Campagnolo sells just 5% of Shimano's annual revenue. That's twenty times smaller.

Which side is in their own bubble lol?

You Campy diehards are a bunch of jokesters.

Which category of standard would "laying off 40% of your employees" fall under?

Campy was experiencing growth until the entire industry went into a serious decline. It's not a sign of failure that they were negatively affected by the same economic forces that negatively affected everyone else in the industry.

Except for the fact, they had to lay off 40% of their staff and lost €24 million.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Atlas Shrugged

Except for the fact, they had to lay off 40% of their staff and lost €24 million.

You guys need to read more and post less. The layoffs are a direct result of losses triggered by the post-COVID downturn in the bicycling industry. They were experiencing good growth before the downturn hit the entire industry.

Yes, obviously they may be on their way down the chute.

But if the layoffs are part of a plan to sell mainly or exclusively to the millionaires who buy 6-figure cars (and watches) and who see Campagnolo as the ne plus ultra bike world equivalent, laying off 40% of their work force, as bad as that is for the former workers, might enable the company to settle into a modestly profitable long-term domination of that market.

Or maybe not so modestly profitable. There are way more multi-millionaires and billionaires around the world than there were 30 or 40 years ago, and they've got to spend their money on toys, the pricier the better.

Edit: By the way, I looked at the websites of a bunch of the old-school Italian marques that are still in the business a couple of months ago, just for fun, and I believe that all of them featured a Super Record bike for their top model.

Tip for those who enjoy buying from Lordgun: maybe throw one of these in the cart next time.

Colnago V4Rs Campagnolo Super Record WRL 2025

$ 12,242.63

$ 13,892.25 (-11%)

This thread is so 'merica: people with no training or experience are experts on a subject, people citing anecdotes as if they are evidence, people presenting their opinions as if they are facts, and people using anger and insults when they run out of rational arguments. It really is a microcosm of much that has gone wrong with our country.

Never understood the draw of "campys"

People would drone on about how they saved up for a full set of Campys and how 'glorious' they were, and I tried to be happy for them.

No one could ever explain to me why I would want them.

Seems like cycling dogma to me.

Some people buy it because it was the hot item when they started riding years ago. Others simply prefer the ergonomics of Campy, and don't mind paying more to get it.

Yep. Old man yelling at the sky.

Non watch people have a misconception of Rolex. Rolex watches are mass marketed. Rolex’s are tool watches. Rolex’s annual revenue is enough to put them solidly in the S&P 500.
There are at least 2 levels of watches above Rolex. First, the holy trinity, and then on a price level the very small esoteric brands such as Richard Mille, and others.

Making million dollar watches for Charles LeClerc and Rafael Nadal is a niche. Making mass marketed $10,000 Submariners is not.

So, a few things I do know. One,Campy struggled greatly when index shifting came into being. There first index shifting efforts were terrible. I was there for that and it’s the reason I quit Campy. A slow decline started then and has never really stopped. Second, their virtual absence from the Pro Tour is a big problem for a brand that is marketed as super premium. Third, losses running around 25% of gross revenue, for multiple years running, and laying off 40% of your work force are bad things

When the Beatles are discussed on musician forums, someone always comes along to say that they don't get the adulation: "They're just another boy band."

For those of us who were racing in the '80's (or '70's, or even the '60's, like a few of us), the choices early on consisted of bikes with various cobbled-together component mashups that included products from brands such as Simplex, Huret, Cyclo-Benelux, GB, AVA, Magistroni, etc. (Imagine a world where you had to rely on components designed by French engineers and built by French workers!)

And then there was Campagnolo. It was obvious even at the time that everyone else was on the how-cheaply-can-we-make-this-and-get-away-with-it page, while Tullio Campagnolo was interested only in producing the best components imaginable.

For example: Campagnolo sold loose bearing balls in little stapled translucent bags, and guaranteed that the dimensional tolerance of the balls in that bag was 4 microns. But they warned against mixing balls from different bags, since they couldn't (or, in any event, wouldn't) guarantee that the mixed balls would achieve that 4-micron tolerance.

Obviously, Suntour and Shimano eventually figured out how to imitate and even surpass Campagnolo (in some components, anyway), But Campagnolo earned their reputation.

The difference is Shimano is still turning a net profit this year, while Campagnolo is cash negative and laying off half its workers.

Rolexes were tool watches - now they’re…I don’t know what - the Common Man’s mark of success? Incredibly well-marketed overpriced man-bling?🤔

Shimano has had no layoffs and is still profitable.
While the company is currently earning less profit than during the pandemic "bike boom," it is not losing money. It continues to generate billions of dollars in revenue and hundreds of millions in operating income.The Financial Snapshot (2024–2025)

Based on the most recent financial reports, here is the breakdown of their profitability:

• 2024 Full Year: The bicycle division generated approximately ¥345 billion JPY (approx. $2.2 billion USD) in sales. Despite a "down" year, the division remained firmly profitable.

• 2025 Performance: Through the first nine months of 2025, the bicycle segment reported an operating income of ¥30.1 billion JPY (approx. $195 million USD).

Context: "Profitable" vs. "Growing"

It is important to distinguish between losing money and making less money.

• During the Pandemic (2020–2022): Shimano saw record-breaking profits as demand for bikes skyrocketed.

• Current State (2024–2025): Demand has normalized, and the industry is working through an oversupply of inventory. As a result, Shimano's profits have dropped significantly (down ~27% in late 2025 compared to the previous year), but they are still deep in the black.

Summary

Shimano remains a financial powerhouse in the cycling world. If you read headlines about "plunging profits," they refer to a drop from historic highs, not a company operating at a loss.

I can understand the fondness towards Campagnolo and its roll in contributing to our collective passion of cycling. Unfortunately they cannot compete as their products are not seen as worth the premium nor does it have the halo effect of an elite item. The huge grey market undercutting Campagnolo USA didn’t help. There were numerous discounters selling Campagnolo lessening its exclusivity and making retail full price purchasers feel like fools.

In 1985 I could finally afford to buy a decent bike to replace my Schwinn that my parents had bought me when I was 12, I looked in magazines and talked to friends and co-workers (some Campy fans among them) who had nice bikes and took the advice of a co-worker who said to check out the bikes from a shop who sold a number of different brands and would let me test drive them. Further he suggested looking at a bike I never heard of before, ... Trek.

Arriving at the shop and after looking at the bikes I was impressed with the fact that Trek sold a line of bikes which effectively were the same bike except equipped with drive trains from 3 different manufacturers. They sold a model 400 with Shimano, a 410 with Campy, a 500 with Sun Tour, a 510 again with Campy. Before arriving I was really leaning towards Campy equipped bikes because the friends I had talked to left me with the impression this was the best. Until I road the bikes. When the salesman asked me which bike I liked, I said the 510 although I really didn't, I just didn't want to appear to be the newbie that could not appreciate the obvious superiorority of the Campy drive train. But I didn't fool the salesman, he suggested I try another bike, a Trek 600. I was sold, smooth as silk, it was equipped with Shimano 600, which I learned later was a high quality group second only to their Dura Ace. I still own and ride that bike, along with a newer Ultegra STI equipped Trek, and a couple of MTB and a street cruiser for going to the grocery store. One of my Campy friends mentioned how quiet and smooth the 600 was (and still is) I noticed when he bought a new bike a few years later it was Schimano Ultegra equipped. I don't know anyone who rides Campy today, nor have I seen any bikes in a shop equipped with it.eing in yo

One problem I see is that people with a lot of money might be able to buy an expensive bike, but do you really want to own a bike that is far above your ability. People aren't going to be impressed, they'll look at you as a fool, kind of like being in your race gear and being passed by the guy in cut off jeans, a T shirt, and no helmet smoking a cigarette.
you are not going to impress anyone with your bike, oh, they might look at it out of interest, but you will only impress them with your riding.

No. $24M in losses over 3 years, versus more than $100M per year in sales is about an 8% loss.

And other companies went out of business entirely. Campy is in the middle -- they sustained losses and are taking steps to address their current situation. Taking those steps does not make them a failure.

Getting precise numbers for Campagnolo is a bit difficult, with lots of different estimates floating around. Whatever the percentage loss has been it’s enough that Management publicly stated: current liquidity "cannot currently guarantee business continuity under current conditions".

In my experience with publicly traded U.S. companies when your auditors force you to put such a going concern disclosure in your financial statements it is very often a harbinger of impending bankruptcy.

I have no knowledge of European accounting standards or securities law. However if a US company said it, it would mean there was a high likelihood of bankruptcy, particularly, if they were already burning through an emergency round of financing as Campy has done.

Tell us how YT, Rocky Mountain, Canyun, BMC and Rad Power et al are doing?

.

The $24M loss over 3 years comes straight from Campy. $100M per year sales is a well accepted conservative estimate from several sources.


And they're taking steps to address this. This is how business works -- if your cash forecasting indicates a future problem, you fix it now, before it becomes insurmountable.

Campagnolo is not a publicly traded U.S. company. There is nothing to suggest they have been forced to do this by any auditor. And, there is nothing to suggest that they have "burned through an emergency round of financing." Even if they did, the $10M loan they obtained is peanuts for a company with $100M annual sales.

In May, '22, writing for Velo News, James Huang reported that between '20 and the start of '22, "Campagnolo says it’s increased its overall staffing by 30% and its total production capacity by 75%."

Nothing to "suggest"...other than being forced to laying off 40% of your workforce. If that is not a "suggestion" I don't know what else could be.

Do you imagine they were a Soviet communist style gravy train where half the employees were sitting around reading the newspaper and collecting free communist salaries? Those 40% of people were all doing a function in their business, full time.

You do not cut 40% of your workforce in one night unless you are on the verge of going under. "Suggestion" he wants to see. LOL...

By the way 300 employees each making 50k salary per year is 15 million annually. Looks like they burnt through their emergency loan pretty quick. Yeah a 10 million per year net loss is no big deal he says... it's only the salary of two thirds of your entire company. Sure... no big deal. You will just pay those salaries from magic next year.

Laying off 40% of your workforce in one night is not a sign of forecasting. It is a sign of lack of forecasting and then getting punched in the face by reality catching up to your poor management. If they had actually forecasted properly, they would have reduced their workforce over time in a controlled way that does not decimate their business operations in one night. Did the bike industry headwinds just begin yesterday?

Your entire post is a series of non sequiturs. I'm not going to address them.