Campagnolo HPPM: its high precision power meter

Campagnolo boasts about the precision they have achieved in their new HPPM power meter, a novel product in their groups that had never had one available produced by the brand itself. A high-tech power meter capable of detecting the slightest force affecting the crank thanks to its 16 strain gauges and cadence measurement through a gyroscope sensor.

Campagnolo launches its first power meter, the HPPM

It is surprising that, in an era where power measurement has become normalized as a reference for the effort made when training on the bike and adjusting pedaling intensity, Campagnolo groups still did not have the option of power measurement. Therefore, users of the Italian brand's groups had to resort to other power meter brands that incorporated theirs in some Campagnolo crank models.

This absence comes to an end with the presentation of the new HPPM power meter, acronym for High Precision Power Measurement. The truth is, they didn't complicate things much with the name.

The Campagnolo HPPM is a power meter integrated into cranks that follow the aesthetic line of their Super Record Wireless, something that extends to its manufacturing, which, like the conventional Super Record cranks, has arms made of carbon fiber and a titanium Ultra Torque axle. An exquisite construction that weighs 656 g.

Regarding other meters on the market, it is noteworthy in its specifications the use of 16 strain gauges arranged in a diamond shape on the crank spider to detect any minimal deformation of the crank due to the force exerted while pedaling, regardless of the part of the pedal stroke we are in.

In addition to the torque exerted on the crank, to calculate power it is necessary to know cadence, something that the Campagnolo HPPM does through a gyroscope, nowadays the most widespread technology to obtain this value, which has made it unnecessary to place a magnet on the bike for the crank to detect each revolution.

Combining the 16 strain gauges, readings from the gyroscope sensor, and specific firmware capable of processing torque and cadence readings every five milliseconds, the Campagnolo HPPM can guarantee a precision in readings of +-1%, that is, at the level of the best power meters on the market. Precision is guaranteed with automatic zero calibration and temperature compensation system to correct variations in readings that occur with changes in this value.

The Campagnolo HPPM is powered by a lithium battery capable of offering an autonomy of about 500 kilometers, a battery that can be replaced in case of failure or degradation and that, for charging, uses the same port as the Campagnolo Super Record Wireless group. Like the wireless group, it can be managed, check the battery level, perform a manual zero reset, or update the firmware using the MyCampy 3.0 app already used by the mentioned group.

A power meter that Campagnolo manufactures in three crank lengths: 170, 172.5, and 175 mm and three chainring options: 45/29, 48/32, and 50/34, clearly indicating that Campagnolo targets this product at the enthusiastic cyclist rather than the competitor for whom, we assume, they will launch chainrings with the appropriate gearing for this use. The HPPM is already available and has a price in line with the rest of the Super Record group at 2,240 €.