Campagnolo Record 13 vs Super Record 13: Which 13-Speed Wireless Groupset Is Worth It?

Introduction

Campagnolo has a loyal following, and for a long time its components were the benchmark: beautiful to look at, brilliant to use, and instantly recognisable on a bike. The brand did not lead the switch to electronic shifting, though. Shimano introduced its first electronic road groupset in 2009, SRAM went wireless with eTap in 2015, and Campagnolo’s own wireless system did not arrive until 2023.

The latest 13-speed wireless groupsets, Record 13 and Super Record 13, address almost all of the criticism that followed that first wireless release. The thumb shifters are back, the electronics are more developed, and the range of gearing options is wider than ever. The two groupsets share most of their technology, so the real question is simple: what does the extra spend on Super Record actually buy you?

What Campagnolo Changed With the 13-Speed Groupsets

The headline change is the return of Campagnolo’s distinctive thumb shifters, now powered by coin batteries, with the levers weighing 431 g. The rear derailleur weighs 334 g, accepts cassettes from 10 or 11 teeth up to 36 teeth, and runs on a removable battery with a claimed range of 750 km. The front derailleur weighs 175 g and shares the same claimed battery range. Rounding out the set are brake calipers with hoses at 320 g, disc rotors at 199 g, a 13-speed cassette at 275 g, a 13-speed chain at 231 g, and a carbon crankset at 681 g in a 45-29, 165 mm configuration. Both Record and Super Record are made in Italy.

Out of the box, the levers are configured exactly like classic mechanical Campagnolo. That means riders who spend most of their time on the hoods, which is most of them, have to rotate a thumb around to reach the shift. The good news is that everything can be reprogrammed, and the small buttons on the inside of the hoods are set to mirror the thumb shifters by default. Many riders will end up switching to a layout closer to SRAM, with the right paddle shifting down the cassette, the left paddle shifting up, and front shifts assigned to the less convenient inner buttons. It is worth planning that setup before your first ride rather than after it.

Campagnolo Record 13: The Value Pick

Record 13 is the more attainable of the two. The road version is set to retail at £2,399, while 1x and gravel-focused Record configurations start at £1,850. Power meter versions of the cranksets are available across the range.

Shifting is done entirely by pressing buttons, which feel positive and precise rather than spongy. That matters more than it sounds: not every rider has the same dexterity, and button-actuated shifting can make life noticeably easier for a lot of people. Speaking of brakes, the hydraulic calipers here are among the most powerful and confidence-inspiring setups you can fit to a road bike. There are 13 sprockets on the cassette, which keeps the gaps between gears small even with a wide-range block, so transitions stay smooth.

Gearing is broad. Road riders can choose 10-33 or 11-36 cassettes, and there is a 10-48 option for 1x setups that requires a dedicated rear derailleur. Cranksets use the same chainrings as Super Record and come in seven sizes, with single chainring options for 1x builds as well.

Three rear derailleurs are offered. The road version in a 2x setup is the lightest and has no clutch. A second, medium-cage derailleur covers both 1x and 2x use with a nano clutch that limits chain slap and dropped chains, with a 36-tooth cassette limit. The third is a wide-range gravel derailleur for 1x off-road riding that reaches up to a 48-tooth cassette, in the spirit of a mullet build.

Two things are worth checking before you commit. Crank lengths are limited to 165, 170 and 172.5 mm, so riders who have long relied on a 175 mm crank will need to look elsewhere. And the freehub standard has changed to N3W, which is backwards compatible with older cassettes but slightly shorter to accommodate 13 gears and the small 10-tooth sprocket. Confirm your wheels have the right freehub before ordering.

Campagnolo Super Record 13: The Lighter Flagship

Super Record 13 sits one level above Record, and the practical difference comes down to weight. Depending on how the groupset is specced, the gap is roughly 300 g, since some builds do not run a front derailleur at all and component choices vary. Functionality, number of speeds and compatibility are essentially the same across both groupsets.

The price difference is about £1,100. In other words, you are paying for less weight and for the words written on the side of the components. Both groupsets are made in Italy, and the finish on Record is just as convincing in person, with a premium look and a nicely judged design. The shape of the shifters deserves a mention too: the hoods feel excellent in the hand, and even the rubber compound has a quality feel to it.

Shifting, Batteries, and the App

The front and rear derailleurs each carry their own removable battery, which brings one irritation and one genuine advantage. The irritation is that the two batteries are different, so you cannot simply swap one for the other. Each has its own charging point, and charging requires a Campagnolo-specific charger or cable, with a USB-C plug at the socket end.

The advantage is flexibility. You can charge the batteries on the bike, or disconnect them and charge them somewhere more convenient. If you commute, for example, you can leave the bike in the lock-up and take the batteries to your desk rather than running a cable down to the bike.

The companion app is nicely presented, connects to the bike easily, and makes it straightforward to change shift behaviour and customise what the buttons do. It is not entirely polished yet. During use, the app flagged a rear derailleur software update, ran through the process, and then continued to report the same update as still required, several times over. It looks like a rough edge rather than a design flaw, and the kind of thing that tends to be resolved with future releases.

There is more customisation available than most riders will need. The extra buttons on the inside of the hoods can be assigned to tasks such as paging through a cycling computer or controlling an external Bluetooth device, and satellite controls sold separately on a short wire can be mounted elsewhere on the handlebar and configured in the same way.

A few ownership details are worth knowing. The bottom bracket bearings are installed on the crankset and require a Campagnolo-specific tool, so anyone doing their own maintenance should expect to buy specialist tools rather than rely on a generic kit. Bearings themselves are available from several manufacturers, and Campagnolo cups fit most modern frames, including threaded ones. Removing the crank is straightforward with a 10 mm Allen key. One long-standing favourite has also changed: the ultra-durable CULT bearings that used to ship with Super Record are no longer included with any of the groupsets and must be bought separately. Finally, if you already own the previous 12-speed wireless Super Record shifters, there is a good degree of compatibility, so a partial upgrade is possible rather than a full replacement.

Buying Advice: Which Groupset Suits You

For context, SRAM Red sits around £4,358 and Shimano Dura-Ace around £3,500 at recommended retail, though both figures vary considerably depending on configuration. As specced here, both Campagnolo groupsets come in below those numbers, which makes the Record 13 look especially reasonable for a 13-speed wireless setup.

The decision itself is fairly clean. Super Record 13 makes sense if you want the lightest possible build and value the flagship name on your frame. Record 13 makes sense if you want the same 13 speeds, the same electronic shifting behaviour, the same gearing options and the same hydraulic braking, but would rather put the £1,100 difference somewhere else. Gravel and 1x riders are particularly well served by the dedicated Record configurations, and the 1x version of this groupset stands out as one of the more compelling setups in the range.

The trade-offs are consistent across both: the derailleurs are physically bulky, though the matte black finish hides that well; the two different battery types are a minor annoyance; the default thumb shifter position will not suit everyone; and the sheer number of chainring options can make spec’ing a bike harder than it should be. More crank length options and fewer chainring options would be a welcome change.

Conclusion

Campagnolo has closed the gap that opened up over more than a decade of playing catch-up. Both Record 13 and Super Record 13 deliver excellent hydraulic braking, precise button shifting, a wide spread of gearing and genuinely striking design, with the thumb shifters restored and the electronics finally feeling mature.

If weight is the priority and budget is not, Super Record 13 is the flagship to choose. If you want the same ride character for meaningfully less money, Record 13 is the smarter buy, and it is especially strong in its 1x and gravel configurations.