a peice of engineering excellence .

[@johnm91326]

@@edmundscycles1 This really isn’t true. Half the ‘carbon’ parts on the new groupsets are just injection modded plastic with carbon thrown in.

[@mickchaganis6607]

Never had Campo, can you change on the drops easily? The way you described the shift button on the inside, makes it seem like it would be hard to do that.

[@stevec6232]

Yeah it's in same place as Cav puts his sprint shifters. It is more of a clunk change than Shimano but personally i like it. And hood shape is much nicer to my hands.

[@einundsiebenziger5488]

Changing to the drops is just as fast with Campagnolo as with any other groupset. The only slight disadvantage is that the mechanical thumb shifter (for the bigger gears) is harder to reach with your thumb from the drops because it sits higher up on the bar. No problem with long thumbs or with the electronic shifters that reach further below.

[@victorrodriguez2806]

To answer your question or reply to yor statement. I have 3 bikes setup with the new campagnolo 11 and 12 speed systems. The differences I find in the thumb shifter is really due to the shape of the handlebar. That is something that can refine the shifting in itself. The size and length of your fingers will determine how easy you can reach that thumb shifter but again as I said earlier the shape and design of your hanabar can improve the situation or make it more difficult.

[@wm.b.bowman2634]

Yes. I started racing in the early 1990s. I had Shimano Ultegra STI shifters but soon found out that upshifting while out of the saddle following a group acceleration was hard for me (in SoCal a whole crit is just a series of pack accelerations). I tried out a friend’s bike with Campagnolo Ergo shifting and found upshifting while out of the saddle with my thumb while my hands were in the drops was waaaayyy easier for me. I immediately got a new gruppo.

[@Youtubefana]

Thanks for this review. I wanted to ask how is the gear change via the thumb shifter especially in the drops? Is it hard to reach. Frankly these are hard to come by so not been able to try one of these myself.

[@waynosfotos]

You just lift your thumb up and pull down. For an easier gear it is the same as sram and Shimano

[@Youtubefana]

@@waynosfotos ok so it’s not hard to reach then from the drops. Visually it looks as a long distance away from the thumb to comfortably reach in the drops but ofcourse real life experience negates that I guess. Maybe someday in one of your rides you can show that action. Thanks again for the reply. Cheers

[@stevec6232]

@@waynosfotos Campy thumb button in same place as Cav puts his sprint shifters. It is more of a clunk change than Shimano but personally i like it. And hood shape is much nicer to my hands which is personal preference i guess.

[@shibaburn7725]

Who would have though that Record 12-speed ($1,400) would have become inexpensive compared to Ultegra 12-speed ($2,500)!

[@waynosfotos]

Yeah, goal posts have shifted

[@Sills71]

where are you buying Record 12 for $1400?

[@sebastianm2381]

@@waynosfotos Not really if you compare EPS to Di2, which is more of a fair comparison. The only thing that is certain is that groupset pricing seemingly only knows one way - and that is upwards. Whilst getting heavier and heavier, ironically.

[@Nyarlathoth]

Fun fact: In Italian it's spelled campañolo, the g is not pronounced

[@einundsiebenziger5488]

In Italian it's pronounced* "campañolo", not spelled. The ñ only exists in Spanish.

[@MarcraM82]

How hard is it to use thumb shifter in the drops?

[@waynosfotos]

Easy

[@datAero]

praxis chainrings are kinda crap for shifting no?

[@waynosfotos]

I have heard that, but in my case work fantastic and they are 11 speed on a 12 speed system

[@gerhardschneider7506]

The hoods and leavers on the Record are really good looking compared to Shimano and SRAM, but as you say beauty is only skin deep.

[@waynosfotos]

I mentioned this in my previous reviews, pretty comfy too.

[@markor6685]

Swap your brake callipers out, new ones so much better than the skeleton, far more power and modulation.

[@waynosfotos]

Really, never wanted for more power using these with campy red pads. If the new ones are better (dual mount) makes me wonder why do people rave about disc? 🤔

[@markor6685]

Wet weather, that's about it.

[@wilberthruiz3622]

Shimano and Sram killed mechanical systems Campagnolo was waiting with your arms open and I haven’t looked back since And mechanical 13 Ekar 😚

[@tabl10s]

"RiCord"?.... Bwahahaha!

[@veloaddict]

Campag what? Repeat after me: cam pa ño lo un tipo campagnolo = a rural person, like those who use it

[@unairamos74]

Even in Spain many people say "Campanolo" instead of "CampaÑolo". Wouldn't it be easier to say just "Campanyolo"? It might sound just a tad more correct.

[@ManyFacedTMan]

Reviewing the groupset but with substituted crankset and calipers. Weird. Also, can't even pronounce Campagnolo correctly!

[@dsmhiggins67]

Just want to say - used campy in the past, would never pay a penny again for campy. Shimano is just another level compared to pig iron, cheapy finished, over priced garbage.

[@oldmancycling7440]

Campagnolo .. had a 10 speed Record groupset for over 15years .. never had to adjust anything on the groupset. Superb finish and operation. Unlike a DurAce 9 speed groupset I also had that corroded to death in no time

[@chapmag6578]

Surprised that you would call campy pig iron garbage . Have had 10 speed record on my 2004 Litespeed and it’s still a joy to use. Had the bottom bracket serviced recently, just retuned, but I had forgotten how great thevBB looked for a component that no one sees. Have had 9 speed mech dura ace and functioned really well. Have Ultegra Di2 on my current BMC Roadmachine and like it a lot.

[@ThePaulKat]

Campagnolo durability is far superior to Shimano, the Hollowtech 2 cranks have a fundamental design flaw resulting in galvanic corrosion leading to failure and shouldn’t even be in circulation.

[@paulojrg]

Easier to repair/maintain and they still produce parts back to the 8 speed groupsets, go find that in Shimano.

[@johnlewsey4458]

Ive had Récord 10 speed for some time, its never really worked as it should. Crap pag

[@randydevoe4803]

Record review but I use Look cranks, older brakes, 11spd parts and Shimano 9spd shifters… but otherwise here we go.