Owners and mechanics of Campagnolo disc brake systems filled with red oil, including Ekar, who want the fluid Campagnolo specifies in a small bottle.
Campagnolo Mineral Oil LB-300XS is the red mineral oil that goes into Campagnolo's hydraulic disc brake systems. Campagnolo states that from February 2021 all of its hydraulic systems contain red mineral oil, and its technical manual lists this oil for Super Record, Record and Chorus 12-speed, Super Record EPS 12-speed and Ekar. This is the 50 ml bottle (item code LB-300XS).
It is mineral oil, not DOT fluid, so it does not soak up moisture from the air the way glycol-based DOT fluid does, and the two must never be mixed. Campagnolo is firm about this: it says DOT oil, or any oil other than the ones in its table, could irreparably damage the rubber seals, and that it has only tested its system components with its own blue and red mineral oils. If your bike has an earlier system that came with blue oil, check your manual before you top up.
The label carries an aquatic toxicity warning (H411, toxic to aquatic life with long lasting effects), and Campagnolo notes that leaked oil can irritate eyes and skin. Wear gloves and eye protection, keep it off your pads and rotors, and take used oil to a proper disposal point rather than down a drain.
Campagnolo's own red oil
The oil Campagnolo lists for its systems from February 2021 and for Ekar.
Mineral oil only
Never mix it with DOT fluid: Campagnolo says DOT oil could irreparably damage the rubber seals.
Original oil only
Campagnolo says its component testing covered only its own blue and red mineral oils.
Check the code
LB-300XS is the red oil. Earlier blue-oil systems use a different code family, LB-200.
Clear hazard label
H411 aquatic toxicity warning: dispose of used oil responsibly.
50 ml bottle
Small screw-cap bottle, item code LB-300XS.
Fluid
Compatibility
Packaging and codes
Label warnings
Mineral oil, not DOT fluid
Campagnolo's hydraulic disc brakes are built for mineral oil. Mineral oil does not absorb moisture from the air the way glycol-based DOT fluids do, and it must never be mixed with them: Campagnolo warns that DOT oil could irreparably damage the rubber seals.
Red oil now, blue oil before
From February 2021 Campagnolo's hydraulic systems contain red mineral oil, and Ekar uses it too. Earlier systems (H11, Potenza 11 and the first 12-speed disc brakes) used blue oil. Campagnolo says the two are not incompatible, but its component testing covered only these two oils.
What the safety data sheet says
The base is a hydrotreated heavy paraffinic petroleum distillate with a small amount of antioxidant. The sheet lists an initial boiling point above 250 °C, a flash point of 190 °C and a freezing point of -45 °C. These are physical figures, not a DOT rating, because mineral oil is not graded to the DOT standards.
Great for
Maybe not for
Sold as a 50 ml bottle, item code LB-300XS. Before you buy, check which oil your Campagnolo system uses: red for systems from February 2021 and for Ekar, blue for earlier ones. The manual for your groupset, and any fluid marking on the lever or caliper, will tell you.
Match the oil before you open the bottle
Red LB-300XS is for Campagnolo's current systems and Ekar. Earlier systems use blue oil, and Campagnolo suggests keeping the oil already in a system when you swap parts between generations. Never use DOT fluid, and never use another brand's mineral oil, in a Campagnolo system.
Keep it off the pads and rotors
Oil on the pads or discs cuts braking power. Campagnolo says not to try cleaning contaminated pads: replace them and degrease the discs. Wipe spills straight away, use a syringe that has never held DOT fluid, and never pour used oil down a drain.
Italian groupsets and wheels from Vicenza since 1933.
Campagnolo S.r.l. was founded in Vicenza, Italy, in 1933 by Tullio Campagnolo, and the company is still based there.
Today it makes groupsets and wheels for road, gravel and track, including the Ekar gravel groupset, and its technical manuals name this red oil as the fluid for its current hydraulic disc brake systems.
