In trouble, how can Campagnolo still bounce back?

Campagnolo is one of those names that resonates like a Proustian madeleine in the world of cycling. A legendary brand, synonymous with innovation, Italian elegance, and top-level performance. Yet, recent news about the brand paints a darker picture: financial difficulties, persistent rumors of layoffs, and uncertainty about its future. A painful situation, both for cycling and for Italian industry, of which Campagnolo remains a historical pillar. But the company can still bounce back, provided it evolves its strategy.

By Guillaume Judas – Photos: depositphotos.com, 3bikes.fr

Campagnolo today approaches its centenary, and Its history is marked by major innovations that have profoundly transformed the practice of cycling.From the late 1920s, the invention of the quick-release wheel clamp established the Italian brand as a leading player in the industry. In the late 1940s, Campagnolo launched the first modern parallelogram rear derailleur, before incorporating new materials such as magnesium and then titanium in the following decades to lighten and optimize its components.

The brand is also the originator of the concept of a complete high-end group, embodied by the legendary Super Record, which remained at the top of the hierarchy between the mid-1970s and the mid-1980s. A name that remains synonymous with absolute excellence even today, including on the most recent models. Finally, Campagnolo distinguished itself by being the first to successively introduce 10, 11, 12, and then 13-speed drivetrains, maintaining a technological lead over the competition each time. Successive revolutions that no cyclist has ever complained about.

Faced with its most direct competitor, the Japanese giant Shimano, Campagnolo missed an initial industrial opportunity in the late 1980s by underinvesting in the mountain bike market. While the brand has remained very present in cycling on route of a high level until the mid-2000s, Another, even more questionable, strategic decision ultimately weakened it permanently..

By choosing, from 2007 onwards, to reposition itself exclusively as an elite brand, Campagnolo abandoned its entry-level groupsetsThis cuts the brand off from both beginner cyclists, who were nevertheless potential future customers for more prestigious products, and the OEM market, the market for original equipment. The brand then gradually disappeared from bicycle manufacturers' catalogs, surviving almost exclusively in the world of mass production.tagà la carte, with rare and expensive products. A risky gamble, in an industry where the first experience often shapes a cyclist's entire life..

Producing in Italy: a courageous but restrictive choice

It would be unfair not to mention an essential point: Campagnolo continues to produce a large part of its components in Italyand another in Europe, notably in Romania. The brand has made the deliberate choice not to relocate its production to Asia and to remain at a distance from the monsoons.tagmass OEM. This is a strong, almost militant commitment, at a time when many iconic Italian brands have largely outsourced their manufacturing. This positioning obviously comes at a cost, but it also constitutes one of the pillars of Campagnolo's identity..

This philosophy, however, contributed for many years to a certain disaffection among potential customers. The Super Record groupset, the brand's technological showcase, was long sold for up to €1,000 more than its direct competitors (SRAM Red and Shimano Dura-Ace), despite being comparable in terms of weight, features, and reliability.

With the brand new Super Record Wireless 13-speed, Campagnolo has repositioned itself at a price level now equivalent to that of these two top-of-the-range models.It remains to be seen whether this adjustment will be enough to allow him to reconto gain significant market share, even though these components use high-quality materials such as carbon and titanium and display an exceptional level of finish.

Reconattract the crowds

Campagnolo also makes wheels, whose quality and reliability have always been unanimously praised. reconskiesRegardless of the price range. Yet, here again, the brand hasn't really invested in developing affordable models in recent years, while many competitors now offer carbon wheels with disc brakes for around €1,000. A segment that has become strategic, both in terms of volume and visibility.

Conversely, The Italian brand continues to offer groupsets with rim brakes and mechanical transmission, as it was ten or fifteen years ago. A real treat for purists or for those who want to bring back an old-fashioned setting, but an offering largely disconnected from current market expectations, now dominated by records, electronics and standardization.

To survive and reconnect with its aura, Campagnolo will likely have to make a profound change of strategyThe current range, particularly with the proliferation of Super Record variations, muddles the message and dilutes the prestige. Too many versions, too much complexity, for a market that primarily demands clarity and consistency.

Beyond the excellence of its high-end groups, which no one can denyteste, The return of a true mid-range product line seems essential.That's where the volumes are located, what some call the gras of the market. To offer a modern, reliable and competitive group, capable of being sold in large quantities, especially if bicycle brands agree to put Campagnolo back on models assembled and sold complete in stores.

The brand would thus benefit from developing a groupset capable of competing with the Shimano 105, or even a true entry-level groupset, a segment currently absent from Shimano's offerings but occupied by the SRAM Apex. With talented engineers and expertise honed over nearly a century of history, Campagnolo undoubtedly has what it takes.testThe resources are adequately available. It remains to be seen whether the strategic will will follow.

A legend that must endure

Campagnolo makes no secret of its financial difficulties, having recorded significant losses in recent years despite substantial investments.The company has announced approximately 120 layoffs in the coming months, out of a workforce of around 300. While this is certainly not a good sign, they also mentioned an ambitious recovery plan.

We are convinced of this: if Campagnolo manages to combine his heirtagWith its European industrial expertise and a more accessible offering, the brand can still write some great chapters in its history..

=> All articles Mag