How does the Campagnolo's Super Record groupset stand next to theSram's RED AXS eTap groupset?
Sam Gupta has been hands-on with both groupsets and has judged them both across ten categories.
These include: weight, practicality, braking performance, shifting quality, aesthetics, ergonomics, features, gearing options, power meter and price.
Sam Gupta has been hands-on with both groupsets and has judged them both across ten categories.
These include: weight, practicality, braking performance, shifting quality, aesthetics, ergonomics, features, gearing options, power meter and price.
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SportsTranscript
00:00Campagnolo recently dropped the update to its flagship groupset, Super Record Wireless.
00:05In the words of none other than son of the founder, Valentino Campagnolo,
00:10the pathway of development was paved with patterns. It's not out of the question to
00:14assume that many of those pre-existing patterns will have stopped Campagnolo
00:19from creating the groupset that it really wanted to.
00:22This may play into the reason why the groupset generally received
00:26a rather lukewarm response at launch.
00:29So, since this groupset does seem to share quite a few similarities with the SRAM Red groupset,
00:35I'm going to play a little game of Top Trumps
00:38to see how these two really stack up against each other on paper.
00:47First off, we're going to start with a pretty easy category,
00:51and one which lands in a bit of a tie, that being weight.
00:56The claim weights are remarkably similar. Super Record Wireless comes in at a claimed
01:012,520 grams, while Red comes in at 2,518 grams. Just two grams of difference.
01:10The only caveat to make in the case of Red is that in the power meter version of the groupset,
01:15it will weigh an extra 36 grams. Of course, these are just claim weights,
01:20and the Cycling Weekly Scales of Truth may tell a different story.
01:24But until that day comes, comparing claimed weights has resulted in an early tie.
01:33Up next is the practicality of owning and using each groupset.
01:37Happily, charging on both groupsets is very easy.
01:41The batteries can be removed and charged within the home.
01:45And with Super Record, you also have the option to charge the batteries in situ,
01:49without removal. Charge times also look to be pretty similar.
01:53Both claim to be able to reach a full charge in an hour when connected to an AC power source.
01:59Both groupsets also have accompanying apps, which allow you to update,
02:03customise and just take ownership of your groupset.
02:06From a maintenance point of view, the new Campagnolo doesn't need any new tools,
02:11which is a great relief. And the tools needed to maintain the SRAM groupset
02:16are generally no different to what any normal workshop would have.
02:20Again, I'm going to call this round a tie.
02:24On to braking performance, and I think Campagnolo takes this one.
02:30The brakes didn't actually see any radical changes over the previous generation,
02:34other than some aesthetic updates and a few changes to the internal components.
02:40It was one aspect that Campagnolo didn't really feel the need to greatly improve upon,
02:44as what they already had was already pretty good. And I'm inclined to agree.
02:50They feel smooth and progressive while still maintaining a really high level of power and
02:54control. SRAMs aren't bad by any means, but they don't possess the same level of feel
03:01and modulation. So this one goes to Campagnolo.
03:08Shifting performance is a huge part of what makes a good groupset,
03:12and both deliver lightning fast shifting at the rear.
03:16I found on my short test ride with the Super Record wireless groupset
03:20that it was slightly more prone to a mis-shift compared to red. There were a couple of occasions
03:26when it felt like the gears were slipping or that the chain just wasn't properly engaging with the
03:30cassette. But over 90% of the time, the shifts were fast, smooth and reliable.
03:36SRAM has a higher hit rate, and it's only on the very rare occasion that you might feel
03:42something out of the ordinary. Now, as I turn my attention to the front mech shifting,
03:46it's clear that they both have their problems. While neither are especially bad,
03:51neither are as fast as Shimano. Super Record wireless did also carry that same vagueness of
03:57feeling across to the front mech, as occasionally, when the cadence was a little bit slower,
04:03it did take a little bit longer to change. I'm going to give this round to SRAM, as on the whole,
04:09my experience has been better, but I will be happy to eat my words
04:14after spending more time with the Super Record wireless groupset.
04:20Aesthetics is really down to personal preference, but to me, SRAM Red looks like a top-of-the-range
04:27groupset. Super Record doesn't. The mechs are much bulkier on Super Record, and it doesn't
04:33have one standout feature or aspect of design language that appears to be carving out a future
04:39for the brand. It looks more like the affordable version of the groupset that you really want.
04:45To my mind, you want your flagship groupset to be bold and daring in design,
04:50so that you can then rein in the design for the groupsets that sit below. However,
04:55with Super Record, it already looks like it's been reined in. I worry how tame, or similar to
05:01Super Record, the second-tier record will end up looking. On the other hand, there is a very
05:08clear design language in the SRAM lineup, with Red looking very bold and very sleek, with Force
05:14taking on a more subdued look. This round goes to SRAM Red, but you might disagree.
05:24Ergonomics were something Campagnolo were very keen to improve upon, which is why the shifters
05:30are a complete, ground-up redesign. And it's something which the engineers themselves
05:34are particularly proud of. SRAM, too, has been working on its shifter design,
05:39and we're now seeing the same hood shape pop up on Force, Rival, and Apex. And I would not be
05:45surprised to see the same appear on Red in the future as well. However, as it currently stands,
05:50there are a couple of key points which differentiate the two. While the Super Record hoods
05:55were comfortable when just riding along casually, when I started to ride a bit more aggressively,
06:00especially up a climb, as I was pulling on the shifters, the gap behind the brake cleavers in
06:05the main shifter body dug into my fingers and it was quite uncomfortable. I believe that these hoods
06:11will suit those with larger hands, as I felt they just dwarfed mine to some extent. Conversely,
06:16SRAM's hoods have softer curves and fit in my hands rather well. The softer edges, grippier
06:22compound of rubber, and simple one-button actuation make it an easier shifter to interact with. Now,
06:28that's not to say that I wouldn't love to see the brake reservoirs shrink on a future generation,
06:34but with what we have today, Red just feels better to me.
06:42The number of features is an area where Super Record really falls behind. For example, as it
06:47currently stands, Campag doesn't offer any satellite shifters, which SRAM does, and you
06:54can't swap the batteries between the two derailleurs, which you can on SRAM. It's clear
06:59that SRAM has beaten Campag to the punch on many aspects, and it does start to show up here.
07:05Campagnolo has built in the ability to manually turn off the groupset via a couple of buttons
07:10on the shifters. This is so the batteries don't drain whenever the bike is in motion, as it'll
07:15just wake up every time it's moved. But this is less of a feature and more something that's just
07:21needed so that battery life is maintained. So really, this round goes to SRAM.
07:31One of the big updates that Campagnolo made to the latest generation is the changing gear ratios.
07:37It claimed that it wanted riders to always be able to find the perfect cadence, and this resulted in
07:43the brand joining SRAM by only offering cassettes that start from 10 teeth. It's unlikely that the
07:49resulting increase in chain actuation resistance will be on the minds of the Campag customers,
07:55as refining cadence is arguably a more tangible improvement to ride quality.
08:01So how do the two brands go about it differently, and more importantly,
08:05who does it best? Well, I used a gear inch calculator to tell me. While both groupsets
08:11offer the same hardest and easiest possible gear, it's the bits in the middle which are
08:16of more interest. On the biggest possible chainrings and the tightest cassette, essentially
08:22your go-fast setup, Campagnolo offers a little bit more range as the easiest possible gear is
08:28slightly lower than SRAM's. On the other hand, when looking at the setup best suited for climbing,
08:34it's SRAM that offers a slightly wider range. Sheer gear ratios are one thing, but the jumps
08:40between those gears are also very important to allow you to fine-tune your cadence, and once
08:46again, both are very similar. Each has opted for one-tooth increments at the bottom of the block,
08:52and then revert to two to three jumps at the top of the block. Now, I have always praised SRAM for
08:57this setup in this regard, as it always means that you can really hone in on the perfect cadence,
09:03and I really enjoyed this aspect of the Campagnolo groupset too, so I'll call this round a tie.
09:14Our penultimate round is a simple one. Power meters. Quite simply, SRAM has one,
09:20and Campagnolo does not. It says that one will be coming in the future, but as yet, we have
09:27no idea when that will be. In contrast, SRAM has some deep roots in the power meter game,
09:33since the brand owns Quarq and Powertap, it has some great technology at its disposal,
09:39and this has resulted in a very accurate and clearly integrated chainring-based power meter.
09:46For now though, if you're an early adopter of the Super Record wireless groupset,
09:50then you'll need to look at other options for your power needs. This one goes to SRAM.
09:57Perhaps one of the most contentious issues that people had on the release of the Super Record
10:02wireless groupset was its price. Maybe had the price been a little more in line with its
10:09competitors, people would be more willing to forgive and look past some of the lack of finesse.
10:16To highlight just how much more the groupset really is compared to SRAM, on screen you can
10:22see the retail pricing of the standard 2x hydraulic red groupset. Below that is the price
10:30for the same groupset, but with the power meter. And then below that is the price for the Super
10:36Record wireless, in its currently only available form. Here in the UK, the difference between the
10:42comparable groupsets is £1,150 or $1,651, with it dropping to £705 or $1,141 when comparing the
10:55power meter version of red to the only available version of Super Record. As I often say in many
11:02groupset videos, few people are going to go out and buy a groupset by itself. No, groupsets come
11:10on bikes. So how do the full build costs stack up against each other? Well, here in the UK,
11:15the specialised S-Works Athos is available for £13,000 with the full SRAM red with power meter.
11:23The Campagnolo build is being offered at £15,000, an extra £2,000. It should be highlighted that
11:33this isn't just down to the groupset. The bike is also fitted with Campagnolo's own Hyperion Ultra
11:39wheels, which will cost Specialised more money to fit over and above its in-house Roval wheels.
11:45But this is a story which I believe is likely to be seen across multiple builds. Really, it's safe
11:52to say this round goes to SRAM. The result of this battle of top trumps paints a pretty harsh
11:58picture for Campagnolo, but given my experience with both groupsets and the hard facts, it's a
12:05reflection that I think will keep appearing. You may be questioning why I didn't bring Shimano
12:11into this video, and that's because the current form of Dura-Ace doesn't share quite so much in
12:16common as these groupsets do, and on the surface, pose a rather titillating comparison. SRAM Red,
12:23as we know it, was last updated in 2019, so it would not be a surprise to see a new version of
12:29it very soon. Now, if these results are anything to go by, any potential new SRAM Red could be
12:36about to leave Super Record Wireless in the dust. Let me know down below, what do you think of
12:43today's comparison? Would you be willing to purchase Campagnolo purely because of the name,
12:49or do you want to adopt more of that modern approach that SRAM takes? If you enjoyed the
12:54video, then please do drop it a like, subscribe to the channel for more content, and I will see
12:58you again very soon.