Few manufacturers higher embody the romance of Italian biking than Campagnolo. At nigh on 100 years previous, it represents the passionate, conventional facet of our sport, significantly when in comparison with the medical effectiveness of Shimano and SRAM and, very like with Alfa Romeo on the automotive aspect, Tifosi will typically overlook a product’s shortcomings or quirks.
And so it’s prone to be with Campagnolo’s newest flagship groupset, Tremendous Report WRL 12-speed. WRL stands for wi-fi, and identical to SRAM 9 years in the past, Campagnolo has ditched any type of cabling or bodily connection between the shifters and derailleurs. This can make residence mechanics’ lives simpler when becoming a complete groupset and reduces the variety of cables that should go via the handlebar, headset and body. As a long-time SRAM eTap/AXS consumer, I like wi-fi groupsets and have had zero points with shifting or connectivity over tens of hundreds of kilometres.
Campagnolo aficionados have lengthy needed to pay for the privilege of driving their favorite Italian marque, and Tremendous Report WRL isn’t any exception. It’s significantly greater priced than the already costly Dura-Ace and Purple AXS groupsets, and there’s no possibility to incorporate an influence meter both but. RRP is about £4,500, placing it properly above the Japanese and North American model’s energy meter-equipped groupsets. Its price pushed the value of the Dogma X that I examined it on over the £14,000 mark.
Weight is aggressive although, close to as dammit all three groupsets weigh round 2,500 grams, relying on a couple of possibility selections.
Shifters
Maybe even bolder than going wi-fi, Campagnolo’s option to ditch the enduring thumb shifters has prompted uneasy murmurings among the many trustworthy. As a substitute, shifting is actuated by two cutout levers on both aspect that sit behind the brake levers – a bit like a mashup of SRAM and Shimano’s methods.
I discovered them simple to make use of from the hoods, however I needed to cock my wrist at an unnatural angle to succeed in the upper button on both aspect when within the drops. Enjoying round with the shifter’s place or a special handlebar might need alleviated this a bit, however I don’t assume it might have totally cured the issue. As the 2 buttons/levers sit on high of each other slightly than aspect by aspect like Di2, it’s at all times going to be arduous to slot in two levers which are giant sufficient to make use of simply and nonetheless each be accessible from the drops and the hoods.
Campagnolo Tremendous Report WRL left shifter
(Picture credit score: Tim Russon)
I might even have favored the motion of the levers to have been extra distinct, with every press accompanied by a tangible ‘click on’. In comparison with SRAM AXS and former Campagnolo, the motion was a bit ‘mushy’ and imprecise – it didn’t give a lot haptic suggestions as as to whether I had really pressed arduous sufficient to name for a shift or certainly pressed an excessive amount of and shifted two sprockets without delay. That is an odd criticism as Campagnolo has at all times been recognized for feeling extra mechanical and offering a greater connection to the drivetrain than different manufacturers.
The hood form was typically wonderful although, and I discovered it very snug straightaway. The exaggerated, bent-in form of some Campagnolo hoods is gone, however there’s a refined inward curve that feels actually good. Nevertheless, there’s an odd, cookie-cutter part beneath the hoods behind the levers that is not snug in any respect – firmly gripping the hoods while climbing out of the saddle this sharp edge might be felt very distinctly. Unusually unergonomic given how good the remainder of the design is.
Campagnolo Tremendous Report WRL brake lever
(Picture credit score: Tim Russon)
Maybe it was the nice and cozy climate or my efforts, however the rubber overlaying the hoods didn’t really feel very grippy to me. I normally journey with out gloves if I can, however I discovered myself contemplating sporting some mitts for a greater buy.
If the shifting was vague on the levers, it actually wasn’t on the again finish. A really particular clunk (and occasional clang) accompanied each shift and left you in little doubt {that a} ratio change had been completed. That is in sharp distinction to the Dura-Ace Di2 I rode lately the place I steadily couldn’t really feel the chain transfer and needed to look all the way down to test generally.
Two buttons sit on the within of the shifters, permitting the system to be adjusted and turned off/on (helpful for journey) whereas the small LED signifies battery cost (for the coin cell in every shifter) or mode. Nevertheless, there are not any ‘additional’ programmable buttons that might be used to scroll via laptop screens for instance.
Derailleurs
By far and away essentially the most hanging and most commented-on facet of the groupset was the scale of the derailleurs. Each entrance and rear items are significantly bigger than SRAM’s wi-fi equivalents. It’s spectacular that Campagnolo has managed to maintain the burden all the way down to match Shimano and SRAM given their measurement – copious portions of carbon fibre have been employed all through the derailleurs, and certainly the remainder of the teams,t as a way to do that, which does a minimum of assist to elucidate the value.
Campagnolo Tremendous Report WRL entrance derailleur
(Picture credit score: Tim Russon)
Whereas SRAM makes use of an identical pair of interchangeable batteries on its wi-fi derailleurs, Campagnolo has used a totally completely different design for entrance and rear mechs, which means that, in contrast to SRAM, you’ll be able to’t swap them round in the event you run out of energy. It’s not clear whether or not that is for technical/practical causes, or if Campagnolo encountered patent points with this as they’ve hinted at. Both means, it appears to be a a lot much less helpful means of doing issues. Moreover, every of the batteries is greater than the SRAM unit, contributing to the scale of the derailleurs.
Campagnolo Tremendous Report WRL rear derailleur
(Picture credit score: Tim Russon)
Charging is fast and straightforward, and might be executed with the batteries in place or off the bike utilizing the magnetic cable. It takes about an hour to succeed in full capability. Nevertheless, so as to have the ability to cost on the bike, the charging ports are open to the weather and don’t have a canopy, though I suppose {that a} bike with Tremendous Report WRL on it’s extremely prone to be a dry weather-only machine.
Pairing the shifters and derailleurs is a bit bit like a response check – look forward to the lights to vary color after which press the suitable button, however was simple sufficient after I managed to get the sequence proper. There may be an accompanying app that provides details about the system and permits a level of personalisation, nevertheless it isn’t required to arrange or use the groupset. It may be fortunately ignored until you need to tinker.
Chainset and cassette
In one other departure from custom, Campagnolo has adopted SRAM in utilizing smaller chainrings and a smaller 12-speed cassette to realize its desired ratios. The check bike had a 50/34 chainset and a 10-29 cassette, which gave me each the next and a decrease gear than my common 52/36 with an 11-30 cassette. 45/29 and 48/32 chainsets are additionally accessible as are 10-25 and 10-27 cassettes, so an enormous vary of potential ratios can be found to swimsuit any rider or terrain. It was simple to search out the cadence I needed, and I by no means felt caught between ratios and the all-steel building ought to assist with longevity too.
The carbon chainset regarded pretty when caught within the sunshine, and, together with the titanium axle and aluminium rings, helps preserve the burden all the way down to beneath 600 grams, considerably undercutting Dura-Ace.
Campagnolo Tremendous Report WRL chainset
(Picture credit score: Tim Russon)
The drivetrain was completely completely satisfied to be cross-chained because the entrance derailleur makes small changes because the rear derailleur strikes and I steadily used 50-29 in order that I didn’t need to hassle shifting to the small ring. As talked about, shifting was a bit agricultural feeling generally, and was actually slower than Dura-Ace. Identical to with SRAM, I discovered that shifting was a discernibly 4-part course of each entrance and rear; press a shift lever, take the strain off the pedals, wait a fraction for engagement, and energy again on the pedals, whereas Dura-Ace would most likely have accomplished the motion by the primary comma.
Brakes
The Tremendous Report WRL hydraulic disc brakes are very good. Quiet, highly effective and straightforward to manage, they had been a pleasure to make use of and a highpoint of the groupset. The levers are fairly stiffly sprung, which took me without warning at first however not in a nasty means, and as soon as the pads come into contact with the rotors the facility is there in spades – one-finger braking from the hoods shouldn’t be a problem, helped by the lever’s very snug, barely angled form and the hood’s slim design.
Campagnolo Tremendous Report WRL disc brake calliper
(Picture credit score: Tim Russon)
There was by no means any annoying ‘ting’ from the pads barely catching the rotors, even after some respectable descents and arduous braking – Campagnolo says that higher pad return was one thing that that they had labored arduous on.
Attain may be very simple to regulate, with the screw accessed via a gap within the entrance of the lever.
Worth and conclusion
Worth is a troublesome one. The RRP of the groupset is £4,499 which is about £800 greater than Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 (and not using a energy meter) and a few hundred pound greater than both SRAM Purple or Dura-Ace with an influence meter. So it’s actually ‘reassuringly costly’.
However, whereas beforehand, some folks had been greater than prepared to pay a premium for Campagnolo’s fashion, finesse and wealthy heritage, I believe that this can be a larger ask than ever with Tremendous Report WRL. The majority of the derailleurs, the idiosyncratic shifting, completely different batteries and the value aren’t sufficiently offset by its improbable braking efficiency and (principally) neat hood/brake lever design. Its weight is aggressive however not class-leading and the shortage of an influence meter (there’s one deliberate, however little doubt it should add to the associated fee) would appear to reward SRAM and Shimano gross sales. It received’t assist Campagnolo’s trigger that there aren’t any 2024 WorldTour groups utilizing their groupsets both.
Campagnolo Tremendous Report WRL
(Picture credit score: Andy Jones)
I’m completely not in opposition to high-priced, premium merchandise, however for me, there needs to be a minimum of a semblance of justification to pay greater than chilly logic would possibly dictate. That may be efficiency, weight, fashion, reliability or service and I’m struggling to justify the additional price of Tremendous Report WRL on any of those bases, though you might be interested in its rarity worth – I haven’t seen one other bike with Tremendous Report within the 12 months because it was launched.
Finally, I wouldn’t actively keep away from Tremendous Report WRL if it was specced on a motorcycle that I actually needed, particularly if it was by an Italian model, however I wouldn’t search it out or pay a premium for it both. For me, it lacks a sufficiently compelling distinctive promoting level to justify its price or overlook a few of its foibles.