Campagnolo out of the World Tour

[boxhandler]

Originally Posted by Derosid

Thanks so much for the clarification! Part of the confusion bordering on panic was that earlier in the year the Campagnolo website did not display any mechanical/rim options in Super Record, and distributors claimed that option was no longer available.

As a “vintage” cyclist who started racing in the Nuovo Record era, it is heartening to see continued support of mechanical shift/rim brake options in the upper tier groupsets. I couldn’t afford more than a Campy derailleur when I was racing, but got into the Super Record group in the mid ’80’s and have enjoyed the reliability and style ever since. I don’t have a need for electronic shifting and disc brakes on the road, so it is great to see that I can build up a new frame with SR gear today. It is not inexpensive, but never was. But something about the Campy machining (or perhaps mystique) makes it so much more rewarding to me when I build up a frame with Chorus/Record/SR instead of Shimano/SunTour/Simplex (I haven’t tried SRAM).

It does occur to me that Campy might do well to get some incentive program going in the amateur racing categories, similar to what tire and equipment manufactures do in auto and motorcycle racing, just to get some grass-roots awareness of their products in the younger generation.

Totally agree here. The only thing I would love to see is silver options above the Centaur line (if you're going to double down on rim brakes still being a thing, might as well lean into the classic aspects, right?).

[benb]

Just wanted to weigh in there is no way I think any of the bicycle manufacturers can ever be compared to Microsoft, and Linux is also a very bogus comparison.

They are all basically operating in the Apple model, but even Apple does way more for backwards compatibility and open-ness than any of the bike manufacturers do.

To be compared to Microsoft you'd have to basically have every single groupset backwards/forwards compatible back to the 1990s or even 1980s.

Want to use an 8-speed derailleur on your 12-speed groupset? They'd have a way to do that. Want to use mechanical parts with an electronic shifter? They'd have made a way to do that. It might have cost you 6-figures but they'd have made a solution!

For something to be Linux you'd have to have Shimano releasing source code to Di2 and letting you submit bug fixes or patch it yourself so you could use it with a SRAM electronic derailleur or make it shift older equipment!

The fact Shimano did things as small as change the cable pull ratio wtihout issuing perfect factory supported pull ratio adjusters even wouldn't have happened. They'd have a lineup of parts you could install that worked perfectly that compensated for incompatibilities, or let you use road brifters with mountain bike V-brakes and it would all work perfect.