Vintage Campagnolo Super Record Hubs Review

Campagnolo Super Record Hubset
Campagnolo Super Record Low Flange Road Hubs

History

Campagnolo Super Record was released in the 1974 as the successor to it’s top tier component group Nuovo Record. Campagnolo offered both high flange and low flange versions of their ‘Record’ hubs as part of the Super Record groupset up until the late 1980’s.

Campagnolo High Flange Hubs
Campagnolo High Flange Road Hubs
Image courtesy of www.steel-vintage.com

There was also a limited production of a ‘HiLo’ rear hub which featured a low flange on the non-drive side and a high flange on the drive side, designed to create a more balance spoke tension on both sides of the wheel. Whilst available in the early 1980’s, I suspect they weren’t included in any Super Record group sets.

Campagnolo HiLo Rear Hub
Campagnolo HiLo Rear Road Hub

Campagnolo hubs are extremely durable and smooth rolling. They feature a cup and cone bearing system which is easy to service, clean and adjust. There is also a small black clip fitted to the middle of the hub which can be moved to reveal an oil port. Apparently the oil port is a throw-back to the days when grease technology was not very advanced and occasionally required an injection of oil. General practice is to service the hub if it is not rolling smoothly. How to service a Campagnolo Record hub.

Campagnolo 50th Anniversary version

Campagnolo 50th Anniversary Hubs
Campagnolo 50th Anniversary Hubs
Image courtesy of www.steel-vintage.com

In 1983 Campagnolo released a special version of the Super Record group set to commemorate their 50th anniversary (founded in 1933). Many of the parts featured special engravings and gold shields.

Colnago 30th Anniversary version

Campagnolo Colnago 30th Anniversary Hubs
Campagnolo Colnago 30th Anniversary Hubs

In 1984 Campagnolo manufactured a special version of the Super Record group set for Colango to celebrate the 30th Anniversary of Colnago (founded in 1954). These components were fitted to a limited release of the Colnago Arabesque bicycle and easily identified by the pantographed signature of Ernesto Colnago.

Hub Spoke Hole Options

According to the 1975 & 1983 Campagnolo catalogue, the hubs were available with the following spoke hole drillings;

  • 24 holes
  • 28 holes
  • 32 holes
  • 36 holes
  • 40 holes

Hub Dimensions

All versions of the front hub were the same and suit the standard over lock nut distance (OLD) of 100mm, which has been a road cycling standard for many years.

The OLD of rear hubs does vary between versions. Early model hubs featured a 120mm OLD to suit 5 speed freewheels, whilst later models featured a 126mm OLD to suit 6 & 7 speed freewheels. The difference being the axle and spacer lengths. The body of the hub is the same for both versions.

Rear Hub Freewheel Threads

The rear hubs were available in 3 different threading options to suit the different freewheel standards.

  • Italian Thread (1.378″ x 24 tpi)
  • French Thread (1.366″ x 25.4 tpi)
  • English (BSC) Thread (1.370″ x 24 tpi)

Front & Rear Hub Parts Schematic

Campagnolo Record Hub parts schematic
Campagnolo Record Hub parts schematic

Learn How to Service Campagnolo Hubs

I have written an article with instructions on how to clean and service a set of vintage Campagnolo Record hubs.

Campagnolo Quick Release Skewer

The hubs included a nice set of Campagnolo quick release skewers. Early versions featured a straight lever and a conical shaped nut as shown below. In 1978 the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (US CPSC) mandated changes that the quick release lever must be curved and a ball end added to the quick release nut.

Campagnolo Super Record QR Skewer (1st version)
Campagnolo Super Record QR Skewer (straight lever)

Therefore a new version of the quick release skewer was released to meet this requirement and featured a curved lever and a ball end shaped nut as pictured below. Both versions of the skewer nut featured a rotating metal ring which made it easy to tighten or loosen the nut and could be folded inward to improve aerodynamics.

Campagnolo Super Record QR Skewer (2nd version)
Campagnolo Super Record QR Skewer (curved lever)

The lever of the quick release can also be removed for cleaning should it become a bit sticky. How to service a Campagnolo quick release lever.

Quick Release Skewer Parts Schematic

Campagnolo Quick Release parts schematic
Campagnolo Quick Release parts schematic

How to Service a Campagnolo Quick Release

I have written an article on how to service a Campagnolo quick release skewer. I hope you find it helpful.

UK Pricing in 1981

I found a 1981 catalogue for a British cycling shop with pricing as follows;
The Record low flange hub set retails for GBP 36.50
The Record high flange hub set retails for GBP 39.70

Super Record Component Weight

I have weighed a set of Super Record components and quite surprisingly, these vintage parts compares quite favourably against the weight of a modern Campagnolo Super Record group set.

Learn more about Campagnolo Super Record

This article is just a small part of my full review of Campagnolo Super Record groupset.

References

I hope you found this article interesting. I have listed the following website pages as general references.

bikeretrogrouch.blogspot.com/2014/02/classic-components-campagnolo-record.html
www.velo-retro.com/tline.html

Disclaimer!

Please remember that this information is only to be used as a guide.
I consider myself an enthusiast, not an expert. The information I have presented in this article is based on my many hours of online research.

Whilst I enjoy working on my own bikes, I am not a qualified bicycle mechanic. The content of this article is purely illustrative and does not constitute professional advice. For your own safety, any type of work should only be undertaken by a qualified bicycle mechanic. Incorrect assembly of parts could result in equipment damage, personal injury or death.

About Me.

I have been riding and working on my own bikes for many years now. I wanted to share my experiences, knowledge and research with others. My aim is to inspire people to get involved in all aspects of this amazing sport. Cheers.

Comments.

I welcome reader feedback in the comments section. Should you wish to suggest an amendment, please include a note advising the source of your information so that myself and other readers can ascertain the accuracy of your information. Note: Trolling or argumentative comments will be removed as they are counter-productive.

8 thoughts on “Vintage Campagnolo Super Record Hubs Review

  • Oiler ports are used only on racing wheels. On a racing wheel there is no grease – if you fill the hub with oil it can be raced on for that day only, at an even lower level of friction. After 1 day, most of the oil drips out and the lubrication becomes ineffective. That’s the real reason why these hubs have oiler ports. They directly support the racing purpose of the hubs.

  • It should be noted that true Super Record hubs had titanium axles. They apparently were prone to breakage for whatever reason.l had one from a mismatched hub pair; one Ti axle in the front, but the rear was steel (axle probably replaced due to Ti axle failure). I have seen comments written that the Ti alloy was not good for the designed use. These hubs are very rare due to being discontiued shortly after release circa ’73 (1 year or less?). If you look at the Super Record groups in later catalogs after the initial introduction of the SR gruppo you will find that the hubs (w/steel axles) are Record hubs used in the Super Record group. Many Record parts were used to make up the SR gruppo. I believe the only real SR parts (generally lighter weight due to use of titanium, aluminium, and/or drilling) initially available were: hubs (Ti axle), BB (Ti spindle, alloy cups), headset (alloy cups, nut, drilled), brake levers (drilled), brake calipers (alloy pad holders), chainrings (“inner ring” cut-away), seat post (fluted), pedals (Ti axles, alloy cages), RD (Ti pivot bolt).
    The SR front derailleur was introduced circa very late 70s/very early 80s (not listed in the circa 78 catalog supplement; is listed in the ’82 catalog) it should be noted that the SR FD was somewhat of a marketing scam given it was identical to the Nuovo Record FD excepting black anodized control arms, but was priced significantly higher than its NR “twin”. Many think that the limit screws are titanium; they are not!
    Note: SR parts were being made in 1973 as can be verified since there are SR RDs with “PATENT-73” stamped into the upper knuckle.
    Jesper

  • Nota bene: many sellers (ebay!!!) are listing Record hubs as SR just because they were part of an SR group originally. I have yet to find a true SR hub and most sellers are either not aware of the difference or are intentionally taking advantage of buyer’s ignorance. I ask for the magnet test! This is also common with the short lived Record FD with 4 holes (never listed as Nuovo or Super only Record), and the Superleggera pedals (black alloy cage yes, but steel axle; not Ti).
    So be careful on your restorations because you can pay a lot for parts listed as SR, but that are not.

  • And I will add the Victory levers to the mix, different logo (“shield”), but same drilling so people are fooled if listed as SR

  • I have the 30th anniversary for colnago high flange hubs and pedals. they came with a box of panto colnago parts i bought at a bike swap (panto cranks, bar end shifters, stems, etc.)

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