This time, from the Camino Real Double Century in Southern California, which we rode on our Campy-equipped '73 Motobecane. Click on the player below to view it, or click here to see in available 720P HD.
Our video was filmed entirely with cameras by Bad Vision (a Campy Only sponsor).
The Super Record rear derailleur sat atop Campagnolo's lineup for years, doing shifting duty for most of the world's professional cyclists during its production run. Although it would soon change aesthetically, the first iteration of the Super Record looked much like the venerable Nuovo Record. Super Record added titanium parts for lightness and a slightly longer cage. Here's an advertisement from the early days of production:
For a hi- res version, click here.
Some folks from the online mag took a tour of the factory in Vicenza, and sent back photos and words describing what they saw. Read about it here.
We recently completed a fairly extensive road testing of two new video cameras made by Bad Vision (a Campy Only sponsor). We're happy to report that their products keep getting better ... with a few exceptions. Here's a summary of our road tests:
Spark II HD Camera -- The Spark II HD camera is the third stand-alone video camera from Bad Vision that we've tested, and it (mostly ... more in a moment) represents yet another improvement from their earlier products.
The Spark II builds on the already very nice Spark HD by adding a full 1080P HD mode and, perhaps more importantly, a 720P HD mode that shoots at 60 frames per second (fps). The Spark HD, by comparison, maxes out at 720P/30fps. We tried both of the new shooting modes, and preferred the 720P/60fps mode. The higher shutter speed virtually eliminates the "rolling shutter" effect that can make the image seem "wavy" when you're filming from a moving bike, which is a big deal for us. For normal everyday videos, you might prefer the 1080P/30fps setting. Both, by the way, eat up storage space much faster than the Spark HD.
The Spark II also takes stills, but in higer resolution. We found this convenient, but the wide angle lens creates some distortion and vignetting at the edges.
Very thoughtful article today from VeloNews on the merits and drawbacks of the top-of-the-line electronic (Campagnolo and ShimaNO) and mechanical (SRAM) systems. Read it here.
VeloNews quickly dismisses battery life concerns ("The question of battery life is not even worth mentioning, because Di2 and EPS batteries last so incredibly long.") without providing specifics. As a long-distance cyclist, your CampOnlyGuy still wonders what "incredibly long" means--a 50-mile road race? 100 miles? 200 miles?
VeloNews, by the way, gives Campagnolo the edge in some areas (the "feel" of the shift buttons, for instance), but ranks ShimaNO higher in front shifting and the ease of "hacking" an additional battery onto the system. They also note that Campagnolo's EPS system is "insanely expensive" and weighs some 359 grams more than the cheaper top-of-the-line SRAM gruppo. (At this point, we will add our standard statement that Campagnolo will sell every single EPS system they produce, regardless of cost.)
A friend took this photo of our bike at the Camino Real Double Century this past weekend. Click on "More" to see the hidden caption in the photo!
CampyOnlyGuy is in Southern California for the Camino Real Double Century, the first ride in the 2012 California Triple Crown double century series. Weather was great today--nice and warm, and not a drop of rain. Hoping it stays this way for tomorrow!
Reader Dick H did the wild paint job himself, applying more than 2,500 individual dots to the frame of this bike, which was custom built for him in 1971.
More photos, including more info on how Dick created the paintjob himself: here.
Look for us this Saturday in Southern California. We'll be riding the Camino Real Double Century, a 200-mile ride from Orange County to inland San Diego County and back. This weekend's bike will be our 1973 Motobecane, equipped with both Campy and Sturmey-Archer (the latter providing a 3-speed fixed gear hub).
Our photos from last year's Camino Real are here.
See you on the road in SoCal!
Longtime Campy Only friend (and former sponsor) Tim B sent us this textbook, found in a thrift store. Definitely some nice artwork on the cover!
One of the most disconcerting parts of doing Paris-Brest-Paris is the very last thing you do--hand over your brevet card at the finish. For the past three or four days, that card has been perhaps the most precious item in your possession, since it must be completely filled in and returned in order to get credit for finishing. So you keep it with you at all times, making sure it stays dry and safe. Just handing it over to the friendly control worker in San Quentin at the finish is a bit wrenching.
Not to worry, however. A few months later, along with your PBP medal (assuming you finished), your brevet card is returned. Mine came in the mail last week, and here it is in all its glory. The effort needed to get all those stamps and signatures is almost unimaginable.
Famous framebuilder Ernesto Colnago turned 80 today, and is celebrating by making a limited run of 80 special bicycles, equipped with the new Campagnolo EPS electronic gruppo.
Reports Cyclingnews.com:
The C59 Ottanta has Master-like arabesque lug decorations and Ernesto Colnago’s signature, yet is made from the best possible carbon fibre and fitted with Campagnolo Super Record EPS 11s electronic components.
Read the entire article here.
Received this photo from a Facebook friend:
The "lumps" in the chain correspond to specific spots in the rotation of the crankset, matched to the output of the rider's leg muscles.
From reader David M comes this note:
Hello Eric,
'Campy Only' gets it right again ! You predicted Campagnolo would sell every EPS group set they could produce we hear today that i-ride in the UK has already pre-sold their entire first shipment…. Retail price for Record EPS approx £ 2800.00 and for Super Record EPS £ 3800.00…Ouch !
kind regards,
David M
We have indeed predicted for years that Campagnolo's electronic gruppo would sell like electronic hoecakes no matter how much it costs. (And by the way, £3,800 is about $6,000US!)
I you see an EPS-equipped bike on the road, no matter where, let us know! Email enorris [at] Campyonly [dot] com
Reader Paul S sent us this photo he took in 1976. Looks like a scene from "Breaking Away"!
Paul writes,
Here’s a shot you can post via blog or otherwise. It’s a positive scan (slide scanned via digital) of a photo I took of the “Campy Van” at the 1976 USCF National Road Race Championships in Louisville, KY.
Men’s & Womens’ winners that year were Wayne Stetina from
Enjoy!
