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Is this the new Campagnolo Super Record EPS 12 speed groupset on Valverde's Canyon Ultimate?

Movistar recently unveiled the reigning world champion's new bike, complete with rainbow stripes and what appears to be a couple of unfamiliar components...

Campagnolo became the first to launch 12 speed road groupsets last year, unveiling Super Record and Record cassettes with a dozen sprockets. Both of these groupsets were mechanical with no date set for EPS (electronic) versions set initially... but we reckon road world champion Alejandro Valverde may have just shown it off for the first time on his new Canyon Ultimate CF SLX.  

Review: Campagnolo Record 12 speed disc groupset

valverde ultimate 3

The frame and finishing kit have a strong rainbow striped theme throughout, and also there some cool multicoloured decals on the Bora Ultra carbon wheels. Although we can't see closely enough in Movistar's gallery to count the number of sprockets we can confirm that the crankset and levers are the new Super Record 12 speed versions, which means unless someone has been doing some serious bodge jobs at the rear this bike has to be 12 speed. The difference is in the front mech... 

campag side by side

Above is a side-by-side comparison of the front mech on Valverde's new steed and the mechanical Super Record front derailleur currently available to buy... and we're pretty sure the one on the left looks like an electrified version. The extra part added to the front derailleur clamp looks pretty much the same as the shift motor that appears on the Super Record EPS 11 speed front mech.  

Valverde will ride this bike in 2019 as the reigning world champion, complete with a 12 speed electronic groupset if our speculating is correct. Campagnolo still haven't set a date for the official release of Super Record and Record EPS 12, but with almost a year passing since the launch of the mechanical versions, we wouldn't bet against it hitting shop floors in early 2019. 

What do you think of Valverde's new-look Canyon Ultimate, and will you be saving up for 12 speed EPS when it lands? Let us know in the comments.  

Jack has been writing about cycling and multisport for over a decade, arriving at road.cc via 220 Triathlon Magazine in 2017. He worked across all areas of the website including tech, news and video, and also contributed to eBikeTips before being named Editor of road.cc in 2021 (much to his surprise). Jack has been hooked on cycling since his student days, and currently has a Trek 1.2 for winter riding, a beloved Bickerton folding bike for getting around town and an extra beloved custom Ridley Helium SLX for fantasising about going fast in his stable. Jack has never won a bike race, but does have a master's degree in print journalism and two Guinness World Records for pogo sticking (it's a long story). 

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5 comments

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Glov Zaroff | 5 years ago
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Yet more road.cc lazy journalism. 28th of Dec on Cycling News 'Ewan's 2019 Ridley Noah Fast'. It's equiped with 12-speed EPS.

 

 

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David Arthur @d... replied to Glov Zaroff | 5 years ago
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See 59 wrote:

Yet more road.cc lazy journalism. 28th of Dec on Cycling News 'Ewan's 2019 Ridley Noah Fast'. It's equiped with 12-speed EPS.

 

 

Lazy? Bit rich. We're not in Australia to see the new 2019 team bikes for ourselves, much as we'd love to be so we could report first-hand on all the new bikes. But thanks for taking the time to point that out for us

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Glov Zaroff replied to David Arthur @davearthur | 5 years ago
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David Arthur @davearthur wrote:
See 59 wrote:

Yet more road.cc lazy journalism. 28th of Dec on Cycling News 'Ewan's 2019 Ridley Noah Fast'. It's equiped with 12-speed EPS.

 

 

Lazy? Bit rich. We're not in Australia to see the new 2019 team bikes for ourselves, much as we'd love to be so we could report first-hand on all the new bikes. But thanks for taking the time to point that out for us

 

Neither am I (although I'd love to be). Intagram/Facebook/Twitter any of the Campagnolo equiped teams flaunting 2019 kit or on training camps over the past few weeks. Look at the new shifters and chansets and check for the junction box under the stem. It's not too hard to see who's on 12-speed EPS.

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Chris Hayes | 5 years ago
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I don't know and don't care, but is that Alessandro Valverde's blood in Dr Fuentes  bag number 18? 

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Christopher TR1 replied to Chris Hayes | 5 years ago
3 likes

Chris Hayes wrote:

I don't know and don't care, but is that Alessandro Valverde's blood in Dr Fuentes  bag number 18? 

Yawn.

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