Mattia de Marchi's Unbound bike has an unusual rear derailleur
Close up images of a new Campagnolo gravel groupset at Unbound(Image credit: Josh Croxton)
The metaphorical hockey stick of tech stories coming out of Unbound is starting to tick upwards and, as we approach the final couple of days before the race, we've spotted what looks to be a new Campagnolo gravel groupset.
Spotted aboard the bike of Italian favourite in the Men's 200, Mattia de Marchi, is what appears to be a new rear derailleur aboard his Basso race bike. The Italian is sponsored by Campagnolo, but the rear mech fitted to his bike is unlike any of the brand's existing options.
The find comes just two weeks after a different Campagnolo groupset was spotted at the Grande Partenza of the Giro d'Italia. That groupset, we're almost certain, will be a replacement for the brand's top-tier Super Record Wireless range, thanks to some subtle logos on show on the front derailleur.
Campagnolo has yet to officially launch that groupset, but even so, having compared the images against De Marchi's bike here, it's clear that this is not that. At least not entirely.
The thumb shifter returns! (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
The shifters here look to be exactly the same. The thumb shifter, which marks a significant u-turn for Campagnolo after ditching it two years ago, is very clearly a fixture.
The more profiled front mech is the same as on the previosuly leaked groupset (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
The front derailleur also looks to be the same, with the groove up the centre the main departure from the older Super Record Wireless front mech.
Where this groupset does differ from the previous leak, however, is at the rear derailleur.
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The rear mech is definitely new (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
There are a few similarities, such as the design of the parallelogram and the shape of the cage as it enshrouds the lower pulley wheel, but it features a silver circle at its centre.
If you look closely you can make out the word clutch etched around the Torx head centre hole (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
Upon close inspection, hard to make out in the photos we managed to take, the word 'clutch' is etched into that silver finish.
A clutch is a mechanism that adds tension to the chain, particularly when riding over rough terrain. In most cases, a lever or button allows the rider to engage it for the aforementioned tension increase and then release it to facilitate easier maintenance or wheel removal.
Road derailleurs – namely the new Super Record Wireless derailleur we spotted at the Giro – tend not to need one, since the road is rarely rough enough to cause the chain to bounce uncontrollably. But they are prevalent on gravel derailleurs, where rough surfaces are plentiful.
A 13-speed sprocket confirms Campagnolo is all-in on that extra gear (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
We also count 13 sprockets on De Marchi's cassette. Campagnolo's existing Ekar groupset has been 13-speed for a number of years already, and while it'd be a safe assumption that this could be the new Ekar groupset, the inclusion of the same shifters seen on the Super Record Wireless road groupset suggest this might simply be a gravel-focussed iteration of that, similar to how SRAM has an XPLR derivative of its Red, Force and Rival road groupsets.
In either case, we're hopeful – if even a little expectant – that this means Campagnolo's first wireless gravel groupset is almost ready for launch.
We managed to get a heap of photos of the new bike, so check out the rest of those below.
Here's De Marchi's bike in full (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
And the groupset in full, seen here with Super Record 2x cranks (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
The new shifters are minimalist and look nice and clean... even when dirty (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
That front mech with the more skeletal centre (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
The 2x chainset is also equipped with a power meter (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
Kudos to Basso for this paint job too – the orange pops in the sun (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
And the brushed base coat has a purple flick when it catches the light (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
And finally, another look at that silver clutch mechanism (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
Josh is Associate Editor of Cyclingnews – leading our content on the best bikes, kit and the latest breaking tech stories from the pro peloton. He has been with us since the summer of 2019 and throughout that time he's covered everything from buyer's guides and deals to the latest tech news and reviews.
On the bike, Josh has been riding and racing for over 15 years. He started out racing cross country in his teens back when 26-inch wheels and triple chainsets were still mainstream, but he found favour in road racing in his early 20s, racing at a local and national level for Somerset-based Team Tor 2000. These days he rides indoors for convenience and fitness, and outdoors for fun on road, gravel, 'cross and cross-country bikes, the latter usually with his two dogs in tow.
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