What Happened to Campagnolo?

[Canuk]

Been watching a few videos about contemporary Campagnolo groupsets, and it seems they've turned something beautiful into a mush of blobby HR Geiger inspired carbon.

Back in the day when you put a silver Chorus or a Record carbon 10 group on a bike it was wow! Instant beautification.

I'm not saying that beauty has to trump functionality, but Campagnolo was always well known for producing aesthetically pleasing AND very functional bits of kit.

Campagnolo 2025... Where did it all go so wrong?

 

[Nob]

The reason no one is buying there ugly groupsets anymore….they are really ugly in the modern age…..my last Groupset I bought was the 11speed SRAM eTap Groupset & that’s working great…before that I did by the 11speed super Record mechanical Groupset but after that it all got ugly & overpriced….

 

[jim haseltine]

For me the rot set in back in the 1980s with stuff like C-Record and Croce d' Aune that had similar 'look&feel' to Japanese kit. In 1999 circumstances forced me to change from what had been beautiful 80s Super Record kit to Record Titanium, a group that I didn't dislike 100% and which I still (except for the pedals) still ride. I still ride a 1980s fluted single bolt Record seat pillar. I've got more recent stuff but it doesn't do a lot for me, especially if there's no way to adjust bearing float.

 

[chickendrumsticks]

Ah! Are you not aware that the new kit, if carefully manipulated, transforms into a model excavator?

 

[hamster]

@Canuk - I agree 100%, it's all got the Power Rangers look now, hideous. I'm sticking with my late 90's Campag.

 

[wynne]

HR Geiger. Exactly that. I knew it reminded me of something - and not in a good way.

 

[novocaine]

perhaps its because 98% of people buying it find the carbon look appealing?

that and 87.5% have no idea what a derailleur made before 2019 looks like? anything that old is practically cave man and no way will it perform as well as the latest canyon SLRX-12569 with full E-spat 859 groupset.

different folks I'm afraid.

 

[MattiThundrrr]

Blech, it's a mess at Shimano too
"Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication"
Leonardo DaVinci

 

[Canuk]

How do you mess up from this Record Titanium loveliness? For the life of me I can't see the trajectory from this to the chutney carbon nonsense if their latest 12 speed group.

 

[MattiThundrrr]

Bike building went from art to industry. Try to reimagine this print with modern components. It's simply not the same any more
*hangs on the wall in my bedroom, commissioned by my lovely wife