Campagnolo

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Campagnolo, Corp.
Type	Public
Founded	1933
Headquarters	Italy
Key people	Tullio Campagnolo (Founder)
Industry	cycling components
Products	Bicycle and Related Components
Revenue	undisclosed
Website	www.campagnolo.com

Campagnolo Ergopower lever

Campagnolo is an Italian manufacturer of bicycle components with headquarters in Vicenza, Italy, historically regarded as one of the most prestigious brand names in cycling. These components are organized as groupsets (gruppi) and are a near complete collection of a bicycle's mechanical parts. Campagnolo's current highest grade groups are Record (Super Record up to 1985), followed by Chorus.

Founded by Tullio Campagnolo, the company began manufacturing in 1933 in a small Vicenza workshop. The founder was an accomplished bicycle racer in Italy in the 1920s and he conceived of several innovative ideas while racing, which later turned into such revolutionary fundamental cycling products as the quick release mechanism for bicycle wheels, derailleurs, and the patented "rod" gear for gear changing. Gino Bartali made a strong impression as he won mountainous races while using this gear system. Campy's constant innovation has given it over 135 patents. Campy Timeline

At the end of the 1950s they also started to manufacture superlight magnesium wheels for car brands like Alfa Romeo and Maserati, and even built chassis for NASA satellites in 1969. Campagnolo Milestones

A racing bicycle, built with Campagnolo Chorus parts.

Despite having lagged behind in the innovations such as the development of indexed gears, and combined brake and gear levers in the 1980s, Campagnolo introduced its Ergopower gear system, which are still used today. In contrast to Shimano's approach in miniaturizing parts and adding complexity to the design, Campagnolo instead uses material engineering to differentiate their products. Campagnolo components tend to be made so that they can be serviced, and spare parts are available. Campagnolo products have traditionally been valued for their ability to be rebuilt, and many very old parts are still in service.

The late 1990s and early 2000s saw Campagnolo start using carbon fibre parts in their groupsets, and the development of complete wheelsets. In 2004 Campagnolo introduced a complete compact drivetrain system, which feature reduced chainring sizes to enable the use of lower gear ratios compared with traditional racing drivetrains. Campagnolo is currently developing an electric shifting system.

Campagnolo has generally focused on high end road cycling and track cycling. Though in the past they have produced touring components, BMX components in the 1970s, and in the late 1980s produced the Euclid mountain bicycling groupset, as well as the ill-fated Record-OR groupset, which would be Campagnolo's last foray into the mountain-biking world, leaving Shimano the sole manufacturer for nearly a decade. In comparison, Shimano in Japan, their primary competitor, produces a wider range of components, including road, track, mountain bicycling, city and touring bike components. Campagnolo sponsors many top racing teams in the UCI ProTour, such as Caisse d'Epargne, Cofidis, Quick Step-Innergetic (Tom Boonen, Paolo Bettini), and Lampre. Campagnolo is often associated with the victories of Eddy Merckx, who had a close personal relationship with Tullio Campagnolo himself and used Campagnolo almost exclusively throughout his professional career.

Campagnolo is also a manufacturer of alloy automobile wheels for exotic cars, as well as a high quality wine bottle opener. Another non-component product is the Campagnolo tool kit, which for decades was the mark of a high-end bicycle shop. A large and expensive purchase, it contains all of the tools needed to maintain bicycles, as well as specialized tools (such as headset and bottom bracket cutting tools) used to prepare a new frame before fitting components.

Campagnolo Record brake caliper from the 1970s.

1 Campagnolo history and timeline
2 Current products
3 Tour de France Winners with Campagnolo
4 See also
5 External links

[edit] Campagnolo history and timeline

1901 Tullio Campagnolo is born on 26 August in the eastern suburbs of Vicenza, Italy

1922 Tullio Campagnolo begins his racing career

1930 Campagnolo patents the quick release hub

1933 After fabricating parts in the backroom of his father's hardware store, Tullio starts Campagnolo, S.P.A with the production of the quick release hub

1940 Tullio hires his first fulltime employee. The first derailleur enters production, enabling the cyclist to change gears without removing the wheel. The pieces of the derailleur are all handmade, requiring a massive investment of time and labor

1949 Campagnolo introduces its first parallelogram rear derailleur, the Gran Sport

1956 Campagnolo introduces its first parallelogram front derailleur

1963 The Record rear derailleur (chromed bronze) is introduced

1966 The Nuovo Record rear derailleur is introduced. This derailer will be a fixture on Eddy Merckx's bicycles during his first four Tour de France victories

1973 The Super Record Road and Track groups are introduced. This groupset is widely viewed as the best set of bike parts money can buy until the introduction of indexed shifting in 1984

1983 Tullio Campagnolo passes away on 3 February

1985 Campagnolo creates Delta brakes, a unique model with a parallelogram linkage to actuate the calipers.

Campagnolo Delta brake calipers from the 1980s.

1986 Introduction of re-designed Record road and track groupsets (also know as C-Record), replacing Super Record as the top of range groupset

1987 The last year of production of the Super Record groupset

1989 Campagnolo introduces its first mountain bike groupset. These components end up being much heavier and less technologically advanced and thus less popular than those made by its competitors, Shimano and SunTour.

1992 Introduction of Ergo Power levers, combining the functions of a brake lever and a shift lever in order to answer Shimano's STI levers

1993 Production of Delta brakes is discontinued

1994 Campagnolo leaves the mountain bike components business.

1995 Introduction of Group names printed on componentry

1997 9-speed shifting is introduced

1998 Introduction of Next generation Ergo Levers and last year of Athena

1999 Introduction of the Record Carbon Ergo Levers

2000 10-speed shifting is introduced

2001 Carbon fibre shifting levers introduced for Record group

2004 Carbon fibre cranks introduced for Record and Chorus groups

2005 10-speed Centaur and Chorus shift and brake levers introduced for flat bar road bikes

2006 Hollow external bearing crankset announced

2007 Introduction of 10-speed Mirage and Xenon component groups, new Ultra-Torque components

Campagnolo Super Record chainset from 1981.

[edit] Current products

Campagnolo's 2007 road groupsets, listed in approximately descending order of price and quality are:

Record
- Carbon crankset
Chorus
- Carbon crankset
Centaur
- Aluminum crankset
Veloce
Mirage
Xenon
Record Pista for track use (with aluminum crankset)

For 2007, Record and Chorus Ultra Torque cranks are only available in carbon, and Centaur Ultra Torque cranks are only available in Aluminum.

All 2007 Campagnolo component groups, including Xenon, are now 10-speed. Furthermore, the well-known feature of Campagnolo Ergopower shifters allowing the rider to perform both multiple-cog upshifts and downshifts has been limited to the high-end Record and Chorus groups. Centaur, Veloce, Mirage, and Xenon now feature the new "Escape" mechanism, limiting downshifts to a maximum of two cogs at once and upshifts to one cog at a time. Centaur shifters now incorporate carbon like its more expensive siblings and also features a carbon faceplate on the rear derailleur. Veloce is offered in a new "Infinite" shiny black finish as well as the silver.

Campagnolo 10-speed components are generally inter-compatible with older 9-speed components; for example Chorus shifters can be used with a Veloce rear derailleur. The primary exception is cranksets and bottom brackets. Record and Chorus cranksets can only be used with Record and Chorus bottom brackets due to a different degree of spindle taper. Centaur, Veloce, Mirage and Xenon cranksets and square taper bottom brackets are all inter-compatible.

Campagnolo also produces wheelsets.

Low-profile
- Hyperon Ultra
- Neutron Ultra
- Neutron
Medium-profile
- Shamal Ultra
- Eurus
- Zonda
- Scirocco
- Vento
- Khamsin
High-profile
- Bora Ultra
- Ghibli strada
- Ghibli
- Pista

In addition, Fulcrum Wheels is a company owned by Campagnolo that produces wheelsets compatible with both Campagnolo and Shimano cassettes.

The ErgoBrain is a cyclocomputer compatible with the Ergo shifters. It displays cadence, gear that is being used, as well as the normal functions of a cyclocomputer.