Does Campagnolo's new $4299 groupset really serve 'cyclists of all levels'?

Today, Campagnolo has announced the release of a new high-end groupset that aims to broaden market appeal with a 'competitive' price, and 'high-quality technology' - there's just one problem - it's $4,299 / €3,990 (UK pricing to follow).

The new groupset, dubbed Super Record S Wireless, follows on from Campagnolo's Super Record Wireless that was released in May this year. It seems to share a lot of heritage with the world's most expensive groupset too. Rather than designing a new groupset from the ground up, Super Record S Wireless looks to be a slightly lower cost derivative of its range-topping brother, with a lesser materials and a new matt black aesthetic to boot.

New gearing options, new look

What's new? Well, in short, not a lot - but there are one or two key differences when comparing Super Record Wireless to Super Record S Wireless - even if the names are similar!

Firstly, and immediately obvious to the naked eye, is the new matt black finish. The new look remains in line with 'traditional Campagnolo aesthetics', while offering consumers a slightly more understated look than the gloss black Super Record Wireless. Credit where credit is due, I think the cranks in particular are a head-turner.

The less superficial changes though, that may actually help to service 'cyclists of all levels' is a whole host of new gearing options for the new groupset.

Customers will now be able to choose from six different crankset options, a 45x29, 48x32, 50x34, 52x36, 53x39, and 54x39, where previously only the former three options were offered. The chainset options are coupled with three different cassette ranges, a narrower range 10-27, a 10-29, and an easier 11-32 option, making for an interesting blend between Sram's 10t smallest cog approach, and Shimano's more traditional 11t sprocket.

The result of adding more chainsets, and more cassette options, means there is a wider range of gears available for consumers to choose from at both ends of the spectrum, with an emphasis clearly on higher gearing.

The new crankset is constructed slightly differently too, which contributes to the 150-gram claimed weight increase across the groupset. The chainset is still carbon fibre, but it's no longer hollow, which Campagnolo says provides the same performance as Super Record Wireless, but at a lower cost.

Shifters and brakes remain entirely the same to the naked eye, which some will love, and some won't. Controversially, the release of Campagnolo Super Record Wireless saw the death of the brand's legendary thumb shifter, and there is no resurrection in sight with this groupset.

When it comes to shifting performance, Campagnolo is confident that the feel of the groupset should match that of its range-topping offering. You'll find the same Ultra-Torque system on the chainrings, Pro-Tech patented external seals, and the same integration with the MyCampy 3.0 app for checking up on metrics such as battery status.

The only real change is a 'more moderate use of extreme materials' across the group - there are no exact details on the material choices here, but I'm pretty sure this means less carbon fiber and slightly more metal.

Other than that, it's all pretty similar. On the surface, you might think a 150g weight penalty for a $1000 saving isn't bad, but the issue here is the starting point for those savings. Though this grouspet is not the new second-tier Record, it is positioned in the market as a slightly heavier, but still functionally sound version of the brand's range-topping groupset, which makes Shimano's Ultegra Di2 a wholly fair comparison. With Shimano's second-tier groupset priced at $2,660, compared to Campagnolo Super Record S Wireless at $4,299, it makes for rather a large cash pill to swallow, even with the iconic Campag branding.

New wheels to match

Alongside the groupset itself, Campagnolo has also announced the release of two sets of special edition wheelsets to match the silky, dark palette of Super Record S wireless.

Campagnolo is offering both its Bora Ultra WTO and Bora WTO wheelsets in a matt finish, with some slightly subdued branding to match. The new wheels will hit the shelves at $4,149 / € 3,800 , and $2,949 / €2,700 respectively.

What does the future hold for Campagnolo?

Campagnolo's latest release, to me at least, feels slightly strange. It doesn't quite feel like it carries the same weight as a full groupset release, neither is it positioned as such with a focus on its relatively trivial new colour scheme. All this begs the question - who is this new release for?

The vast majority of all groupset sales are to bike brands rather than consumers, which I think gives us a little insight. With the constant post-Covid pressures of rising living costs, there is certainly a feel in the industry that bikes, particularly top-end ones, are far too expensive. The issue for Campagnolo is that its models tend to sit around $500 above the asking price for a Sram or Shimano equivalent, making them a tough sell.

Of course, this is no Shimano 105 Di2 competitor, but I think the slightly lower price tag might be a bid to align Campagnolo-specced bikes with the competition. Either way, there's no doubt that Campagnolo is currently positioning itself as nothing but a high-end component manufacturer.