Campagnolo to launch time trial components

Italian component brand Campagnolo has announced that it will launch new bar-end controls and brake levers dedicated to time trial and triathlon in its 2012 lineup.

Engineers at the ‘Campy Tech Lab’ (Campy? We’re not happy about that) have also created TT cranksets and U-brakes, so it will be possible to equip a time trial bike with a complete 10-speed or 11-speed Campag drivetrain.

The new bar-end shifters come in a Back to Zero design that, like SRAM’s Return to Center (that’s ‘centre’, in English) shifters, return to the mid-position once you’ve flicked the lever in the direction you want. That means the levers are always in the best aerodynamic position, rather than sticking up or down, and shifting will never be awkward when you’re at either end of the cassette.

You can shift up and down up to three sprockets at a time with one swing of the lever – as you can with SRAM – and adjust the starting position according to your preference. You’ll also be able to replace the inner cable without the need to remove the cable housing for easy maintenance.

Campag reckon the aluminium version of the shifters (both 10 and 11-speed) will weigh 167g while the carbon fibre version will be 155g, making it the lightest on the market.

According to Campag, “The new TT/Tri brake levers have been… tested in the wind tunnel ensuring the creation of an innovative, ergonomic, light and high performance product. The levers have an ergonomic design, especially created to follow hand movements and maintain an aerodynamic position even during braking.”

…which doesn’t really tell us much. The levers come with a quick release system that allows for easy removal of the wheels. Campag haven’t released the details on this but it sounds a lot like they do with their Ergopower levers where a button releases tension on the cable.

The aluminium version of the lever is 106g while the carbon model is 85g.

Campag will also be offering U-brakes in forged aluminium with a black anodized finish. They’ll be available in a lateral pull version for the front (178g) and central (169g) or lateral (161g) pull for the rear – the choice makes for maximum compatibility with different time trial frames.

Finally, Campag has designed new large-ringed chainsets that they reckon are as rigid as their chainsets with standard chainrings. The TT chainsets will be available in 42/54 and 42/55-tooth combos and in Chorus, Record and Super Record versions. In addition, the Super Record design is available with a titanium axle.

We don’t have weights for these although we do know that they’ll use Campag’s existing XPSS (Extreme Performance Shifting System) technology with eight upshifting and two downshifting zones on the chainrings.

Campag have not released prices or expected release dates.