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Once upon a time, Campagnolo groupsets used to be the most desirable groupset to build a new road bike with. That was ever such a long time ago though, and now it’s increasingly difficult to find new Campagnolo-equipped bikes, with Shimano clearly the dominant manufacturer at most price points in the market.
So you have to look a bit harder to find a road bike with Campagnolo, but they are out there. Canyon has just reminded us that it has a soft spot for Campagnolo, and is offering four road bikes with the Italian company’s groupsets this year.
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- 11 of the best Campagnolo-equipped road bikes
There’s an Endurace CF SL Disc with Campagnolo Potenza for £2,449 and at the top a Movistar replica Ultimate CF SLX Disc with brand new 12-speed Record for £5,099 (though it’s unlikely we’ll see the Movistar team racing disc brakes anytime soon).
Canyon x Campag history
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The German direct-sales brand has even produced a special webpage showing a timeline of its soft spot for Campagnolo, stretching back to its first involvement with pro racing. That was 2007 with Team Unibet who rode early Canyon bikes with Campagnolo groupsets.
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This relationship with Campagnolo groupsets continued. In 2009 Cadel Evans became world champion riding an Ultimate CF with the first Campagnolo Super Record 11-speed groupset.
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Then in 2011, Philippe Gilbert complete a hat-trick in the Ardennes, winning the Amstel Gold Race, La Flèche Wallonne and Liège–Bastogne–Liège on the trot. His stellar year included 18 race wins in total, as well as a stint in the Tour de France yellow jersey after winning the opening stage. His bike? A first generation Canyon Aeroad CF with a Super Record groupset.
- Your complete guide to Campagnolo road bike groupsets
And to this day, Canyon continues its association with Campagnolo via the Movistar Team, which it has supported since 2014.
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Campagnolo might not have as big a market share as Shimano, but it’s no less innovative than it has ever been. It was the first company to offer a 12-speed road groupset and while it wasn’t the first to market with hydraulic disc brakes, we’re hearing very good reports about their performance. We’ll be reviewing them soon so watch out for that, it should be interesting.
So if you want a Canyon with a Campagnolo groupset, step right this way
David has worked on the road.cc tech team since July 2012. Previously he was editor of Bikemagic.com and before that staff writer at RCUK. He's a seasoned cyclist of all disciplines, from road to mountain biking, touring to cyclo-cross, he only wishes he had time to ride them all. He's mildly competitive, though he'll never admit it, and is a frequent road racer but is too lazy to do really well. He currently resides in the Cotswolds.