Venerating the Italian Worker?

In 2013, Blogger Augustus Farmer visited the factory in Vicenza and posted an interesting article with photos (of the areas where cameras were allowed). Read his post and see his copyrighted images here.

Farmer was clearly impressed with the quality of the factory and the dedication of the workers who make the company's signature components. The workers in 2013 were treated well and returned that respect in the form of a commitment to do their very best for the company. From his blog post:

"What I was to witness over the next few hours was to genuinely blow my mind. A mixture of old fashioned machine shop with its  metal and heat and noise and aroma, and a more delicate side of hand/ eye co-ordination, experience, care, design, love and dare I say it, Italian-ness. 

Watching a Ghibli wheel being made for example, will be etched onto my soul forever."

That partnership has unfortunately been thrown into disarray in recent weeks, with workers striking to protest the layoff of workers in Vicenza, a move that is part of Campagnolo's effort to move some of its production to cheaper workers in Romania. The company has announced that the layoffs will be rescinded, but the strike continues while the workers seek a solution that will retain both their work and the reputation of Campagnolo.

Campagnolo Lays Off 68 Italian Employees; Workers Strike

Campagnolo's efforts to reduce costs by shifting work to cheaper workers in Romania and elsewhere now includes laying off 68 manufacturing workers at the company's flagship facility in Vicenza. Workers there are not happy at all.

Read this report from Bike Europe.

According to Bike Europe's report, Campagnolo management says that high-end components will still be made in Vicenza, and that the move is part of their effort to remain competitive with other companies (ShimaNO?) that make components in parts of the world with much lower labor costs.

Does it matter to you where your Campagnolo parts are made? Would you care if, in some future year, Campagnolo left Italy for cheaper shores? Let us know in the comments below.

Reader's Bikes: Daniel's Electronic Look

Reader Daniel A sent this photo of his Record EPS-equipped Look 675, which looks fast just sitting there.

To see your Campy-equipped bike here, email a photo or two to enorris [at] campyonly [dot] com

Photos of the Campagnolo Booth at Eurobike 2014

Wonder what the Campagnolo booth at the world's largest bicycle trade show looks like? Wonder no more! Here are some photos from a friend who visited the show:

Campagnolo's New Wheels Get Faster By Getting ... Fatter

The folks at BikeRumor.com report that Campagnolo's new wheels are getting more aero in part by accommodating wider tires. Can it be that iconoclasts like Jan Heine had it right all along?

Fatties Fit Fine?

Read about it here: http://www.bikerumor.com/2014/07/18/campagnolo-bora-carbon-wheels-get-wider-lighter-plus-new-braking-surface-w-shamal-mille/

Tullio Campagnolo: Cycling's Steve Jobs?

Jan Heine has written an intriguing piece on Tullio Campagnolo and his impact on the technology of cycling in the latest edition of his magazine, Bicycle Quarterly.

Jan raises some issues which have been long discussed in the cycling community, including the whether Tullio invented new products or, like Steve Jobs some 40 to 50 years later, saw value in ideas  and made them successful. Fans of cycling history, for instance, still debate whether Campagnolo invented the modern derailleur, or whether he simply made minor changes to products that were already on the market.

Heine covers this ground and much else quite well in an exhaustively researched article that draws on numerous sources (including our own web site, www.campyonly.com).

More than just discussing technology, however, Heine adds an entirely new thread to the Tullio Campagnolo story, delving into the extent to which Tullio invented not just bicycle parts but his own history. Was Tullio actually inspired to invent the quick release during a race in the 1920s? Was he even in the race? Heine has pored over 90-year-old Italian newspaper accounts to provide the most comprehensive examination of these topics we have ever seen.

We'll be asking Bicycle Quarterly for permission to reproduce the article here. In the meantime, it's worth the trouble for an Campagnolo fan to find a copy.

Summer's Almost Here!

What kinds of adventures are you planning on your Campy-equipped bicycle?

Wouldn't You Like a Vehicle Like This?

Our friends and sponsors at CycleItalia.com have this great Campagnolo-themed support vehicle following the riders on their fully supported cycling tours in Italy. All of the bikes on top are Campy-equipped, of course.

Confirmed: This IS the Ugliest Campagnolo Gruppo Ever

Campagnolo has confirmed that next year's gruppo upgrade will feature what is possibly the ugliest crankset ... nay, the ugliest single part ... ever produced by Vicenza.

Here's a photo from the official press release.

Campagnolo calls this "fresh and cutting edge aesthetics." We call is the ShimaNO-ization of the once great design house in Vicenza.

Among the benefits of the new, ugly cranksets, according to Campagnolo, is the use of a single, 4-bolt pattern for all cranks in all lines (Super Record, Record, and Chorus). From the press release:

"The new bolt pattern allows for all 3 chainring standards 53/39, 52/36 and 50/34 to be built upon the same crankset. Changing between compact and standard is now as easy as changing 8 bolts and two chainrings."

That's a great idea--the bolt pattern on the current compact cranks is inexplicably different from everything else--but the benefit is predicated on buying ... all new cranksets. All of the millions of riders who currently have Campy cranksets will have to wait 'til theirs wear out (or the peer pressure on the weekend club ride becomes too much to bear).

"Feedback has been overwhelmingly positive and with the seal of approval coming from the Campy Tech Lab as well as top professional athletes, these new groupsets are now worthy of bearing the Campagnolo name."

So says Campagnolo. What do you think? 

 

Newest Record Group the Ugliest Campagnolo Ever?

We here at Campy Only wonder if ShimaNO has infiltrated the design studio in Vicenza, with the obvious motive of creating perhaps the ugliest crankset to ever bear the Campagnolo name:

More info here from the folks at BikeRadar, who spotted this prototype.

What do you think of the new design? Let us know in the comments, right there below this post.

Campagnolo Gran Fondo New York Poster Unveiled

The folks over at the Campagnolo Gran Fondo New York have unveiled this year's official poster. It's nice, and the Campy logo is there, but ... where's the Campagnolo on the bike?

Luxe Gios Could Be Yours!

Reader Fernand is selling this Super Record-equipped Gios from his home in Luxembourg. For info, email him: supervisiontrafic@cfl.lu

Updated 3-16-14: We had mislabeled this machine as a Colnago. Typing a little too fast!

Today's Retro Bike: 1978 Colnago

Riccardo V's very nice 1978 Colnago came to us via Twitter:

Follow Riccardo @riky_76
Got a retro bike you'd like to share? Email us (enorris [at] campyonly [dot] com) or message us on Twitter: @campyonlyguy

Xenon-Equipped Bianchi

Reader Milan sent these photos of his Xenon-equipped Bianchi, fully equipped with this lower-priced gruppo from the early 90s except for the brake levers.

Apparently, Mr. Jack O'Lantern approves!

Today's Bike: Mr. Bean's Bianchi

A reader known only as "2012mrbeans" sent this photo of a Bianchi with a very interesting drivetrain--apparently, late-model 10-speed Ergo levers attached to Nuovo Record front and rear derailleurs.

We're going to check with Mr. Bean and see how well this mismatched system works.

Update: A sharp-eyed reader pointed out that the Ergo levers aren't connected to the derailleurs. Look closely, and you can see that the original downtube shifters are still there.

Here's a Retro Campy Part You Probably Haven't Seen Before

On eBay ... a "tube saver" that goes inside the band that holds on your clamp-on down tube shifters. Nice idea, and something that Campy Only has never seen in real life. Auction ends in nine days.

Electronic Campy Video

Lots of Campagnolo electronica in this official video on Vimeo ... electronic bikes, electronic soundtrack ... even an electronic washing machine.

Check out the video below, or hit up this link to see it in its full glory at Vimeo.

The Best Teams Trust Campagnolo from Campagnolo Srl on Vimeo.

The Campagnolo Experience: Pricey Behind-the-Scenes Tour of Tullio's World

Just when you thought you had it all, from your Nuovo Record-equipped Cinelli to the electronic-shifting Colnago, along comes ... a $4,100 tour of Tullio's world in Italy.

Bike Rumor is reporting on the 2014 edition of the "Campagnolo Experience," a fully supported, behind-the-scenes tour of Italy themed around Campagnolo. From the Bike Rumor report,

"In partnership with Thomson Bike Tours, the 2014 Campagnolo Experience includes a chance to ride the Campagnolo Gran Fondo in Rome on Sunday, October 13 2014. The ride will include a VIP guided tour of the Campy factory as well as the opportunity to rub elbows with staff and “cycling celebrities.” The 2,995 euros per person includes 7 nights in mostly 4 star hotels, VIP dinner in Vincenza, and more. Advanced registration is starting now."

In case you're wondering, airfare to and from Italy is not included. Perhaps it's time to sell that Cinelli ...

Register for the tour here.

P.S. If you're interested in a slightly less Campy-centric tour of Italy, hit up our web sponsors, Cycle Italia. They offer complete packages of cycling-oriented tours, led by dedicated Campagnolo fans.

 

Campy Eye Candy: Building a Colnago

The folks at Vecchio's, the iconic Boulder, CO, shop, built up a Colnago for reader Rick Hess, and he made a nice video of the process that also highlights the historic ambience of the shop. Enjoy!

 

 

Today's Retro Shots: Campy BMX Hubs

Campagnolo made a brief foray into the then-exploding area of BMX cycling in the 1980s, producing a mini-gruppo of hubs and crankset (we have one of the single-speed cranksets on our 1970s Motobecane). The parts were available in several anodized colors, including blue and gold.

Reader Warren M sent these photos of this NOS set of low-flange BMX hubs, which are (as he points out) most likely a set of Gran Sport hubs that have been repurposed with bolt-on axles.

For a photo of an "all-Campy" BMX bike from the Campy Only archives, click here.