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Campagnolo Electronic Group Getting Closer to Production

Campagnolo Tech Lab 11 speed electronic drivetrain group
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Campagnolo Tech Lab 11 speed electronic drivetrain group

Campagnolo was showing off what appears to be a very near production ready Tech Lab 11 group, teasing that it should be in shops by spring 2012.

Pricing isn’t set, but many of the details are. Like the Super Record 11, the electronic group will be adorned with plenty of titanium hardware, ceramic bearings and carbon fiber parts. The battery is Lithium-Ion and should have a range similar to Di2. More pics and details after the break…

Campagnolo Tech Lab 11 speed electronic drivetrain group

The shifter levers use a very similar layout to their mechanical counterparts. The thumb button is considerably lower profile since all you should have to do is tap it instead of pushing a small bit to move cable.

Campagnolo Tech Lab 11 speed electronic drivetrain group

Like Di2, it has a small junction box at the front of the system. Wiring has a kevlar braid outer to help protect it, a good idea considering the likely cost of the system.

Campagnolo Tech Lab 11 speed electronic drivetrain group

Campagnolo Tech Lab 11 speed electronic drivetrain group

Looking top down (left) and bottom up.

Campagnolo Tech Lab 11 speed electronic drivetrain group

Perhaps because of the extensive use of carbon fiber and titanium, the full group is expected to weigh in 65g to 70g lighter than Dura-Ace Di2. How much of that comes from non-electronic parts is unknown (cranks, cassette, etc.) at present.

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17 Comments
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Galen
Galen
12 years ago

Hopefully some resourceful retailer will learn to reprogram the stuff to work with 10s Shimano spacing – finally making compatibility issues moot.

Steve
12 years ago

Wow. Now that ^^^ is a good idea.

Derek
Derek
12 years ago

Why stop there? Why not make it compatible with Shimano shifters/deraillers as well?

Anders
Anders
12 years ago

Why not get Shimano to go 11speed? one more gear is just good and Shimano probebly is more rigid than Campa. ( Italians and electric systems, welll……..)

John Willis
John Willis
12 years ago

Or just use Shimano.

Sam
Sam
12 years ago

I really want this on my Colnago Master X Light!

mitch
mitch
12 years ago

NOW IF THEY COULD ONLY MAKE A BIGGER BATTERY… MAYBE SOMETHING OUT OF A SMALL BOAT…

Robin
Robin
12 years ago

Perhaps programming to accommodate different cassette spacings is not an option. Even if it is, why not reprogram Shimano stuff to Campy spacing? Moreover, reprogramming would also have to account for different derailleur geometries.

Stiffness game? Who cares, no one’s tested the Campy system for public review so no one, except for the few teams that have used e-Campy and those that have tested both as part of the development process, knows which is stiffer. While there has to be some difference, there is certainly no evidence whatsoever that stiffness difference in groups makes a difference at the finish line. In fact, there’s not a single published study–a refereed study, not a white paper put out by a company or a “test” done by Velo–that shows any correlation between stiffness and performance gains, or more specifically, between stiffness and victory.

I suspect the Campy system will work as well as Shimano’s offerings. It will be different, sure, but the market needs different, too. The market will be better with 2 companies in the e-group game, and the competition will certainly make the two companies’ products better. It’s win-win for the customers.

moz
moz
12 years ago

So ‘reprogramming’ for bike gears as if it is a macbook. I guess that this ‘reprogramming’ would be realized by a pc or mac but is going to be done by a computer for sure. No what if this e-shifting catch a virus from the pc while being reprogramming? Do I get an antivirus software as well?
I suspect that within 2 years there is going to be an iphone app for blocking, via bluetooth, your opponent’s e-shifting while racing at Tour de France. What a race that would be.

moz
moz
12 years ago

while being reprogrammed.

Matt
Matt
12 years ago

Who cares? Stupid money for something that’s marginally better than the technology it replaced, if someone can justify spending out for ever so slightly quicker shifts for their club rides go ahead but even at pro level the benefits are tiny. Both Shimano and Campag systems weigh more than the groupos they replace so save 150 grams, the cost of another bike, learn to shift properly and buy a Red groupo or stick to the old system.
Sure it’s new technology and R&D costs need to be recouped etc. but until the cost and weight are similar to conventional shifters I’ll be leaving it to the fan boys with the lycra clad beer bellies.

moz
moz
12 years ago

@ Matt. do you know what is coming next? ABS & ESP.
E-shifting as we say E-mail.

Matt
Matt
12 years ago

Noooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It’ll be airbags and reversing cameras next! Hold on, that weird jacket thing that was doing the rounds about a year ago and that rear facing camera/bike computer thing just got funding or something. What is the world coming to?
Seriously though, I love new bike tech but there comes a point when it’s just unnecessary, shame this won’t go the same way as Shimano’s pneumatic shifting system or Mavic’s Zap.

moz
moz
12 years ago

@ Matt. Rumor has it that Ken Block has been approached by brandX to develop its powerful e-shifting combined with a prototype e-handbrake at Gymkhana 5.
Seriously, I like evolution as well, I love bikes as I love nature, but trying to catch up motorbikes, at least at the price is way too silly.

breadandbits
breadandbits
12 years ago

Given that the shift performance seems to pass muster, and there are new features (auto-trim)… if the wiring and battery maintenance of these systems prove to be less work overall, for the user (than with conventional cable driven systems), then they will probably win. Most people who like wrenching still like riding more. I think that keeping track of a battery with the capacities that they’re offering is a lot less work than replacing shift cables and housing! Overall, considering the market price of the individual electromechanical components that are included in these setups, this should make entire drivetrains with excellent shifting performance considerably cheaper, in the long run.

While there will continue to be custom modifications for custom setups, expecting real-time hacking is a bit like when people expected car ECUs to become a hacking problem. There will always be easier ways to mess with someone’s bike.

On a much more trivial note, I know that I am not the only one who has had their fingers get so cold in a race that I started missing shifts because I wasn’t pushing the levers far enough… not to mention having even colder tips, where shifting was impossible without pulling from the hand on the opposite side.

BRobb
BRobb
12 years ago

who wrapped those bars?

LOOK586
LOOK586
12 years ago

NOW THAT IS SOME GERIATRIC SH*T. I WOULD NEVER WANT MY BIKE TO DEPEND ON A BATTERY FOR ANY REASON.
AND LETS FACE IT, EVERYTHING LOOKS SO CHUNKY.

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