The evolution in bicycle drivetrains over the last three years has been fairly dramatic. Bottom bracket bearings became oversized and moved from within a frame's BB shell to the outside of it; and BB spindles grew oversized and became integrated with the crankarm itself. The net result was that drivetrain stiffness and chainring trueness both improved. Bikes felt faster under power, they shifted more quickly under load, and maintenance became less and less of a requirement.

The most visible champions of this design change were Shimano and FSA. They both devoured market share between 2004-2006 thanks to the improved performance provided by their HollowTech and Mega Exo cranksets. They offered innovation and the world beat a path to their doors. It was a gold rush, and no one was more conspicuously absent from the scene than Campagnolo. They steadfastly stuck to their guns: Their square taper crank/BB interface had served them well for countless years, and they lurked in the shadows during this period. Given their illustrious history for innovation, anyone who attributed their silence to stubbornness was perhaps foolish. The industry knew all too well it was Campy's experience coming through: It would've been completely unlike Campy to produce a "me too" design indistinguishable from Shimano and FSA (and Ritchey and Truvativ, et al.) Rather, they studiously dissected the shortcomings of existing external BB systems and re-cast it with their own technical brilliance.

With the introduction of their new Ultra Torque crankset design, Campagnolo emerged from the darkness ready to rumble. The heart of their system is its semi-axle construction, adapted from the Hirth serration used most famously in the aviation industry. Each crankarm has a hollow, steel semi-axle integrated into it. The crankarm end of the semi-axle has a press-fit bearing to mate each crankarm to its respective bottom bracket cup. And the opposite end of each semi-axle is serrated to mate to the other semi-axle at the middle of the BB shell in a massive-yet-precise connection. It's a design used in driveshaft assemblies across many industries, and accordingly it has a tremendous ability to cope with torque without weakness or flex.

If you put an Ultra Torque crankset alongside a Dura Ace or an FSA crankset, certain distinctions are remarkable. Most important to us is the contrast in BB bearing drag. The Ultra Torque design spins with the same wicked friction-free whirlwind you got for decades from Campy's beloved square taper design. It's no secret that the Achilles heel of both the Shimano and FSA external bearing design is the inconsistency and the overwhelming side-heavy load of the BB bearings. There's a ton of drag there, and drag wastes power. Even if it just costs you 1 or 2w, a watt is a watt, and it's a disappointment every time we install a Shimano or an FSA BB. There's a reason for the ceramic BB bearing "revolution" currently consuming the high-end bike market: It's because there's so much to improve upon with the Shimano and FSA BB/crankset interface.

Another huge plus for Ultra Torque is the ease of assembly. Once you install your BB cups, the two crankarms come together through a simple 10mm bolt recessed at the meeting point of the two hollow semi-axles. Installation is a breeze, and provided you torque the bolt down to the requisite 42Nm, you should never have a maintenance related headache. It's a system that provides us a nice added dose of psychological security when we compare it to the pinch-bolt systems you find with other brands.

What differentiates the Record Ultra Torque crankset from the other models in the Campy line is its Ultra Hollow manufacturing technique. The carbon fiber arms are molded to create a hollow structure. The chainring spider is also hollow. Unlike other carbon cranksets, there's no aluminum exoskeleton under there. The only metal is at the threaded pedal interface. And the steel semi-axles are molded directly into the carbon crankarms without the use of an insert.

Other notes of consequence: Even though Campy moves the bearings to the outside of the BB shell, since the cranks are mated through the semi-axles the crankarms themselves can be kept thin. The Q-Factor between the Ultra Torque design and the previous generation Record crankset is identical. Amazingly, though, the Ultra Torque crank/BB combo weighs in at 66g lighter than the pre-UT equivalent.

The Ultra Torque crankset comes in carbon fiber only. Unlike previous years, there is no aluminum option. Further, there is no triple option. Rather, it comes in two chainring options: 53/39 and 50/34. It comes in 170mm, 172.5mm, 175mm, and 180mm. And to keep things as silent and as smooth-shifting as possible, it comes with nickel-plated, low-friction Ultra Drive EPS chainrings. Please note, too, that you must purchase a Record Ultra Torque bottom bracket for use with this crankset.