Campagnolo EPS (wired) restored to factory website

[bikercr]

Not sure what this means. Perhaps Campy was planning on retiring the EPS 12-speed system in favor of the new wireless group but changed its plan based on poor WRL sales and loss of 2024 UCI World Tour team adoption. Could be a good thing for EPS riders because parts will remain available longer term.

https://www.campagnolo.com/us-en/road/g ... groupsets/

[patchandscruff]

There was no 'loss' of a 2024 WT team. Campagnolo chose not to sponsor anyone. It was their choice.

[patchandscruff]

And how did you come to the poor WRL sales? Do you have access to Campagnolo's accounts?

[joeyb1000]

I am a little surprised. I'm also surprised that neither groupset is available for rim brake riders to upgrade their bikes to 12s.but knowing that replacement parts will be available is a good thing.

I still think rebadging EPS as Record would have been better. Wholesale prices on EPS and WRL are too close.

[bikercr]

And how did you come to the poor WRL sales? Do you have access to Campagnolo's accounts?

See the word, "perhaps". Conjecture only. For about 6 months, EPS disappeared from the Campy website, then abruptly reappeared in the past week or two. It's reasonable to assume that WRL was going to take the place of EPS, that Campy decided to produce but stop promoting EPS in favor of a changeover to WRL as its only electronic option. So some factor or factors must be causing Campy to restore promotion of the EPS wired group to their site. I think it may be a combination of disappointing sales of WRL (too expensive and too ungainly looking), and the expectation that some professional cycling teams are willing to re-adopt EPS but not change over to WRL. What do you think?

[bikercr]

Regarding the last point, AG2R in 2023 raced predominantly on Super Record EPS. 2 or 3 riders would be seen on WRL even though it was ready for pro use by the start of the season. Usually, with a redesigned groupo (Campy or otherwise), most or all of the team will be racing it during the first season it's out. It's more difficult for the mechanics and riders to be switching back and forth. My presumption is that there was something unsatisfactory to the riders and/or mechanics about replacing EPS with WRL, and by the end of last season, Campy lost its only World Tour team. I doubt they didn't want to support a team, even though that might be the party line.

This year, only the Bardiani team (Continental UCI pro, not WT) is riding Campy WRL. One of the first races of this season, two riders from Bardiani scored first and second place in the opening stage of the Volta Valenciania. That's really excellent, but I'm surprised that Campagnolo didn't promote this in any way on their website.

[Miller]

Dutch CXer Ryan Kamp has been using WRL on his cross bikes in recent races. That should be a fairly severe test for it.

[graeme_f_k]

I wouldn't read too much into this.

There was never any plan to discointinue wired EPS this year - Service Centres get "product discontinued" notices several months in advance so that we can plan how to manage stock & stock-holding through the warrany period (compatible products continue to be made or significant stocks are held for the warranty period for "official" end of a product's life in the market but we still need to know ...).

SR EPS was not on that list.

I'll grant you, it was duff marketing - but I asked the question specifically (because it has been raised here before) on a factory visit prior to Christmas - and it was made very clear that 12s EPS will be in the market for some time to come.

For reference WRL had nothing at all to do with AG2Rs switch to Shimano as @bikercr suggests.
That is conflation of two unconnected things.

That switch was purely because the change in headline sponsorship to include Decathlon meant that Van Rysel, Decathlon's house brand, became the bike sponsor. Decathlon only supply the Van Rysel range at the top end with Dura Ace, so it was never even on the cards, once the Decathlon deal was signed, that Campagnolo would sponsor either directly or indirectly. The previous bike sponsorship was with BMC, with whom Campagnolo maintain aclose working relationship ...

Most WT sponsorships for equipment now are driven by the bicycle manufacturer's OEM requirement - if they are supplying their high end bike with SRAM, they are more likely than not to be the equipment sponsor, sometimes in a direct deal with the component maker, sometimes via the bike sponsor. Ditto Shimano.

I think I'm correct that in 10/18 of the WT teams' websites, there is no mention or indication of direct sponsorship by the groupset manufacturer.That was my count last time I checked, in January.

Further, yes, it is more difficult for team mechs but in the case of WRL, not really very much so. Wheels for Service Course are interchangeable, charging is USB, brakes are the same & in any case, team mechs are well used to working with sponsors (and even, occasionally, potential sponsors) to test new material that may be different to some of the other kit on the team - even back in my time, we used to do it regularly. It's part of the job.

[bikercr]

Thank you for this clarification, Graeme.

I'm very impressed with the functionality of EPS (having been a long time user of Campy mechanical groupsets), and my fear was that EPS was getting dropped in favor of WRL sometime soon and EPS parts would become increasingly difficult to obtain. Then I noticed advertisement of Super Record EPS hydro back on the Campagnolo website.

It's still murky exactly why this came about, and I believe there's been some high-up change in strategy by the company that has something to do with disappointment over the market response to the roll-out of WRL. [Or, it's something like "New Coke", if anyone can remember that fiasco and the windfall for Coca Cola that followed when "Coke Classic" returned.]

[usr]

ZONDA IS BACK

Feels like waking up from a bad dream. It's relevance in the disc era will never reach the importance it had before, but declaring Scirocco the last wheel standing was just so incredibly wrong. Zonda might be a bit of a downgrade to someone having finally scraped through their last aluminium shamals, but it should be close enough, steel spokes even offering a minor aero advantage. A forced downgrade to Scirocco otoh would be adding result to injury, with the amount of weight penalty and the cheap bearings.

[joeyb1000]

It's curious that the website changed just prior to the next "big announcement". We'll see if it gets mentioned.

This may just be protecting UCI riders from being accused of using equipment that wasn't available to the public. But being available on the website and being available for you to order are two different things. Some regional importers have already cleared out stock to make room (and cash) needed for WRL.

I don't have insight on WRL sales. But, EPS was released in mid-2011; and at this point in 2012, it was still hard to get a groupset. WRL seems easily obtainable.

It's very clear that Campagnolo is working on a power meter for WRL. If sales really are coming up short, it may be people who are waiting for the PM before they buy.

I was talking to a friend of mine who has a colnago rim brake c60 with v2 EPS. He wants to upgrade before his PU goes bad. He feels abandoned because Campagnolo doesn't have anything for him, and he doesn't see mechanical as an upgrade.

On the website, Zonda and Scirocco wheels show cup&cone OS style bearing. So, that's a lot of wheel for the money.

[MarkMcM]

To be fair, Centaur had disappeared from the Campagnolo website for a while also, only to recently re-appear. The coincidence of the re-appearance of EPS and Centaur and the next "big announcement" could be more to do with a review/update of the web site, then to a change in corporate product strategy.

[Bondurant]

This. Especially given Graeme's feedback on EPS and its continued availability from some time ago.

Fun to speculate of course. But I doubt if any of us are in a position of privileged information to a greater degree than Graeme.

[graeme_f_k]

It's curious that the website changed just prior to the next "big announcement". We'll see if it gets mentioned.

This may just be protecting UCI riders from being accused of using equipment that wasn't available to the public. But being available on the website and being available for you to order are two different things. Some regional importers have already cleared out stock to make room (and cash) needed for WRL.

I don't have insight on WRL sales. But, EPS was released in mid-2011; and at this point in 2012, it was still hard to get a groupset. WRL seems easily obtainable.

It's very clear that Campagnolo is working on a power meter for WRL. If sales really are coming up short, it may be people who are waiting for the PM before they buy.

I was talking to a friend of mine who has a colnago rim brake c60 with v2 EPS. He wants to upgrade before his PU goes bad. He feels abandoned because Campagnolo doesn't have anything for him, and he doesn't see mechanical as an upgrade.

On the website, Zonda and Scirocco wheels show cup&cone OS style bearing. So, that's a lot of wheel for the money.

Again, you are reading too much in.

I'm not at liberty to say much - but suffice to say the re-appearance of some things on the website isn't part of any deep, dark Machiavellian plan.
Mark McM has it nailed.

WRL is more freely available in some markets than others - retailers are after us for more, all the time, which is very positive.

For your colleague with a c60, there is a solution for him - this is hugely misunderstood and various basically inaccurate posts of a whole bunch of platforms aren't helping - he can use a PU21-11EPS power unit (the same shape, size & battery as a v4 /12s one but different internal) and an IF16-EPS Interface. These will work with his existing 11s RD, FD and levers and give enhanced performance with his 11s system. The battery charger stays the same.

Zonda is cup and cone, Scirocco is cartridge bearing. Still, both are at very aggressive price points and Zonda c17 is still an excellent (and ongoing) choice for rim brake bikes, especually where more limited, maybe "traditional" clearances preclude using a larger volume tyre.

[graeme_f_k]

To be fair, Centaur had disappeared from the Campagnolo website for a while also, only to recently re-appear. The coincidence of the re-appearance of EPS and Centaur and the next "big announcement" could be more to do with a review/update of the web site, then to a change in corporate product strategy.

You are correct.
As I mentioned, I think people are looking in too deeply, putting 2 and 2 together and making 5.