All-new Campagnolo 12-speed EPS electronic groupset spotted

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This article first appeared on BikeRadar.

Campagnolo Super Record 12-Speed EPS electronic groupsets have been spotted at the Tour Down Under in Australia, the first WorldTour race of the 2019 season.

The new groupset follows on from the release of its 12-speed mechanical equivalent last spring and comes at the same time as a 12-speed wireless electronic groupset from SRAM.

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Campagnolo’s 12-speed mechanical groupset was available for a large period of last season after being launched in April, but excluding some isolated testing, none of the Italian brand’s sponsored teams raced with the new groupset on a wider level.

Electronic shifting has been used almost exclusively at the top level of cycling for several seasons now and this is likely the reason the new groupset hasn’t yet been seen being raced.

For 2019, AG2R La Mondiale joins Lotto Soudal, Movistar Team and UAE Team Emirates as a Campagnolo-sponsored team, but so far we have only seen the new 12-speed version of the groupset on Lotto Soudal’s Ridleys and Movistar’s Canyons.

AG2R La Mondiale’s new Eddy Merckx framesets are currently equipped with the previous 11-speed version of the Campagnolo Super Record EPS groupsets.

New technology, new aesthetics

The new 12-speed EPS groupsets feature the same updated logos as seen on its mechanical counterparts and the derailleur cages appear to have subtle design updates.

No details about the groupset have been released from Campagnolo so far, but the rear derailleur looks to have a more slimline profile than its 11-speed predecessor, as well as featuring cut-out sections on the main derailleur body — presumably cutting the weight of the component.

A steel cylindrical rod mechanism enabled the shifting and improved stiffness on the older derailleur, and the same system looks to be adopted on the 12-speed rear derailleur.

The front derailleur also appears to have very slightly reduced in size, although the overall shape of the component is similar to the 11-speed version.

The EPS interface unit also remains very similar to the 11-speed version and is strapped to the underside of the stems on the bikes seen so far.

Campagnolo hasn’t yet confirmed that an EPS version of its 12-speed groupset will be released, but with the components now being used in the WorldTour we can expect the groupsets to be available to the public in the coming months.