Skip to main content

Campagnolo Time Line

Time Line

  • 1898 Amelia Campagnolo is born
  • 1901 August 26 Tullio Campagnolo is born in Vicenza
  • 1921-1930 Tullio Campagnolo's amateur racing career
  • 1930 February 8th, the quick release hub is patented
  • 1933 Tullio moves his factory from the backroom of his father's hardware store founding Campagnolo S.p.A
  • 1933 Production of the quick release hub begins
  • 1943 Tullio hires his first fultime employee, Enrico Piccolo. 
  • 1943 May 4 The sliding hub, dual rod operated back pedal derailleur is patented
  • 1947 Campagnolo S.p.A begins exporting
  • 1948 'The Bicycle Thief' is released featuring several Cambio Corsa equipped racers
  • 1949 October Campagnolo introduces a dual-cabel version of the Gran Sport derailleur at the Milan trade show
  • 1950 The Gran Sport  rear derailleur with extended (long-point) outer jockey cage derailleur is introduced in Milan. Tullio Campagnolo refers to it asthe "Nuovo" Gran Sport. The Gran Sport is the first modern derailleur to be used widely in the pro peloton, and incorporated all of the features for subsequent systems until the introduction of index shifting.Campagnolo employs 123 workers.
  • 1951  After the success of Fausto Coppi in the Paris-Roubaix, Squadra Bianchi is equipped with the long-point Gran Sport derailleur system for the Giro d'Italia and subsequent races.  Gran Sport sliding rod, cable operated front derailleur, and bar end shifters are introduced.  Campagnolo introduces the last version of it's rod-shifting derailleurs.  Featuring an intricate system of levers, cams, and a ratcheting quick release,  it was far less popular than the Gran Sport and quickly dropped from the line.  
  • 1952  An updated version of the Gran Sport derailleur is introduced.
  • 1953  In August the definitive Gran Sport rear derailleur is introduced with minor changes from the 1951 model. The first Campagnolo hubs (FB-style steel barrels with alloy flanges) are introduced, in December the Sport rear derailleur with single pulley and lever operated Sport front derailleur are introduced.
  • 1956 The Gran Sport pedal (steel quill with strap loop) is introduced. In July a seat post is introduced, followed in August by the Gran Sport rear derailleur with the lower body and outer cage revised and a shallow spring cage cover. The Record parallelogram front derailleur is introduced.
  • 1958 The Record Group is introduced including: Record cotterless crankset (151mm bolt circle), Gran Sport bottom bracket, normal or large flange Record alloy one piece hubs, seat post, Gran Sport headset, Record front derailleur.  The line also includes Gran Sport gruppo is also introduced and a Gran Sport track pedal with and without teeth, and wood-boxed tool set.
  • 1961 Strada triple and Cyclocross cranksets are introduced.  Campagnolo opens a factory in Bolonga to manufacture superlight magnesium wheels for autos and motorcycles, as well as lightweight military and aerospace parts. Campagnolo becomes the first company in the world to use low-pressure magnesium casting, revolutionizing the use of this material.
  • 1963 The Record (chromed bronze) rear derailleur is introduced
  • 1966 The Nuovo Record alloy rear derailleur is introduced
  • 1967 The rest of the Nuovo Record gruppo, including Record brakes is introduced
  • 1971 Leggero pedals with black anodized cage is introduced
  • 1973 The last year for the Record rear derailleur. The corkscrew is introduced. The Super Record Road and Track groups are introduced with a titanium axle for the bottom bracket, titanium spindles for the hubs (dropped soon after introduction) and pedals, Super Record rear derailleur with black anodizing and titanium bolts. Super Record chainrings without inner support ring, alloy Super Record headset, and Super Record brake levers with holes are introduced. The Rally wide range rear derailleur is introduced.
  • 1975 Campagnolo is awarded the "Design and Application Award" by the International Magnesium Association
  • 1979 A revised Super Record derailleur with script logo and optimized cage, single bolt Super Record seat post,  Tullio Campagnolo is appointed to the Cavaliere del Lavoro (Italy's highest honor to a businessman) by the President of the Italian republic.
  • 1982 The Campagnolo freewheel is introduced along with the Super Record front derailleur with black anodized arms,  and brazed-on fitting option, the HiLo Record rear hub, toe clips in steel and alloy, the second version of the titanium axle bottom bracket (solid instead of hollow, with nuts rather than bolts).  Also, a series of promotional items are offered; corkscrew, nutcracker, a limited edition belt buckle set, an Olympic lapel pin set, a folding disposable razor, a travel bag, and various Campagnolo window and frame stickers.
  • 1983  Tullio Campagnolo passes away on February 3, at the age of 81. Eddy Merckx delivers the eulogy and the Angels wept.  The limited edition 50th anniversary gruppo is introduced.
  • 1984  The nutted Super Record titanium axle bottom bracket is dropped. A seven-speed standard spaced freewheel is introduced requiring a 130mm rear dropout spacing
  • 1986  Record road and track groups, C-Record road gruppo, Victory "corsa" and "leisure" gruppos, Triomphe corsa and leisure. Also introduced in this catalog are Delta brakes.  This first edition of Delta was recalled, and the Cobalto substituted (no, the little blue buttons on the brakes are absolutely not available from anyone, please stop asking).  Super Record crankarms without milled flutes and a seven-speed "compact" spaced alloy freewheel are introduced.
  • 1987 The last year for production of Super Record.  Chorus is introduced.  "The Chorus equipment performs as if it were on a stage singing in unison."  -Campagnolo's official introduction.  Metaphor or objective reality?  You decide.
  • 1989  MTB offerings
  • 1991 Campagnolo's catalog includes a variety of product lines for road and off-road, including Record, Croce D'Aune, Chorus, Athena, and Xenon for the road; Euclid, Themis, Olympus, and Centaur for off-road, and tandem and track gruppos. 
  • 1992 Ergopower is introduced, rendering all other shifting systems hopelessly antiquated and moribund.
  • 1997 9 speed shifting
  • 2000 10 speed shifting
  • 2002 The "Daytona" gruppo becomes "Centaur" and the "Talledega" becomes the "Vigorelli"  when it is discovered that some "un-named organization" (NASCAR) was concerned that someone might confuse the graceful sport of cycling with the repulsive, noisy, pointless hobby of NASCAR.  Testing begins of a prototype electronic shifting system
  • 2003 Introduction of Hyperon carbon wheels and carbon Record crankset.  Testing of the prototype electronic systems continue.
  • 2004, 2005 Testing of the.......continues
  • 2006 The perfect bottom bracket is introduced.  With the introduction of Ultra Torque all other bottom bracket designs become mere shadows cast on a cave wall by it's unsullied brilliance.  Testing of the prototype electronic systems continue.
  • 2007 Testing of the prototype electronic systems continue.
  • 2008 Campagnolo releases an 11-speed gruppo, Testing of the prototype electronic system continues.
  • 2011 The EPS electronic shifting system is introduced, rendering all other electronic systems obsolete.
  • 2013 It has been 80 years.  To celebrate an 80th anniversary Super Record gruppo is planned.