Sun Dappled Forest

Many equipment-forward recreational sports companies operate on a model of continual updating- often they issue a “new model” of a given running shoe, alpine ski, hockey skate or whatever on a yearly basis. Cycling is no different. Even if the update is merely cosmetic, the new paintjob or minor design change is used to tell consumers that the product now is different, and better, and they should buy a new one.

In addition to cosmetic updates, there are many recreational sports companies that do more substantive updates on products on the basis of a longer cycle. Bike frames that have new geometry or features compared with the last model are traditionally offered every 3-4 years. Component groups that are better, stronger, lighter and made of blingier materials come out at much more variable intervals. You know the drill.

The savvy consumer is often happy to get the chance to purchase a slightly outdated version of the equipment if it comes at a significant discount relative to where it was before the updated item was released and relative to the price of newly-issued goods.

Campagnolo launched a new drop-bar groupset family this year, it is built on a 13 speed cassette full wireless shifting system. The variants include a 2×13 road drivetrain as well as both 2×13 and 1×13 gravel sets which come with a bounce-control derailleur (“nano-clutch”).

If this was a normal company, you might think there would be a chance of a smoking good deal on stock of the discontinued Super Record Wireless 12 speed, or on the now upstaged, but current, Super Record S 12-speed Wireless.

The Campagnolo website lists their current road groupsets as Chorus and Super Record mechanical, each in disc and rim brake variants, Super Record S Wireless, and the above mentioned three variants on the Super Record 13 platform.

Super Record S was launched in September 2024 as the “cheaper” Special Edition of the Super Record 12 at $4,299. This was apparently in response to the consumer/media outrage over the $5,339 launch price for the regular Super Record Wireless (12 speed) released a year prior.

Campagnolo then released Super Record Wireless 13 in 2025, at a groupset price of $4,750 without the power meter. Amazing and a bit unusual that the product line’s update, with clear design differences not limited to the 13th cog, would come out at such a huge discount. Clearly, Campagnolo got the message that $5,339 is an untenable price point.

But this causes a problem for the existing stock, whether still in Campagnolo warehouses or in distributors’ storerooms. Especially if the latter paid wholesale prices that are still in excess of the retail value of the new groupset.

It is not easy to find places to order Campagnolo groups, but Google tends to return places such as Lordgun, LafoBikes, Condor cycles and Gambacicli US, which seems to dump the wrong prices to a Google search. Let’s go snooping:

LafoBikes has a few SR12 for $4,120, and one SR12 S for $4,795. Availability is a little sus since they list multiple crank/cassette options. It is not weird to see such a firesale on the SR12. It is, however, odd that the SR12 S is being sold for more. The new SR Wireless 2×13 Gravel variant lists for $5,519, they don’t seem to have the road one but I wager it is close to this in price. This is a stiff premium over the $4,750 MSRP discussed in the early news items on this product.

Condor lists SR12 at $4,450 ( crank length 172.5 only) and the new SR13 2×13 road at $5,550. There is no sign of the SR12 S groupset.

Lordgun has the SR12 S for $3,485 (sale, $5,034 MSRP) no sign of the original SR12 version. Availability is a little sus since they list multiple crank/cassette options, which seems unlikely. The new SR Wireless 2×13 variant lists for $3,746 (sale) ($4,163 MSRP). which sounds like fake news, given the above prices. The site does mention that these ship from the EU and are subject to tariffs as well as normal import fees and that this will all affect the final price. Maybe that has something to do with it.

As usual, one of the reasons for this all being chaotic and unusual is that Campy refuses to do normal things, perhaps because they can’t. Maybe they are at such small manufacturing margins that there is just very little SR 12 and SR 12 S stock to get rid of. If so, there may be no need for firesale prices to distributors. Perhaps the idea is that the original SR12 user base will snap this stuff up as replacements in the next few years without much regard for the full groupset prices.

But SR 12 S is supposedly still in the lineup. The S, I remind you, stands for “Special Edition” which implied it would not be around for long. Normally an equipment company, particularly a cycling company, would trickle the newly outdated product down their product tier. But Campy went with the Super Record S moniker in the first place, continues it and has now completely discontinued the fabled Record product tier. A more normal thing to do would have been to call SR12 S the Record Wireless groupset. Or even the Chorus Wireless, if they could manage to get it down into a very reduced price range.

Just about every Campy fan in the cycling press and in the online forums is practically begging Campy just to act normal. To trickle their amazing technology down to the place where the regular people can afford it. To provide compatible upgrade paths. To stay the course on product tiers instead of zipping all over the place like crazed squirrels every year or two. To create an entry point to their products where OEM manufacturers are willing to buy it.

This is surprising.

I was just speculating that the reason Jenson had the 2025 Oiz M10 on sale for $5,099, a $900 discount, was the release of Shimano’s new completely wireless XT Di2 group.

While it wasn’t clear when the new group would be available on the Oiz products, one could reasonably assume the consumer be willing to might wait (and be willing to pay a price premium) to get the new group.

So Jenson’s sale price of the cable-spec bike would seemingly be wise, as the XT price point consumer is likely dazzled by function more than driven by price.

I assumed Shimano would charge more for 1) a newly released groupset and 2) wireless shifting. I also assumed that the bike brands would have to increase their prices 1) to cover the OEM deal being offered by Shimano and 2) to profit from the new functionality.

Orbea shocked me. They have the wireless XT spec on the Oiz M10 build at the same price. No change from the past ~3 year price of the M10 with cable shifting.

As far as I can tell this is a full specification of the new groupset. XT 8200 level. No apparent down-spec of the rest of the bike, either, although I haven’t done a close comparison. On a fast read, the same MP30Team wheel spec. The rest seems mostly their same house brand componentry.

This is surprising in part because the upgrade kit (shifter and derailleur) costs $860. Replacing the previous XT 8100 cable shifter and derailleur is only $220 MSRP. We might expect OEM cost to be lower than the aftermarket replacement price but $640 lower?

Obviously $6,000 for a bicycle is not cheap. But this is in the expected range for this tier of bike and I think it represents a value sweet spot for the enthusiasts level rider. Time will tell if the other brands likewise keep their prices for the new XT wireless in line with their cable shift predecessors.

Time will also tell if this is a temporary bargain and the 2026 model year Oiz M10 has a higher cost.

Hopefully it doesn’t escape notice that the $900 discount on the Oiz M10 at Jenson is larger than the wireless upgrade. If you did this, the takeoff cable shifter/derailleur would probably get you at least $100 resale. Perhaps not worth giving up the revised crankset and XT over SLX chain? One thing that is not clear on the Orbea site is whether the brakes are from the latest groupset (M8200) or if they are the old ones (M8100). That could be a significant downgrade. There is some chance that we will see further price reductions on cable spec M10 stock, at other sellers if not Jenson. Particularly in the less popular sizes.