Campagnolo: Difference between revisions
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Introduction of 11-speed Athena component group below Chorus in product line |
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Revision as of 15:52, 20 June 2009
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (October 2007) |
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| Company type | Public |
|---|---|
| Industry | cycling components |
| Founded | 1933 |
| Headquarters | Italy |
Key people | Tullio Campagnolo (Founder - deceased) Valentino Campagnolo (Tullio's son) |
| Products | Bicycle and Related Components |
| Revenue | undisclosed |
| Website | www.campagnolo.com |
Campagnolo is an Italian manufacturer of bicycle components with headquarters in Vicenza, Italy. The components are organised as groupsets (gruppi) and are a near-complete collection of a bicycle's mechanical parts. Campagnolo's flagship components are the Super Record, Record, and Chorus groupsets that represent their recent shift to 11-speed drivetrains. Record and the vintage Super Record (circa 1985) were the former top groupsets, followed by Chorus. [1]
History
Founded by Tullio Campagnolo, the company began in 1933 in a small Vicenza workshop. The founder was an avid racing cyclist in Italy in the 1920s and he conceived several ideas while racing, such as the quick release mechanism for bicycle wheels, derailleurs, and the rod gear for gear changing. To date, Campagnolo has been awarded more than 135 patents for their innovations in cycling technology.[2]
At the end of the 1950s Campagnolo started to manufacture magnesium parts such as wheels for sports cars like Alfa Romeo, Ferrari, and Maserati, and also built chassis for NASA satellites in 1969. Campagnolo Milestones
Campagnolo worked closely with the famous racer Eddy Merckx, and produced special lightweight parts for his bike used to beat the world one hour record in 1972.
Following Campagnolo's unrivaled success during the 1970s and 80's, innovation lagged as rival Shimano developed indexed gears and combined brake/gear levers. An ill-fated foray into a mountain biking Record-OR groupset contributed to the company's decline during those years. Despite its struggles, Campagnolo soon introduced its Ergopower shifter/brake levers and renewed its focus on the pinnacle of high-end road cycling componentry.
The late 1990s and early 2000s saw Campagnolo's increased use of carbon fibre and titanium parts in groupsets, and the development of wheelsets. In 2004 Campagnolo introduced a complete Compact drivetrain with smaller chainrings, to enable lower gears than traditional drivetrains. Other innovations included a Hirth-joint engineered Ultra-Torque external-bearing crankset and G3 spoke lacing for its racing wheels. In 2009, Campagnolo announced its shift to 11-speed drivetrains with its new Super Record, Record, and Chorus groupsets.[3] Campagnolo is rumored to be developing an electronic version of its drivetrain for impending release.[4]
Campagnolo has chosen to focus exclusively on road cycling and track cycling. Campagnolo sponsors many teams in the UCI ProTour, such as Caisse d'Epargne, Cofidis, Quick Step-Innergetic (Tom Boonen, Paolo Bettini), and Lampre. Campagnolo is associated with the victories of Eddy Merckx, who used Campagnolo almost exclusively, and was friendly with Tullio Campagnolo.
Trademarks
Campagnolo has used various trademarks during its history, probably the best known is the name Campagnolo in a typeface as if handwritten, another well recognized trademark is a drawing of a hub quick release lever (Tullio's most famous innovation). The classic logo of the company is the winged wheel.
Race service
For many years Campagnolo has provided professional race mechanics with spare parts, and technical help at major races. Campagnolo relies on constant feedback from riders and race mechanics to improve and refine their products, so every design is well tested before going on sale to the general public.
Road bicycle groupsets
For 2009, road bicycle groupsets include:
- Super Record (11 speed)
- Record (11 speed)
- Chorus (11 speed)
- Athena (11 speed)
- Centaur (10 speed)
- Veloce (10 speed)
- Mirage (10 speed)
- Record Pista (Track)
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 SPA with the production of the quick-release hub
1940 Tullio hires his first fulltime employee. The derailleur enters production, enabling the cyclist to change gears without removing the wheel. The pieces are handmade
1949 Campagnolo introduces its parallelogram rear derailleur, the Gran Sport
1956 Campagnolo introduces its parallelogram front derailleur
1963 The Record rear derailleur (chromed bronze) is introduced
1966 The Nuovo Record rear derailleur is introduced. This 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.
1983 Tullio Campagnolo dies on 3 February
1985 Campagnolo creates Delta brakes, with a parallelogram linkage to actuate the calipers.
1986 Introduction of re-designed Record road and track groupsets (also known as C-Record), replacing Super Record as the top of range
1987 The last year of Super Record until 2008
1989 Campagnolo introduces its mountain bike groupset, heavier and less advanced than those made by Shimano and SunTour.
1992 Introduction of Ergo Power levers, combining brake lever and a shift lever to answer Shimano's STI levers
1993 Delta brakes discontinued
1994 Campagnolo leaves the mountain bike components business
1995 Introduction of group names on components
1997 9-speed shifting
1998 Next generation Ergo Levers and last year of Athena
1999 Introduction of the Record Carbon Ergo Levers
2000 10-speed shifting introduced
2001 Carbon-fibre shifting levers for Record group
2004 Carbon-fibre cranks 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
2008 Introduction of 11-speed Record, Super-Record and Chorus groups
2009 Introduction of 11-speed Athena component group below Chorus in product line
Fulcrum Wheels, a company owned by Campagnolo, produces wheelsets compatible with Campagnolo and Shimano cassettes.
The ErgoBrain is a cyclocomputer compatible with the Ergo shifters. It displays cadence, gear used, as well as the normal functions of a cyclocomputer.
Tour de France Winners with Campagnolo
| Year | Name |
|---|---|
| 1952 | Fausto Coppi (ITA) |
| 1968 | Jan Janssen (NED) |
| 1969 | Eddy Merckx (BEL) |
| 1970 | Eddy Merckx (BEL) |
| 1971 | Eddy Merckx (BEL) |
| 1972 | Eddy Merckx (BEL) |
| 1973 | Luis Ocaña (ESP) |
| 1974 | Eddy Merckx (BEL) |
| 1976 | Lucien Van Impe (BEL) |
| 1978 | Bernard Hinault (FRA) |
| 1979 | Bernard Hinault (FRA) |
| 1980 | Joop Zoetemelk (NED) |
| 1981 | Bernard Hinault (FRA) |
| 1982 | Bernard Hinault (FRA) |
| 1984 | Laurent Fignon (FRA) |
| 1985 | Bernard Hinault (FRA) |
| 1986 | Greg LeMond (USA) |
| 1987 | Stephen Roche (IRL) |
| 1988 | Pedro Delgado (ESP) |
| 1990 | Greg LeMond (USA) |
| 1991 | Miguel Indurain (ESP) |
| 1992 | Miguel Indurain (ESP) |
| 1993 | Miguel Indurain (ESP) |
| 1994 | Miguel Indurain (ESP) |
| 1995 | Miguel Indurain (ESP) |
| 1996 | Bjarne Riis (DEN) |
| 1997 | Jan Ullrich (GER) |
| 1998 | Marco Pantani (ITA) |
| 2006 | Óscar Pereiro (ESP) |
See also
References
- ^ "History!!". Campyonly.com. 1927-11-11. Retrieved 2009-05-12.
- ^ [1][dead link]
- ^ campagnolo.com
- ^ "What's Cool In Pro Cycling". PezCycling News. Retrieved 2009-05-12.
External links
- Official Campagnolo site
- Campagnolo Catalogs
- Unofficial Campagnolo Product Catalog site
- Campagnolo @ velospace - bike photos with Campagnolo components
- Movie showing 1940's two-lever sliding hub Cambio Corsa shifter in operation
- Movie showing late-1940's/early-1950's single-lever sliding hub Paris-Roubiax shifter in operation
- Close-up movie of Paris-Roubaix shifter in operation
- Listing of Campagnolo -and other component- winners of the Tour De France
- Campagnolo wheels manufactured for Alfa Romeo cars