Campagnolo history and timeline

Campagnolo

Campagnolo is an Italian manufacturer of bicycle components with headquarters in Vicenza, Italy, one of the most prestigious names in cycling. The components are organised as groupsets (gruppi) and are a near-complete collection of a bicycle's mechanical parts. Campagnolo's highest grade groups are Record (Super Record up to 1985), followed by Chorus.

Founded by Tullio Campagnolo, the company began in 1933 in a small Vicenza workshop. The founder was an bicycle racer in Italy in the 1920s and he conceived several ideas while racing, such as the quick release mechanism for bicycle wheels, derailleurs, and the rod gear for gear changing. Gino Bartali made a strong impression as he won mountainous races while using this gear. Campagnolo has 135 patents.

At the end of the 1950s Campagnolo started to manufacture magnesium parts such as wheels for sports cars like Alfa Romeo, Ferrari, and Maserati, and also built chassis for NASA satellites in 1969. Campagnolo Milestones

Campagnolo worked closely with the famous racer Eddy Merckx, and produced special lightweight parts for his bike used to beat the world one hour record in 1972.

Despite having lagged in innovations such as indexed gears, and combined brake and gear levers in the 1980s, Campagnolo introduced its Ergopower gears.

The late 1990s and early 2000s saw Campagnolo start using carbon fibre parts in groupsets, and the development of wheelsets. In 2004 Campagnolo introduced a complete Compact drivetrain with smaller chainrings, to enable lower gears than traditional drivetrains. Campagnolo is developing electric shifting.

Campagnolo has focused on road cycling and track cycling. Campagnolo's last foray into mountain-biking was the ill-fated Record-OR groupset. Campagnolo sponsors many teams in the UCI ProTour, such as Caisse d'Epargne, Cofidis, Quick Step-Innergetic (Tom Boonen, Paolo Bettini), and Lampre. Campagnolo is associated with the victories of Eddy Merckx, who used Campagnolo almost exclusively, and was friendly with Tullio Campagnolo.

Trademarks

Campagnolo has used various trademarks during its history, probably the best known is the name Campagnolo in a typeface as if handwritten, another well recognized trademark is a drawing of a hub quick release lever (Tullio's most famous innovation).

Race Service

For many years Campagnolo has provided professional race mechanics with spare parts, and technical help at major races. Campagnolo relies on constant feedback from riders and race mechanics to improve and refine their products, so every design is well tested before going on sale to the general public.

Campagnolo history and timeline

1901 Tullio Campagnolo is born on 26 August in the eastern suburbs of Vicenza, Italy

1922 Tullio Campagnolo begins his racing career

1930 Campagnolo patents the quick-release hub

1933 After fabricating parts in the backroom of his father's hardware store, Tullio starts Campagnolo SPA with the production of the quick-release hub

1940 Tullio hires his first fulltime employee. The derailleur enters production, enabling the cyclist to change gears without removing the wheel. The pieces are handmade

1949 Campagnolo introduces its parallelogram rear derailleur, the Gran Sport

1956 Campagnolo introduces its parallelogram front derailleur

1963 The Record rear derailleur (chromed bronze) is introduced

1966 The Nuovo Record rear derailleur is introduced. This will be a fixture on Eddy Merckx's bicycles during his first four Tour de France victories

1973 The Super Record Road and Track groups are introduced.

1983 Tullio Campagnolo dies on 3 February

1985 Campagnolo creates Delta brakes, with a parallelogram linkage to actuate the calipers.

1986 Introduction of re-designed Record road and track groupsets (also know as C-Record), replacing Super Record as the top of range

1987 The last year of Super Record until 2008

1989 Campagnolo introduces its mountain bike groupset, heavier and less advanced than those made by Shimano and SunTour.

1992 Introduction of Ergo Power levers, combining brake lever and a shift lever to answer Shimano's STI levers

1993 Delta brakes discontinued

1994 Campagnolo leaves the mountain bike components business

1995 Introduction of group names on components

1997 9-speed shifting

1998 Next generation Ergo Levers and last year of Athena

1999 Introduction of the Record Carbon Ergo Levers

2000 10-speed shifting introduced

2001 Carbon-fibre shifting levers for Record group

2004 Carbon-fibre cranks for Record and Chorus groups

2005 10-speed Centaur and Chorus shift and brake levers introduced for flat bar road bikes

2006 Hollow external bearing crankset announced

2007 Introduction of 10-speed Mirage and Xenon component groups, new Ultra-Torque components

2008 Introduction of 11-speed Record, Super-Record and Chorus groups

Fulcrum Wheels, a company owned by Campagnolo, produces wheelsets compatible with Campagnolo and Shimano cassettes.

The ErgoBrain is a cyclocomputer compatible with the Ergo shifters. It displays cadence, gear used, as well as the normal functions of a cyclocomputer.

Tour de France Winners with Campagnolo

Year	Name
1952	Fausto Coppi (ITA)
1968	Jan Janssen (NED)
1969	Eddy Merckx (BEL)
1970	Eddy Merckx (BEL)
1971	Eddy Merckx (BEL)
1972	Eddy Merckx (BEL)
1973	Luis Ocaña (ESP)
1974	Eddy Merckx (BEL)
1976	Lucien Van Impe (BEL)
1978	Bernard Hinault (FRA)
1979	Bernard Hinault (FRA)
1980	Joop Zoetemelk (NED)
1981	Bernard Hinault (FRA)
1982	Bernard Hinault (FRA)
1984	Laurent Fignon (FRA)
1985	Bernard Hinault (FRA)
1986	Greg LeMond (USA)
1987	Stephen Roche (IRL)
1988	Pedro Delgado (ESP)
1990	Greg LeMond (USA)
1991	Miguel Indurain (ESP)
1992	Miguel Indurain (ESP)
1993	Miguel Indurain (ESP)
1994	Miguel Indurain (ESP)
1995	Miguel Indurain (ESP)
1996	Bjarne Riis (DEN)
1997	Jan Ullrich (GER)
1998	Marco Pantani (ITA)
2006	Óscar Pereiro (ESP)